The Business
Blue Star Group (BSG) is a leader in the lifestyle accessories segment in Latin America. Design and innovation are the core components of their business. They create collections inspired by global trends with their own identity, and they are specialists in every category they offer: jewelry, hair accessories, beauty, bags, home, accessories, and kids. With a growing e-commerce platform that complements its physical stores, BSG is committed to providing products that foster creativity and individuality.
The Challenge
- Lack of information about purchase behavior and customer engagement
- Lack of loyalty programs
- Lack of personalized communications based on user activity or inactivity
- Lack of customer data accuracy
- Limited segmentation
BSG was facing significant challenges in its journey towards a truly omnichannel customer experience. Despite having a strong position across multiple brands and countries, the company had trouble unifying customer profiles and integrating information from both online and physical channels. This fragmentation made it impossible to obtain a comprehensive view of consumer behavior.
Besides, BSG aimed at customizing interactions with customers across all points of contact, both digital and in-person, but lacked the necessary tools to offer relevant and consistent experiences.
The implementation of a loyalty program was another strategic goal. The company needed to establish a clear and scalable strategy in order to recognize and reward their best customers, fostering engagement and repurchase in a sustained manner.
Given this situation, BSG needed a technology partner capable of managing the complexity of multi-channel data integration, while enabling localized customization across the various markets where it operates.
“In the past, there were no customized communications nor automation or large-scale traceability. Today, thanks to SAP Emarsys, we have achieved full traceability, giving us the ability to understand each customer individually and to interact with them in real time with relevant and customized content”.
The Solution
In order to face their challenges, BSG partnered with SAP Emarsys aiming to implement a comprehensive marketing and omnichannel loyalty strategy, which made it possible to bridge the gap between their physical stores and digital platforms.
Through a close collaboration, Emarsys worked to thoroughly understand BSG characteristics, considering the diversity of their brands and their presence in multiple markets. As a result of this diagnosis, they offered a customized solution which optimized customer engagement levels, facilitated data integration and transformed customer experience at scale.
A key factor for the success of the implementation was the commitment of Blue Star Group IT and CRM teams, who worked hard to adapt their internal systems to ensure a seamless integration with the Emarsys solution. This work enabled the correct connection of the different data sources, ensured the synchronization of customer information between physical and digital channels, and laid the necessary technical foundations to execute automated and customized campaigns at scale.
The joint approach focused on providing relevant interactions, seamless connectivity between channels and a unified loyalty strategy, all supported by a solid technological structure aligned with business needs.
Integrated Loyalty Management
One of the foundations of the solution was the development of a comprehensive loyalty management system which seamlessly connected online and in-store interactions. Thanks to Emarsys, BSG was able to make a comprehensive follow-up of customer behavior across all points of contact and reward both digital and physical actions.
The main implemented features include the assignment of points for actions, such as store registration, and the automatic identification of the point of sale, which enabled users to accrue and redeem benefits regardless of the channel used. This omnichannel approach not only improved customer experience but also provided BSG with key strategic information to understand consumption patterns across their brands and markets.
Omnichannel Customization
To strengthen their relationship with customers, BSG deployed automated flows specifically designed for loyalty program members. These automations made it possible to deliver relevant and timely communications through multiple channels, such as email, Web Channel and Digital Ads, thus ensuring a truly customized experience.
A key example was the implementation of automated welcome campaigns for new program members, creating a consistent onboarding experience from the very first contact. By automating these processes, BSG managed to scale their customization efforts, while maintaining closeness and relevance in every stage of the customer journey.
Smart Insight Integration
The incorporation of SAP Emarsys’ Smart Insight technology provided BSG with advanced analysis and customer identification capabilities. This solution enabled the generation of unique identifiers which unified profiles across all (physical and digital) environments, facilitating a 360° view of consumer behavior.
Smart Insight integration also enabled precise segmentations based on purchasing behavior, combining transaction and contact data within the same platform.
Localized Customization
Given BSG’s regional scope (with operations in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Peru), localized customization was a key factor in ensuring a consistent experience in each market. In cooperation with Emarsys, adaptable loyalty portfolios and customized communication templates were designed, tailored to both the cultural preferences and regulatory requirements of each country, without compromising the unified brand identity.
