Lululemon Athletica: global brand + local presence = loyal shoppers

While some might not consider it "breaking retail news" we thought it was worth a shout-out to a retailer who is doing an amazing job of engendering loyalty among its shoppers (and increasing basket size) simply by embodying the values of their brand.

This past weekend my children put on a shoe drive for Haiti at Lululemon Athletica's store in Portland, Oregon. They wanted to actually DO something to help the victims of the earthquake, and - since they didn't have any money of their own - ended up organizing the kids in my son's Cub Scout pack to collect up shoes to help the Soles4Souls program, a nonprofit that collects new and gently worn shoes in the US and distributes them to needy people around the world. With the kids organized and the charity selected, the only thing left was to determine a date and a place to do it.

That's where Lululemon Athletica came to the rescue. I regularly go on a long run Saturdays with a wonderful group of people, and many of those runs are hosted by Lululemon. They provide a place to meet, a bathroom, snacks, water, and a lovely 15% discount off everything in the store for the day. That generosity alone has kept me loyal to their brand, but their support for the shoe drive truly embodied the "global brand, local presence" values of the retailer: without requiring special approval or a lot of rigamarole, the store manager and staff invited us to host the shoe drive in their store. While many retailers support community events like this, Lululemon truly went above and beyond by setting up a table for my kids, Tweeting about the drive and even creating an event for it on Facebook! The exposure was the perfect complement to our own actions, and as a result of Lululemon's help, my kids collected over 150 pair of shoes in just a matter of hours!

I could just simply thank Lululemon Athletica here for really going above and beyond for a couple of kids, but in the bigger picture this retailer shows clearly how to create and keep brand loyalty:

• Don't just sell product, embrace your shopper's passion and lifestyle: Lululemon sells great product, but they also help support the activities where I use their product, and that embrace makes them first on the list when I choose to open my running-related wallet.
• Be a great global brand, AND be a part of the local community: Lululemon doesn't relegate community support to a tiny bulletin board in the back of the store, it's the first thing you see when you walk in. And their support of events like my son's and my running group make them a part of the local fabric in ways that few retailers can match.

In a 2009 NRF blog post, Lululemon CEO Christine Day shared her thoughts on what differentiates the retailer from its competition. Our experience with the store manager last Saturday was a perfect embodiment of these ideals. I didn't have to fill out a form or go through "community relations"... They simply wanted to help, so they just made it happen.

One of the hot buzzwords at NRF this year was "social media," and the irony is that for all the talk, very few retailers understand what it means to be truly SOCIAL. Just as Facebook is more than a one way channel for promotions of products and coupons (note: if that's how your brand uses it... it's called a "Web site," not social media), shoppers need to feel that they are a part of something other than a fabricated marketing campaign... they need to be invited to participate in the brand. And this is part of what Lululemon has done that is so fresh and exciting: shoppers not only feel a part of a stylish global brand community, they also feel at home there. It's truly a global brand with a local presence.

150 pairs of shoes collected by my children only makes a small dent in a massive crisis in Haiti, but if more retailers embrace the spirit of Lululemon Athletica, shoppers will not only be able to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate around the world, they'll also be able to enjoy supporting a great brand while they do it.

Comments

[Doron Levy]

Lululemon embraces merchant mentality. They know what's important to their customer and builds their brand around that. It's no wonder they are so successful. Pricing becomes secondary (even tertiary) when the brand mirrors what the customer values. Shopping at Lulu is more of an experience than an outing to buy yoga pants.

[Yoga Guy]

The style of their clothes is also a factor and the quality. That really has helped them. Also being it the right place at the right time. Yoga has become popular in the last 20 years.