Hanna Andersson hits 1 million loyalty members as it uses shopper feedback to inform new products

Building a data-rich program has helped the company in this regard; Hanna Andersson tracks members’ spending histories so it can make timely recommendations to them. But Hanna Andersson has also used Hanna Rewards to create a more convenient and close-knit shopping experience, Lapic said. Members get early access to collections that might sell out, and they are able to vote on future product colors and patterns. What’s more, some pieces are only open to rewards members, like Hanna Andersson’s recent collaboration with American Girl, which largely sold out in under a week.

Hanna Andersson’s typical customer is a busy mom, and its loyalty program seeks to cater to this demographic. For instance, the program has a members-only phone number, which members can use to reach personal shoppers. “Our mom doesn’t have a lot of time, and sometimes she can’t act the first day we launch something,” Lapic said. “This [program] is our way of giving her more time to get the most coveted product. [Customers] also want more help with outfitting, and we’re making it easier for them to find what they want.”

Since 2023, Hanna Andersson has primarily used Hanna Rewards to build its digital business — an effort that has taken on more significance since 2020, when the company decided to close its more than 50 stores and become online only. Hanna Andersson has since gone back into wholesale, launching an exclusive line of baby products in more than 50 boutiques earlier this year. But the vast majority of Hanna Andersson’s revenue still comes from its website — and it sees a loyalty program as a crucial way to foster relationships with customers.

In fact, going forward, Hanna Rewards will be incorporating members’ feedback “in a much bigger way than we have in the past,” Lapic said. This means frequent check-ins with members about categories, colors and overall inventory. Already, earlier this year, members were able to vote on which patterns or prints they’d like to see in Hanna Andersson’s staple holiday pajamas. “We wanted them to be able to buy the pajamas that they loved and make sure that they didn’t fall by the wayside,” Lapic said. This holiday season, Hanna Andersson will have more mix-and-match family pajama prints than ever before, at 55.

Hanna Andersson is also using members’ feedback to shape future product lines. In 2024, for instance, it noticed that rewards members were starting to buy more girls’ dresses than non-rewards members were. As a result, the brand stepped up its number of girls’ dresses across the Hanna Andersson line, including fancier party dresses and everyday play dresses. “It’s a good way to show how we’ve responded to what mom really wants,” Lapic said.

Loyalty programs are increasing in popularity, especially as retailers and brands look for ways to keep customers in their orbit. A 2025 Salesforce report found that two-thirds of retailers offer loyalty programs, with another 29% planning to introduce them in the next 24 months. In the last six months alone, The Children’s Place, Sweetgreen and Ikea all updated their loyalty programs to include more perks, tiers or VIP events.

For consumers, there’s a psychological benefit to being part of a loyalty program, data has found. In a recent Mintel study, 72% of U.S. consumers said loyalty programs made them feel more appreciated. More than half (56%) of respondents said joining a loyalty program made them more likely to shop with that retailer again.

Today, in the retail space, “brand loyalty is so critical to success,” Jen Jones, CMO at Commercetools, told Modern Retail. This is going to become even more crucial, she noted, as AI engines like ChatGPT start facilitating purchases. ChatGPT will soon enable people to buy from Shopify-powered companies, like Glossier and Skims, directly within ChatGPT. However, ChatGPT doesn’t directly connect to loyalty programs, meaning brands could miss out on insights from customers who buy through the platform’s Instant Checkout feature.

“I think brands that don’t invest in loyalty and don’t know their customer will have the same experience they did in the [early] Amazon days,” Jones said. “If Amazon could take over your customer, so can ChatGPT. But those that invest in loyalty and are continuing to rethink what loyalty means in this era will fare well.”

Hanna Andersson, too, is hoping its relationships with loyal customers will transcend technological and economic shifts. “We’re a 40-year-old brand because we invest so much in the quality of our products,” Lapic said. “And with our net promoter score for the brand, we continue to be No. 1 in the children’s wear category. With our shoppers, we’re just excited to be able to make them feel like who they are: the lifeblood of our company.”