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How Stride Rite migrated to LoyaltyLion and turned first steps into lifelong loyalty

Stride Rite

Fashion case studies

Stride Rite’s loyalty program helps keep busy parents coming back with practical perks, easy redemption, and a tiered experience that feels like it belongs on the site.

Why Stride Rite’s migration to LoyaltyLion paid off

Discover why the brand won Best Loyalty Program Migration at the LoyaltyLion Awards 2026

Who are Stride Rite?

Stride Rite is one of those rare brands that has genuinely grown up with families, with 100 years of history and a multi-generational fan base.

Today, as part of the Vida Group, Stride Rite is focused on being the go-to choice for parents who want shoes that are stylish, well-made, and developmentally healthy for kids.

And because kids grow fast (and parents have approximately zero spare time), Stride Rite knows the customer experience has to be seamless from start to finish.

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When parents come to us, they’re not just buying shoes, they’re buying confidence, care, and memories.

Jess Abrams
Jess AbramsEcommerce Merchandiser at Stride Rite

The challenge: Keep loyalty strong in a world of rising costs

Apparel and footwear brands have had it tough recently. Costs are rising, and customers are more price-sensitive.

Their existing loyalty program provider didn’t offer the level of insight, the flexibility, or the customer engagement tools to meet the needs of a fast-growing brand like Stride Rite.

They needed an easy-to-manage loyalty program that could help them

  • Better understand performance with robust analytics (like revenue contribution and purchase frequency by tier)
  • Build stronger engagement through referrals and reviews
  • Offer benefits that solve real customer problems
  • Connect loyalty with their comms strategy without overwhelming inboxes
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Why LoyaltyLion: Better data, better integrations, better engagement

Stride Rite chose LoyaltyLion because they wanted a platform that would give them both the insights and the tools to improve performance over time.

With LoyaltyLion, they could finally see what was working, spot what needed attention, and build a program that encouraged customers to engage in multiple ways.

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We moved to LoyaltyLion because we needed more robust data analytics and tighter integrations, plus more customer-focused engagement like referrals and reviews.

Jess Abrams
Jess AbramsEcommerce Merchandiser at Stride Rite

The strategy: A simple, practical tiered program that parents actually use

Stride Rite’s program, Little Loyals, is designed around one core idea: make loyalty feel effortless.

There are three tiers with names that fit the brand and the customer journey:

  • Crawler (free to join)
  • Walker (unlocked at $100+ annual spend)
  • Runner (unlocked at $200+ annual spend)

Customers earn points for purchases, and also for easy, familiar actions like adding a birthday, writing reviews, and following the brand on socials. It’s intuitive, low-lift, and helps customers build value quickly.

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We try to make tier progression seamless, easy, and intuitive. There are really understandable ways for customers to earn points.

Jess Abrams
Jess AbramsEcommerce Merchandiser at Stride Rite

A smarter approach to shipping (and a bigger reason to level up)

Shipping is a classic ecommerce friction point, and for parents it’s an even bigger deal. They don’t want to wait, and they definitely don’t want surprise costs.

Stride Rite decided to approach shipping strategically: reward their most loyal customers with free shipping, without making it unhealthy for the business.

Once customers spend $100, they automatically enter the Walker tier and get free shipping on all orders. It’s a perk that feels genuinely helpful, especially for families shopping multiple times a year, and it gives customers a clear reason to keep coming back.

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Redemption without friction: points turn into savings at checkout

Stride Rite has seen something many brands chase: consistent reward usage.

One of the biggest drivers is Redeem at Checkout, which makes points instantly usable while customers shop. Parents don’t have to wait to hit a voucher threshold or hunt for an email. If they have points, they can use them right there.

As a result, a huge 60% of customers are redeeming their rewards.

LoyaltyLion’s Redeem at Checkout removes any friction. It feels like loyalty is layered into the site, not built on top of it.

Jess Abrams
Jess AbramsEcommerce Merchandiser at Stride Rite

Loyalty-powered comms that keep email helpful, not noisy

Stride Rite uses LoyaltyLion’s integration with Attentive to support retention with targeted messages that keep customers informed and engaged without spamming them.

They focus on two high-impact email moments:

  • When customers have rewards available
  • When points or rewards are expiring

This keeps loyalty communications timely and useful, while reducing email fatigue.

They also run double and triple points events, updating tiers and promotions inside the platform and measuring performance using LoyaltyLion’s dashboards.

Stride

Results: Loyalty that drives retention and real revenue impact

Stride Rite’s loyalty program is far from a “nice-to-have.” It’s a significant growth driver.

  • 20% of total revenue is driven by loyalty
  • Loyalty members have 3.5x higher customer lifetime value than non-members
  • Top-tier member lifetime value is 2.7x higher than lowest-tier members
  • 60% of customers are redeeming rewards

And the impact goes beyond the metrics. Loyalty performance has given the brand more flexibility to invest, plan, and grow.

Because our loyalty members have a customer lifetime value that’s 3.5 times higher than non-members, it gives us flexibility to plan for the future.

Jess Abrams
Jess AbramsEcommerce Merchandiser at Stride Rite


Want to set your brand up for the future?

Stride Rite’s 100-year history didn’t stop them from adopting an ultra-modern retention approach. What could the future hold for your brand? Let’s chat.

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