The Beauty of Liberty London's Subscription Programme: My Journey

Liberty, the iconic high-end department store nestled on Regent Street, has stood as a London landmark since the late 1800s. With its six-floor Tudor-style revival building, the store screams tradition and history. Yet, behind the historic façade lies a modern retail powerhouse.

The Beauty Drop

In late September 2021, Liberty unveiled its newest gem, 'The Beauty Drop' subscription programme. As a long-time customer, I excitedly signed up soon after launch as, for me, the proposition is a complete no-brainer. And I wasn’t the only one. Within just 12 hours of the launch, the first wave of subscription places had completely sold out. But fear not, due to popular demand, Liberty has now extended the scheme so any beauty enthusiasts out there can join now.

The Beauty Drop | The Beauty Subscription | Liberty

Unlocking the Benefits

So, what is The Beauty Drop all about? It’s best to think of it as your own personal beauty bank account. To become a member, you simply have to subscribe to the scheme and deposit £20 into your account every month, which unlocks a host of benefits, including:

• Your £20 monthly subscription fee is banked as 100% redeemable credit to spend at Liberty on beauty, in-store or online, whenever you choose
• Four deliveries of bespoke Liberty Discovery Boxes every year, which are packed with up to £300 worth of beauty products specially selected by Liberty’s Beauty Buyers. So far, I’ve received amazing fragrances, cleansers, sheet masks, hair products and more - all of which are beautifully packaged and come with detailed product information and how-to-use guides
• Free delivery on all beauty orders
• Access to exclusive content, advice and how-to videos
• Member-only offers throughout the year (e.g. early access to Liberty’s highly coveted Beauty Advent Calendar)

Sound too good to be true? I promise you, it’s not! And don’t just take my word for it…there are literally thousands of posts on Mumsnet about it, with customers sharing their guesses on what might be included in the next Discovery Box, their favourite products so far, and discussions on how best to use them. Why the hype? Because the value proposition really is market-leading in its generosity, with every single penny you deposit into your account being redeemable against future purchases.

What’s also brilliant about it is that it’s automatically integrated into the Liberty Collective loyalty programme, so every purchase you make using your membership savings earns you loyalty points, fast-tracking your journey towards additional rewards.

Finally, the programme has been built to support the modern customer’s omnichannel journey. The Beauty Drop is available to anyone living in the UK, not just those who regularly visit their central London store. Credit can be redeemed in-store, online or a combination of the two, serving customers wherever and whenever it suits them best.

The Beauty Drop | Beauty Subscriptions Box | Liberty

Personally, I have been banking my funds ready for a big Christmas splurge, and I’m sure I’m not the only member planning to do some self-gifting this holiday season.

Loyalty and Beyond

Taking my consumer hat off and putting my loyalty hat on for a moment, I thought it was worth highlighting why I think this programme is so great and what other retailers could learn from it:

• As a whole, the proposition is completely aligned with Liberty’s core brand identity - it’s not a ‘me too’ solution but something that has been carefully crafted with their customers in mind
• In the hugely competitive beauty sector, the Beauty Drop is a genius way to encourage customers just like me to consolidate their category spend into Liberty rather than shopping with competitors, especially during peak trading seasons such as Christmas
• This is highly likely to also encourage ancillary, incremental spend across the rest of the store (again, this will absolutely be the case for me!)
• By providing customers with the ability to save up funds over a period of time, Liberty is also likely to see the benefit of customers trading up when they cash in, buying perhaps bigger product sizes, more premium products, or a wider range of items from across the category
• It provides an opportunity to surprise and delight the customer through the four Discovery Boxes that are sent out each year, providing a valuable touchpoint with the end user and reminding them why they have chosen to subscribe
• It introduces customers to new products and brands which they may not have found without the subscription, incentivising future purchases to repeat-purchase the ones that they love the most
• It provides an opportunity to strengthen retailer-supplier relationships, allowing Liberty to offer their suppliers the ability to get their products into the hands of beauty enthusiasts all over the country

A Testament to Innovation

So, in a crowded market where customer attention is difficult to capture, where loyalty is precious and exclusive experiences are treasured, The Beauty Drop really does deliver. For me, it's also a testament to the fact that a historic retailer like Liberty London can stay not only relevant but at the forefront of innovation when it comes to customer engagement.

If you want to find out more about how Eagle Eye has supported Liberty on their Beauty Drop journey or to talk about how we could develop a market-leading customer engagement proposition for your customers, don’t hesitate to get in touch. It's what we love to do!