JCPenney Launches Rewards and Credit Program

JCPenney has debuted its Rewards and Credit Program, a free loyalty program for customers.

“Last year, JCPenney announced a $1 billion reinvestment plan to further improve customer experience and operational efficiencies,” the department store chain said in a news release Wednesday (April 17).

”Now, with more than 20 million Rewards Members that consistently shop at JCPenney an average five times per year, JCPenney will ensure all customers feel rewarded through its ongoing commitment to making every dollar and every trip count.”

The new program will double the rate at which Rewards members earn points, making sure every Rewards member gets money back each year, the company said. The program is free to join and guarantees $20 in CashPass Rewards and allows rewards to be stacked on top of other coupons and can be used on any purchase.

Meanwhile, customers who are JCPenney cardholders will save even more, getting JCPenney’s Best Price Guarantee and earning CashPass Rewards 50% quicker than before when making purchases with a JCPenney credit card.

Among the new rewards included with the program: the chance to meet NBA legend and JCPenney brand ambassador Shaquille O’Neal.

“Loyalty programs have long served as a cornerstone for businesses seeking to cultivate lasting relationships with their customers,” PYMNTS wrote last week.

“With the ongoing evolution of mobile technology and advancements in payment innovations, these programs are poised to become even more effective in driving customer retention while enhancing lifetime value.”

As Len Covello, chief technology officer at Engage People, told PYMNTS in an interview late last year, the integration of payments into smartphones has helped enhance loyalty programs, allowing customers to seamlessly make payments with loyalty points or get tailored offers with a click on their phones.

This amount of convenience and personalization fosters an ideal environment for loyalty transactions, Covello said, adding, “We’ve got all the tools available today.”

Meanwhile, recent research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows that email can be a critical engagement tool for merchants who want to win the loyalty of shoppers who can be persuaded by personalized offers.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Personalized Offers Are Powerful — but Too Often Off-Base,” created in collaboration with AWS, found that among consumers very or extremely likely to switch merchants if they received more personalized rewards, roughly two-thirds prefer getting personalized offers through their email.

“This makes email far and away the most in-demand method for receiving these offers among this persuadable group of customers,” PYMNTS wrote.