High street chain M&S has ramped up loyalty card wars with the launch of Sparks today. But in a twist, the M&S members card does not give shoppers coupons to spend or points to trade in against products - instead it “unlocks benefits”. Shoppers signing up to the scheme will earn ten “sparks” for every £1 spent in stores and receive a further ten points for the transaction. They can boost their sparks by 25 points for writing a flattering or scathing online review of a product and 50 points for “shwopping” - donating an old item of clothing when buying a new outfit. A spokesperson said: “Members will accrue points rather like in a video game - the points don’t have a monetary value and they are never spent. They are a way of accessing exclusive deals and personalised discounts each time members shop or interact with us online.” These details then determine the types of offers or discounts that they receive - for example 10% off fresh flowers or a better bottle of wine or fizz to go with a meal deal. Under the loyalty card scheme, 3,000 sparks will unlock priority access to new fashion ranges and 5,000 will give card holders the chance to bag bargains online 24 hours ahead of the crowd. And extreme loyalty of 14,000 sparks will open up events like catwalk shows and masterclasses while 17,000 will enter card holders into draws with prizes like a trip to a South African vineyard or Christmas taken care of up for grabs.
