Nordstrom's new "Nordy Club" rewards program

[fieldsofclover]

Nordstrom announced their revamped rewards program in September, now called the "Nordy Club" (ooh la la).

The new set of rewards tiers:

Spoiler

Here's a bit of discussion around it, for anyone interested in the retail-psychology part: 
forbes.com/sites/stevendennis/2018/09/14/nordstrom-ups-the-ante-with-new-loyalty-program/
digiday.com/marketing/nordstrom-reinvented-retail-loyalty-program/

The main changes are a shinier personal profile (supposed to make it easier to shop), and racking up the points a lot faster if you have one of their credit or debit cards.

Do you think the new program will change your shopping habits at all? Is Nordstrom likely to peel off a bigger piece of your Sephora/Ulta/Neiman's/etc budget because of it?

[blackkitty2014]

Thx for posting @fieldsofclover.  At the moment, no the new program wont change my spending habit.  Looks liked this is more beneficial to card holders.  I'm not a card holder so it is the same for me.  If it is based on spending only, i might shift some of my beauty purchase from Sephora to Nordstrom but this isnt the case. I know i dont need another CC.  I want to charge my CC and pay it off every month and i intend to keep it that way so no temptation needed 😉 Off the topic, I don't recommend a retail CC to young ppl or whoever is building their credits.  If you already have excellent credit line, ya sure, 50 points off of your excellent credit line score... big deal but other than that don't do it.  

[MissPuff]

I would love to see actual stats on how loyalty programs affect purchasing habits, I bet it would be quite eye opening! I can't say I've ever consciously changed my spending habits based on loyalty programs, I know what I like and where I like to buy it from and that's pretty much that. If you want to throw free things at me, by all means! My purchasing preferences have been fairly consistent even during the various stages of financial security/insecurity, so I can only assume that these types of programs are not aimed at my style of consumer.

I've got a Nordstrom card and bank up notes with some consistency, but have honestly never really taken advantage of the other perks (I really should since I've got wee legs, but it just never happens). I shop Nordstroms for mostly clothes and shoes, and the occasional beauty buy that can't be found elsewhere. I'm not sure I'd put Nordstroms in the same category as Sephora, though I do tend to use my notes to redeem on beauty purchases. 

Something I've wondered, do stores WANT you to take advantage of the perks (more cost to them) so that the experiences will compel you to stay at the level, or is it more cost effective to offer perks that the majority of their clients do NOT use (sort of like gym memberships)?

[WinglessOne]

As a Nordstrom Visa holder, I noticed a couple of differences back when they first started telling current rewards members about the program changes. 

• I now earn 3 points per dollar (at Nordstrom & Rack) instead of 2
• Notes can now be redeemed in smaller increments (used to be $20), which to me isn’t a big deal but I can understand why some folks might want to earn redeemable rewards faster (in smaller increments) 
• My former personal triple points days are now just double points 😞 —but I see that applies across all tiers 
• I can finally see how much more I have to spend to tier up, if I’m really interested in that 
• Oh, and the app’s not bad 

Looks like the annual 10-points holiday party’s not going away (for influencer and above). That’s good, because I always enjoy that event—especially when I bring a friend along. 

Also for influencer and above: we now get 5 days in a row of personal 10-points days between 11/27 and 12/24 this year. 😯 I guess that makes up for triple-points days becoming double points. 

I still only earn one point per dollar spent outside Nordstrom, except for travel, dining, and entertainment (2 points/dollar).

Will these changes make me spend more money at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack (and Hautelook)? I don’t know. I’m already a frequent shopper, so it’s not like I’m chomping at the bit to drop ALL my money there right away. 😂 I mostly care about 3 things:

1. Free non-basic alterations up to $200: I’m 5’0” with a short-waisted, curvy/hourglass figure, so I bleepin’ need that alteration allowance 
   
   
2. Getting notes, which isn’t a problem because I use my Nordy card almost everywhere I’d normally use any credit card; I rack up a lot of points and bank a lot of notes as it is 
   
   
3. Maintaining at least influencer level so I get invited to the annual holiday party and keep my $200 alterations allowance 

I should start taking advantage of things like style workshops. I’ve had a personal shopper at Nordstrom before and should re-establish another relationship like that with a sales associate. SAs give me their cards and remind me I can call/text them ahead of time to pull items or otherwise help me shop, but I keep forgetting to take advantage. 

