Expanding Horizons: Alshaya on Let’s Talk Loyalty

In a recent episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty, hosted by Paula Thomas, Comarch’s esteemed client, Alshaya Group, shared insights into their innovative approach to loyalty and connectivity.

About Alshaya and Aura

The episode highlights the dynamic family-owned enterprise, first established in Kuwait in 1890, which has grown into one of the world’s leading brand franchise operators. With thousands of stores, cafes, restaurants, and leisure destinations across the MENA region, Russia, Turkey, and Europe, Alshaya boasts a portfolio of 70 iconic brands, including Starbucks, H&M, Debenhams, The Cheesecake Factory, and Boots.

A standout feature of Alshaya's retail success is its digital loyalty program, Aura, which recently won the 2024 International Loyalty Award for Best Loyalty Program in the retail sector. Joining Paula in this enlightening discussion were two leaders from Alshaya's loyalty business: Nida Unas, Director of Loyalty, and Joanna Witsch, Head of Loyalty Product and Operations for the Aura program.

Turning Untapped Areas into Opportunities

Alshaya is committed to transforming untapped areas into thriving opportunities, focusing on enhancing customer experiences and fostering brand loyalty. Nida Unas discussed the next phase of Aura, emphasizing its mission to strengthen connections to the Alshaya brand while enriching customer interactions.

“[Aura] is really, really loved by customers, so it’s about expanding that offering to more aspects of our clients’ lives. The way we scale this program now is: how can we touch more aspects of our clients’ lives, especially in the core areas that Alshaya doesn’t operate within.”

One of the exciting new initiatives is Aura Mobile, which introduces the Aura program into the telecom field.

“Aura Mobile caters to the customers in Kuwait who are on the go: they love shopping, they love dining, so you get exclusive perks and exclusive discounts within Alshaya brands. You also get to collect points on your mobile spend. In the future, we'll look at how they can redeem their points on their mobile spend as well” Nida added.

Innovating the Customer Experience with Aura Wallet

Joanna Witsch expressed her excitement for the upcoming launch of Aura Wallet, which will revolutionize how customers pay and handle refunds.

“Basically, the feature on its own in the first phase allows you to put your refunds directly into the wallet. When you return the product, instead of waiting 14 days for the money to return to your credit card, it goes directly into your wallet. It’s real-time, very seamless, and easy from the customer perspective,” Joanna explained.

In the future, the Aura Wallet will also feature the ability to top up funds via credit card, simplifying transactions for customers and keeping funds within Alshaya’s ecosystem.

The Vision of a Super App

Joanna also shared her vision for Aura as a super app, designed to serve multiple sectors while benefiting both customers and Alshaya's employees.

“The purpose of why we want to bring it in-house is to really grow it into the super app. Is it for our customers? Is it for our colleagues? We’ll just bring it all together. 

We are working on many things, you can imagine, there’re also digital receipts being more and more popular as well, instead of sending it in WhatsApp and spending millions of dinars, the cost, we are bringing it to the Aura app, bring another saving for the company. And for the customer? It’s just everything in one place.”

Watch the Episode

Dive deeper into Alshaya's ambitious integration plans and their vision for the future: Watch the full episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty featuring Nida Unas and Joanna Witsch now!