John Lewis will launch its new points free membership reward programme on 30th October, as it aims to give customers rewards tailored to their interests.

Customers will be able to use their my John Lewis card in both shops and online, and the programme will feature rewards including free tea and cake in John Lewis‘s restaurants each month, entry into regular prize draws every time they shop, invitations to exclusive local events, previews and other personalised incentives.

Craig Inglis, Marketing Director at John Lewis, said: “We‘re really excited about my John Lewis, as it enables us to bring our customers closer to our brand, and reward them in a new and more personal way.”

From the information members choose to share, the employee owned retailer will be able to tailor the way it interacts with customers to tell them more about their favourite products & services, give exclusive product previews and provide inspiration for them and their homes, based on their interests and shopping preferences.

Chris Bates, Head of Customer Marketing, said that an initial trial with specific customer groups, including nursery and beauty had been a success.

“We consciously decided not to develop a scheme based on collecting points, and instead offer more immediate rewards, previews and events so that customers can experience the benefits of membership straight away. It will also get better over time, as the more we learn about customers, the more we can personalise the experience we give them.”

Danielle Pinnington, managing director of shopper research firm Shoppercentric commented: “It‘s an interesting move from John Lewis – in some respects you‘d think the average John Lewis customer was almost hardwired to be a loyal customer.

“But in this day and age of competitive retail, clearly every added extra that a retailer can offer to keep one step ahead of the competition is worth considering. And in fact it demonstrates that John Lewis aren‘t taking loyalty for granted.”

Meanwhile, the first half of 2013 has seen John Lewis build on last year‘s performance to deliver a gross sales increase of 6.6 per cent to £1.71bn