I won’t call Nordstrom’s rewards program a joke because it works well for me. Then again, I’m a cardholder. Even if I wasn’t, I’d still join the program if I shopped at their stores semi-frequently. It’s free to join and they’ll basically give you money to spend with them, so why turn your nose up at that if you’re gonna shop there anyway? 😂 

[chichilawyer]

I don’t think the switch from triple to double points days results in less points, as both systems get you 6 points per dollars. You used to get 2 points per dollar spent, so a triple points day was 2x3=6.  You now get 3 points per dollar spent so a double points day is 3x2=6. 

[RGbrown]

There's no Nordstrom here, but we did get a Rack a few years ago, and I opened a debit card during one of their promos...I think I got a $20 Note for doing it. I remember laughing at the "rewards", and I still don't find it all that impressive. I'm pretty sure debit card holders got 2 points per dollar before anyways, and it used to be one (or two??) Triple Points day instead of Double Points. I certainly didn't notice an improvement in the "new" benefits, not enough to sway me.

I do order from Nordstrom online occasionally, but that's usually only when there's an awesome free sample I really want to try, or a good deal on something I can't get elsewhere. They used to have a good gwp every now and again that I'd go out of my way for, but it's been at least a year, if not more, since that has happened.

I usually check out Clear The Rack too, but typically walk out empty handed...our store is fairly small, and never has the super-awesome high end beauty stuff like Burberry and such that others do. I can find cheap UD and NYX in better shape most anywhere 😋 I have scored a few really awesome clothing and shoe deals, but all in all, it's not a huge destination for me.

Perhaps if I had an actual Nordstrom store, I might feel differently, but probably not, truthfully...I don't shop dept stores much at all. I set foot in Macy's today for the first time since......hmmmmmm...not sure......maybe last Xmas, but possibly even longer (I think my sis might have dragged me in there for after Xmas clearance shopping, but maybe that was two years ago? 🤔). The big mall here is about 20-25 minutes away, and traffic is hell both ways at all hours...I just don't enjoy shopping like I used to, and tend to stick to smaller stores and shopping centers closer to home now. If we ever got a Nordstrom, I'd probably rarely visit anyways lol. The rewards certainly aren't much of a draw, for me personally.

But I'm also not a high end person in general. I enjoy excellent deals on luxe products (the $200 Coach loafers that I found for $30 will always be cherished), but I'm also content with Ulta and their beauty wares for my day to day needs when I can't find that premium bargain. 

[Samtian]

No, I'm still too poor for Nordstrom lol. Though they do have A LOT of things I want.

[txcatx]

I never understood why angry Sephora customers come here and say they're going to start shopping at Nordstrom instead. Unless you have their card, $500 spent gets you $5 and $2000 spent gets you $20. Even getting $5 after spending $166.67 with a card or $20 after spending $666.67 doesn't seem like that great of a deal to me. It gets slightly better if you use the double point days with a card. Seriously, no rewards program that I'm familiar with beats Ulta's, but most of the brands I use are only carried at Sephora or Nordstrom. 

I shop at Nordstrom, but mostly for shoes and clothes. I do buy makeup there, but usually only in person and only items that aren't carried at the Sephora store around the corner from Nordstrom. But, I do tend to use my Nordstrom rewards on makeup. 

[gonerogue]

@txcatx Same with me. Nordies gets my cash with their great inventory of clothes and shoes but that’s about it... I can’t see why people make the Sephora/Nordies comparison 🤷🏼‍♀️

[gonerogue]

This change is not going to shift my spending habits with them. I usually shop Nordies for most of my shoes/clothing needs and their beauty when they have beauty exclusives, price-matched items in my wish list and during the Anniversary sale. I just logged on to check my new status with them and to me it looks like it's very similar to their past tiers (levels 1-4)- it's just labeled "influencer" now. Again, this new label is not going to entice me to shop some more with them and the benefits I get now are the exact same benefits I was getting before.

[suzyo]

I doubt I'll spend more there, but I like the personal double points day.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@fieldsofclover I just started shopping beauty at Nordstrom recently, so I can't say if it will change my habits.  Personally, the changes didn't seem that big to me since I don't have their card.  I will say that I appreciate their return policy, so that is tipping the scale in some regard.

I couldn't access the link for some reason.

[fieldsofclover]

(The links need to be cut and pasted into your browser, since BIC doesn't allow outbound links) @greeneyedgirl107

[greeneyedgirl107]

@fieldsofclover I should've been more clear - I did copy and paste but got an error message.  Don't worry about it - I'm sure it's a wonky computer thing 😛