How DSW is Driving Loyalty with AI & Personalization | eTail West 2025
How is DSW adapting its approach to loyalty? 🤔 In this exclusive interview from eTail West 2025, Paige Sheedy, VP of Growth Marketing at DSW, shares how the brand is using AI, predictive modeling, and personalization to enhance customer loyalty and drive engagement.
📌 Key Moments:
⏩ 00:00 – Intro & Sponsor Shoutout
⏩ 01:30 – How DSW Defines Modern Loyalty & Customer Retention
⏩ 03:45 – The Role of AI & Predictive Modeling in Personalization
⏩ 06:00 – DSW’s Omnichannel Strategy for Customer Engagement
⏩ 09:10 – How Loyalty Data Fuels Brand Growth & Business Strategy
⏩ 10:00 – Final Thoughts: The Future of Retail Loyalty & AI Integration
And thanks to our sponsor NetElixir for helping to make our coverage of eTail West possible!
#etailwest #etail #onlineshopping #ecommerce #dsw
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Transcript
Hello.
Speaker A:Welcome back, everybody.
Speaker A:This is Anne Mazinga from Omnitalk Retail.
Speaker A:We are here at Etail Day Two and we have another wonderful guest.
Speaker A:Standing next to me is the VP of Growth Marketing at dsw, Paige Sheedy.
Speaker A:Paige, thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker A:I'm really excited to talk to you.
Speaker B:And thanks for having me.
Speaker B:I'm excited to be here.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Well, let's start by just giving the audience a little bit of your background because you and I were catching up before this and it's really, really impressive.
Speaker A:You've done all of the things.
Speaker A:So let's just kind of start there and introduce you.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:So I oversee our growth marketing at dsw, which means we're really thinking about acquisition, engagement and retention.
Speaker B:Full customer life cycle across paid media, CRM and loyalty.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:My background has really been based in that same mindset.
Speaker B:It's creating the best customer experiences for some pretty fun brands across travel, hospitality and restaurants.
Speaker B:I kind of grew up in loyalty at Marriott and had a chance to explore the Marriott rewards program, which became Marriott Bonvoy, as well as some brand management and partnership roles.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then after the Pandemic, joined the Burger King team to help stand up their first loyalty program.
Speaker A:Amazing.
Speaker A:What do you think?
Speaker A:Like, it's been in the news, We've been talking about it a long time.
Speaker A:People are all getting into loyalty programs.
Speaker A:What do you think are the kind of building blocks of a solid loyalty program?
Speaker A:Are there things that exist across categories or is it really individual to each network or each.
Speaker A:Each category.
Speaker B:It's a really interesting time for loyalty.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Customers are really savvy and they understand how it works.
Speaker B:So transactional loyalty is just table stakes.
Speaker B:The earn to redeem component will still be the foundation of many loyalty programs, but it's an emotional connection.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So we have to think about what our customers value the most.
Speaker B:And that value can be convenience, it can be recognition, it can be time saving, it can be the feeling of being known by a brand that keeps them coming back.
Speaker B:And that's what we're seeking to do at DSW now.
Speaker B:It's really creating a more personalized experience so that we can serve them up the best DSW experience that they can get.
Speaker A:That's pretty consistent with what I've been hearing from other retailers at this conference.
Speaker A:It's not just about saving money, while that can be important, but it really is about, like, how are you personalizing the experience for each of your shoppers because of their loyalty?
Speaker A:Would you say that's pretty that's right on brand.
Speaker B:Right on.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Time is money.
Speaker B:Yeah, Right.
Speaker B:Being inspired, being served up something that's new and exciting is compelling too.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And for us, personalization means understanding each of those customer needs and then surprising and delighting our customers in that way.
Speaker B:So we're taking a wealth of data.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's pretty complex, but to the customer, it should feel really intuitive and simple.
Speaker B:They should understand that DSW has what they need.
Speaker B:Right, right, right.
Speaker B:And that they're going to feel rewarded every time they shop.
Speaker A:Well, especially as a brand that's been around for 30 years now.
Speaker A:I can't believe that I was like, well, I suppose that makes sense.
Speaker A:I am that old.
Speaker A:But like, how do you think about taking loyalty then into this next generation?
Speaker A:How do you look ahead at what those important components will be for your DSW consumer?
Speaker A:Is it different?
Speaker A:Is it the same?
Speaker A:What's kind of intriguing you as you go forward?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:For us, it's taking this availability of data and just filling it down to these key customer experiences.
Speaker B:So our customers don't self identify as a digital shopper or a store shopper, or sometimes even not an athletic shopper or a trend shopper.
Speaker B:They just know that maybe they need something, maybe they want to be inspired.
Speaker B:We can create a really cohesive experience for them.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Regardless of how they're engaging with dsw.
Speaker B:Okay, right.
Speaker B:And that's what we're seeking to do with loyalty, but also with personalization and the automation of the data that allows us to get there.
Speaker A:And Paige, how do you think about the technology that's out there to help support those goals?
Speaker A:I mean, we're at e tail.
Speaker A:There's a lot of providers here.
Speaker A:There's a lot of people on stage talking about different technologies or ways to kind of get to that end goal.
