Founded in 1969 by Brian Singer and Doug “Claw” Warbrick, Rip Curl is one of the world’s most recognised and respected surf brands. It has been at the forefront of the surf and snow scenes since its creation.
Rip Curl’s loyalty program is Club Rip Curl. The pilot program launched through five stores in July 2022 before expanding across Australia and New Zealand in August 2022.
Joining the program
The sign-up process takes less than a minute online and it is free to join. Members provide their full name, email, DOB, gender, and mobile number to register. Members can also join the program when they go into a Rip Curl store, via Search GPS Watch app, or by contacting Rip Curl’s customer support team.
Members can log into their account and add their membership card to the digital wallet on their iPhone or Android device, so they have quick access to scan their membership card in-store.
Online experience
When members first log into their account, they see a banner showing their digital membership card, points, points value, and a prompt to update their preferences for 10,000 points.
When a member updates their preferences, they receive their 10,000 points within a couple of minutes.
The online account clearly explains how a member can earn and redeem points.
How to earn
Members earn 100 points for every $1 spent on Rip Curl products and receive 10,000 points in totality when they add preferences to their profile. Members can also earn points via referrals, product reviews, connecting surfing data to their membership account, recycling a wetsuit, and watching the Rip Curl Pro Surfing event.
Points expire after 24 months of no activity on the member’s account.
How to redeem
Members can redeem points on Rip Curl products online or in-store. Every 2,000 points is the equivalent of $1 in value, which is a return to members of 5% on spend. Exclusive Rip Curl experiences or donating back to environmental and indigenous initiatives (including supporting their local Surf Live Saving Club) will be other ways members can redeem points in the future.
The best bit
The most exciting element of Club Rip Curl is the ability for members to earn points for surfing.
Members are invited to connect their Search GPS Watch account to their Club Rip Curl membership and every wave they surf will earn them points. Members earn 200 points per wave, capped at 50,000 points per annum.
This is an exceptional feature that is quintessentially representative of the brand.
Gamification
Gamification may play a future role within Club Rip Curl. Incorporating leaderboards, daily challenges or badges may lead to a boost in member engagement and encourage more customers to purchase Search GPS watches to get involved.
Last thoughts
Club Rip Curl is an outstanding loyalty program. The join process is simple, members earn a nice bonus early on for adding preferences and the program is easy to understand.
The standout is earning for surfing waves, a feature that loyalty designers globally should look to and seek inspiration from.
