M&S ramps up global activity with Sparks expansion

Marks & Spencer is to expand its Sparks loyalty scheme into a global programme, launching across India and 25 international markets, including the US and Australia.

In line with the UK scheme, every international customer will have access to the core Sparks offer, including a personalised programme of deals and rewards, while members shopping in its 94 stores across India will also get the chance to win their shopping for free instantly.

As well as launching in India, the Sparks rollout will take place across 25 M&S international websites serving target markets. The retailer claims to have “custom built” its international online Sparks platform to be scalable across multiple markets, enabling M&S to better understand its global customer base.

Sparks will continue to be a “digital first experience”; in the UK the retailer claims the programme has more than doubled its base to 16 million-plus members since it was relaunched in 2020.

M&S co-chief executive Katie Bickerstaffe said: “Over the last 18 months we’ve got on with the job of building and expanding the global reach of M&S.

“But to become a truly global brand we need to make shopping at M&S rewarding no matter where you shop. The reset of Sparks in the UK in 2020 delivered a step-change and we’re now taking those lessons into international markets, so that we can better understand and serve our global customer base.”

Last year, M&S revealed plans to consolidating all of its global data sources within a single platform, dubbed the “voice of the customer programme”, to be delivered by KPMG and US tech firm Medallia.

The aim is to gain a live, connected view of the customer experience across M&S’ operations for the first time, support its business transformation and help use data to drive decision making.