Speaker A:What's priority for you right now?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:We are using technology and AI to help our teams build muscle faster, to allow them to be more nimble in the way that we can predict and model our customers behaviors so they can really be focused on the experiential piece that I mentioned.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So we are using predictive modeling to better understand the channels that our customers want to engage with us in.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And how to deliver the best message at the right time in order to engage.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:In order to create compelling content.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And so that kind of pivot for us has allowed us to spend some time going slow so that now we can go fast and bring it forward to our customers.
Speaker A:What would you say is like in your day to day, what's the, like, most applicable application of AI?
Speaker A:That's like changing your team's workload on a day to day basis.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:For us, it really is around predictive modeling and omnichannel analytics.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:Just as I said, one size doesn't fit all loyalty, one size doesn't fit all with value.
Speaker B:And so we are able to observe through the ways that our customers are shopping with us what they're feeling in the moment, in the season that they're most interested in.
Speaker B:Interesting.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And for my team, that means crafting special offers based on the way a customer is browsing or the way they're indicating that they're ready to purchase.
Speaker A:It's rising delights.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it's loyalty exclusives.
Speaker A:Okay, that's really cool.
Speaker A:You were just on stage.
Speaker A:What did you talk about on stage?
Speaker A:What do you kind of hope the audience took away from that session?
Speaker B:Yeah, we were really bringing our audience along on this journey.
Speaker B:From one size fits all to personalization.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And it doesn't have to be granular personalization.
Speaker B:It can be that kind of automated feel for a single customer.
Speaker B:And you can be shopping with us today and your needs are going to feel very different than what they were probably last summer when you're thinking about your travel plans.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker B:In Minnesota, you're still very much in boot weather.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:And so for us, loyalty is showing you the best that we have to offer.
Speaker B:And so we may offer you an incentive to start thinking early about spring.
Speaker B:We may offer you the best boots that are available because we know there's a snowstorm coming.
Speaker B:And so we're constantly thinking about that piece when it comes to personalization.
Speaker A:And how, how much more quickly are you able to do that?
Speaker A:Because I have to imagine like in the past and you've been doing loyalty for a long time in your work.
Speaker A:I mean, what, what did it look like before AI and what does it look like now?
Speaker A:I mean, how quickly can you turn over those offers or to know, like, there's going to be a snowstorm, we should probably shoot them an offer for these things.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Well, segmentation and personalized customer journeys are nothing new to loyalty marketing.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But this real time component very much is.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And so we're able to very quickly understand what you're looking for and how to bring you along on this journey.
Speaker B:Whether you start your shopping journey with DSW in search or social, whether you walk into a store to browse for the first time.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We want to very quickly be Able to show you that there's depth and breadth of selection, but also value to be had.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:How are you sharing some of that information?
Speaker A:Because I think what.
Speaker A:What doesn't often get talked about enough is how loyalty is really the foundation of the future growth initiatives for a lot of retailers and brands out there right now.
Speaker A:How do you think about kind of taking everything that you're learning with these, this predictive modeling and, you know, sharing that out to the rest of your organization so that you can kind of work together as an industry to be inspired.
Speaker A:Inspired by what your customers, your most loyal customers are telling you and kind of move the business forward in that direction.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:As much as I love the art side of loyalty, the emotional connection, there's still the science.
Speaker B:And for us, that science pays off through customer lifetime value.
Speaker B:Okay, so we think about the success of our program through that customer lifetime value metric.
Speaker B:It is how many customers, new customers we're bringing in, how often we're engaging with them, and the length of time they're willing to spend with us.
Speaker B:When we pair that with DSW's current brand work, which our CMO, Sarah Crockett, spoke to yesterday, that package together allows us to show loyalty is the component that brings forward that DSW brand's payoff.
Speaker A:I love that you two are in lockstep together.
Speaker A:It shows, I think, the true foundational elements of having success when loyalty and marketing are so tied together with the same mission.
Speaker A:And you're using a lot of data to support those decisions, too.
Speaker A:It sounds like too.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:So foundationally strong in data should create a really seamless and exciting customer experience out in the wild.
Speaker B:And that's what we're seeking to do, is create momentum together through the brand component, but also through loyalty and through CRM.
Speaker B:So the way we tell the stories.
Speaker A:Okay, Paige, let's close out with this question.
Speaker A:What are you most excited about doing this year in your role at dsw?
Speaker B:Building.
Speaker B:Building and building.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Hey, talk a lot about the data.
Speaker B:For me, you know, it's taking these disciplines, this muscle around our omnichannel analytics and the predictive modeling, and bringing it together so that it really does feel like a holistic customer experience rather than a really strong CRM program or a really strong loyalty program.
Speaker B:A really great brand message.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:For me, the end goal is that the customer just knows they love dsw.
Speaker B:DSW is top of mind.
Speaker B:It's going to be their first shop behind the scenes.
Speaker B:That means all of our teams are working seamlessly together.
Speaker B:And we're able to connect the dots.
Speaker B:Right, with all of the data that's growing.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Oh, fantastic.
Speaker A:Well, Paige, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and share details about your session and just your vision for loyalty at dsw.
Speaker A:Thanks to all of you who've been following along at home.
Speaker A:And finally, thank you to Net Elixir for making all of our coverage here at the show possible.
Speaker A:They are still here.
Speaker A:They're at booth 501, so go check them out in between sessions and interviews.
Speaker A:And until next time, be careful out there.