Results
The key functionalities of this solution included the ability to reward in-store payments, the simplification of point-of-sale identification, and the creation of automated loyalty campaigns focused on onboarding. These initiatives strengthened customer engagement while providing BSG with a scalable technological base to support its growth and foster future innovation.
Thanks to this strategic alliance, BSG managed to unify its loyalty and relationship marketing efforts, laying the foundation for a seamless and consistent omnichannel experience across all its brands and countries of operation.
“We have made substantial progress in integrating our customer data, which allows us to better understand their preferences when they choose us. Knowing where and how they buy provides us with the tools to analyze their behavior, respond with relevant actions, and make data-driven business decisions, always focusing on our community.”
The Impact
The partnership with SAP Emarsys led to transformative results for BSG, strengthening its ability to connect with customers across physical and digital channels. One of the key achievements was the tangible impact on revenues. In Todomoda_ar, one of BSG´s main accounts, the welcome to the loyalty program campaign led to an increase in revenues and allowed them to reach 554,120 members during the first six months, demonstrating the power of a customized and automated customer interaction. This growth highlights how a well-designed loyalty strategy can have a direct impact on customer spending and long-term retention.
BSG also achieved outstanding delivery rates, ensuring that 99,6% of their marketing communications effectively reached their target audience. This high level of precision ensured that customized messages, loyalty offers, and engagement actions consistently connected with customers in all markets. Consequently, BSG strengthened their bond with their community, increasing active participation in loyalty programs.
Another key milestone was the omnichannel consistency achieved in the four countries and two brands in which BSG operates. Thanks to SAP Emarsys, the company was able to unify customer profiles on-line and off-line, enabling seamless recognition, regardless of the channel of contact. This integration ensured a consistent purchasing experience, whether in physical stores, digitally or both, while respecting local particularities without compromising brand identity.
The project success was possible thanks to the close collaboration between BSG, SAP Emarsys and SAP Emarsys Adoption implementation teams. This strategic alliance was based on trust, continuous dialogue and adaptability. Both parties worked together from strategy to development, quickly overcoming technical challenges, such as unique customer identifiers generation, benefits and rewards definition, and multi-regional automated flows creation. This synergy laid the foundations for future innovations.
A Unified Strategy for Lasting Success
Thanks to its collaboration with SAP Emarsys, BSG managed to transform their approach to customer engagement, bridging the gap between in-store and digital experiences. The implementation of an integrated loyalty strategy not only led to immediate financial results but also positioned the company for sustained growth. By standardizing customer data, enhancing customization, and enabling omnichannel engagement, BSG can now deliver meaningful and consistent experiences in a diverse regional and brand environment.
This project showed the value of having an integrated marketing platform in a highly competitive retail market. Thanks to a comprehensive approach, BSG has strengthened customer loyalty and gained much deeper strategic insights into customer behavior, driving continuous innovation in their marketing efforts. This initiative has also highlighted the importance of involving both the technical and commercial teams from the very beginning of the process to ensure a seamless implementation and a sustainable success.
With a scalable and adaptable loyalty framework, BSG is ready to keep improving the customer experience by seamlessly integrating the offline and online worlds. The solid foundation built through this strategic alliance enables the company to foresee the evolving needs of their consumers, thereby strengthening the company’s bond with their community and generating sustained growth. BSG’s commitment to offering accessible and customized fashion experiences is reinforced by this transformation, strengthening their position as key player in Latin American retail.
“The launch of our loyalty program with SAP Emarsys allowed us to provide a more customized and engaging experience to our customers. The collaboration with their team [the Implementation and Customer Success team at SAP Emarsys] was key to the project’s success, and the results speak for themselves.”
Eliana Rey Quintana, Head of CRM and Loyalty, BSG
“SAP Emarsys facilitates the management of my ad hoc campaigns by optimizing timelines and streamlining segmentation, personalization, and results analysis. This enables me to improve the performance in each shipment.”
Paz Rodriguez, Marketing Analyst, BSG
“A key success factor was the involvement of our technology team throughout the project, sharing their knowledge and working together with the business and SAP Emarsys in order to minimize adoption timelines and optimize the complete solution architecture design.”
Gonzalo Carranza, Head of Implementation, BSG
