Evolving transactional rewards to experiential loyalty
Overview
Albertsons shoppers didn't see the value in their loyalty program: a free rewards tier, a paid subscription, and an ecommerce platform all existed, but disconnected from each other.
I led product strategy, with hands-on UX design support, to unify these fragmented loyalty products into one cohesive membership experience. That meant mapping new user journeys and identifying exactly where to convert shoppers from free to Premium relationships.
Challenge → Approach → Impact
Shoppers misunderstood Albertsons' loyalty offerings. Low awareness of the benefits and unclear value kept engagement low across both the free and paid tiers.
I built a membership positioning and program strategy that brought the existing loyalty products into one experience, and found the moments to convert shoppers from free to Premium.
The membership vision now connects digital and in-store shopping, backed by a personalized engagement strategy that reaches shoppers beyond checkout.
Current state
Albertsons for U is the free membership millions of shoppers already belong to, and almost nothing in the experience tells them so. I audited sign-up, onboarding, the app, and the wider brand system. Four problems showed up everywhere.
Benefits are never tied back to B4U
Onboarding sells deals, the wallet, and coupons, but never names the membership delivering them.
The program is invisible at sign-up
No program name, no benefits, no recognition moment. New members land on an empty rewards dashboard with nothing to do next.
Two loyalty programs, run in parallel
B4U and FreshPass are accessed, experienced, and communicated separately, with no path between free and paid.
Disconnected membership elements
Every perk carries its own name, logo, and voice, which is what pushed the work toward a single naming framework.
Membership ecosystem
I mapped the full membership ecosystem and defined the role and growth opportunity for each touchpoint, from checkout to app to in-store.
User journeys and opportunity
I designed journeys that bring shoppers deeper into the Albertsons ecosystem and convert free members into paid ones.
Next, I mapped two critical paths: how a non-member becomes a free loyalty member, and how a free member converts to Premium.
Bringing it to life
I built concept prototypes to show marketing, product, and technology stakeholders how their teams could collaborate to bring the membership foundations to life, from onboarding and personalized recommendations to checkout moments that nudge free members toward Premium.
Results
I also delivered a roadmap of near-term and longer-term growth opportunities for ACI's team to execute as they rolled the strategy out.
One membership, not many programs
Separately branded rewards, games, and convenience perks now sit under a single program.
A path from shopper to lifetime member
I identified where to convert non-members to free members, free to paid, and paid to lifetime.
New features across digital and store
I designed member services that carry the same value from the app into the aisle.
A new internal definition of loyalty
ACI's thinking shifted from checkout discounts to ongoing engagement and personalization.