Sam’s Club, ButcherBox and H&M are among the winners of the 2025 Modern Retail Awards
This year’s winners of the Modern Retail Awards reflect a shift toward brands that grow by building genuine connections rather than relying on scale alone.
They strengthened their communities through events and education, leaned into humor and relatable voices, expanded into new categories to meet changing consumer needs and used clear storytelling to define who they are and why they matter. Together these approaches highlight how brands are evolving to stay relevant while remaining rooted in purpose.
Sam’s Club earned the award for Best Use of Shoppable Content for creating an immersive virtual house that reimagines how members explore products online. Built with Napster’s technology, the 3D space lets shoppers browse hundreds of items staged in lifelike rooms and interact through features like a scavenger hunt and a self-care quiz.
Designed to boost awareness and deepen engagement, the experience also spotlighted Member’s Mark and key brand partnerships. Since launch, it has significantly outperformed industry benchmarks, driving a 58% lift in engagement, higher interaction rates and more repeat exploration.
ButcherBox secured the award for Best Loyalty Program for launching Sizzle Society, a tiered system that turns routine subscribers into engaged members through culinary-focused rewards and gamified progression.
Introduced in October 2024, the program was built to strengthen retention, inspire new purchasing habits and deepen emotional connection by reflecting members’ passion for cooking rather than relying on standard points-back perks. As one of the first loyalty initiatives in the meat-subscription category, it set out to redefine expectations with experiential benefits and partnerships designed to elevate customers’ culinary journeys and reinforce the brand’s commitment to quality.
H&M earned two awards this year: Best Event and Most Responsible Retailer.
The first is for a global series that fused fashion and music, culminating in a surprise Charli XCX concert in Times Square. The takeover featured a livestreamed performance, massive digital billboards and the reopening of the brand’s redesigned flagship, drawing fans through day-of social announcements and member invitations.
An after party at Hotel Chelsea extended the momentum. The campaign delivered more than 850 million in reach, generated significant media value, attracted high-profile cultural partners and drove measurable lifts in brand health, loyalty recruitment, search and sales across New York City.
The retailer secured the award for Most Responsible Retailer for advancing a long-term sustainability strategy that reshapes how H&M designs products, sources materials and operates its global business. Over the past year, the brand deepened efforts to cut emissions, scale circular systems and strengthen social and environmental standards across its value chain, supported by investments in textile recycling, low-carbon technology and renewable energy.
These actions helped reduce Scope 3 emissions by 24% and brought recycled or responsibly sourced materials to 89% of its assortment. The company’s progress continues to rank among the industry’s strongest, reinforcing its role as a leader in responsible fashion.
Explore all the winners of the 2025 Modern Retail Awards below.
Best Back-End E-Commerce Technology
myHorizons Amazon Analytics: Built for Brands
Best Brand Collaboration
Wing & Walmart – The Largest Drone Delivery Expansion Ever
Best Community Engagement Strategy
GoodPop Viral Watermelon Pops Activation x Eli McCann
Best Content Creator Collaboration
BYOMA × Nina Pool collection
Best Customer Service Experience
Zipline x Sephora: One-Stop Shop for Service
Best E-Commerce Experience
Pandora and Work & Co – Launch of Pandora’s Digital Flagship
Best Event
H&M Hosts Surprise Charli xcx Concert in Times Square
Best Expansion Strategy
Coterie
Best Experiential Campaign
Vita Coco Nostalgia Mall
Best Fulfillment Strategy
AutoStore: Scaling Fulfillment From Retail to Farming
Best Launch Campaign
Frida’s Breast Milk Ice Cream Campaign
Best Loyalty Program
ButcherBox, Launch of Sizzle Society
Best New Store Concept
Tuckernuck – Debut of Madison Avenue Flagship
Best Omnichannel Experience
Zipline x Warby Parker: One Frame of Mind
Best Retailer/Agency Collaboration
Wondersauce x Alta Dena – Fresh from Southern Cow-lifornia
Best Social Campaign
Juan Soto Joins Team CELSIUS
Best Subscription Strategy
Tractor Supply & Ordergroove: Unified Subscriber Experience
Best Transformation
Bobbie – From DTC to National Shelves
Best Use of AI
Onebeat Inventory Optimization and Execution Platform
Best Use of Shoppable Content
Sam’s Club Virtual House Powered by Napster
Best Use of Technology
Perfect Corp. & Jane Iredale’s Shade Finder & Virtual Try-on
Best Use of TikTok
Skimpies – Building Community Through TikTok Live
CMO of the Year – NEW
John Solomon, Therabody
E-Commerce Executive of the Year
Tiffany Lipinsky, ShopMy
Founder of the Year
Kendra Scott
Most Innovative Marketplace – NEW
Flashfood
Most Innovative Retail Model
Ulta Beauty – Charting the Future of Beauty Retail
Most Responsible Retailer
H&M – H&M Group
Retail Media Network of the Year – NEW
Babylist
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