Loyalty in the age of AI: how Zalando Plus is becoming part of customers’ everyday lives

As shopping becomes more personalised, conversational and agent-led, loyalty is changing too. Customers no longer expect only discounts or points. They expect brands to understand their tastes, respond to their needs and offer value that fits naturally into their everyday lives.

We sat down with Olga Batievskaya, VP Loyalty at Zalando, to discuss the future of relationship-led retail, how AI is shaping more relevant customer experiences, and why partner benefits like Spotify can make Zalando Plus more useful, more personal and more connected to customers’ lifestyles.

Olga, what does loyalty need to do differently in the age of AI?

What role does Zalando Plus play in building that direct customer relationship?

Plus is a way we bring the best of Zalando closer to our most loyal customers. It gives customers more reasons to engage with Zalando directly — not only through products, but through service, inspiration, access, rewards and partner benefits.

That direct relationship matters especially in fashion and lifestyle, where decisions are not only price-driven. Customers may discover fashion through many different channels, including AI agents, but they still want to stay in the driver’s seat of their own style journey. They are looking for inspiration, fit, confidence and ways to express themselves — and Plus helps make the Zalando experience more useful and rewarding around those moments.

This is also why we are expanding the Plus partner ecosystem. After bringing Wolt+ delivery benefits to Plus members earlier this year, Zalando Plus is now expanding its partner ecosystem with Spotify. Across all 17 Plus markets, members who are new to Spotify Premium can unlock up to 5 months of Premium, depending on their Plus level.

Why does the partnership with Spotify make sense for Zalando Plus?

Spotify builds on the direction we started with Wolt+: bringing Plus into more everyday moments. Wolt+ connects to convenience — from dinner plans to grocery orders delivered to customers’ doors. Spotify adds a more emotional and cultural layer.

Fashion and music have always moved closely together. Music can set the tone for how people feel, how they dress and how they express themselves. A new album, a major tour or a cultural moment around an artist can quickly influence what people search for, wear and talk about. Through Plus, we have also connected customers to music moments directly — for example, by offering members the chance to win tickets to a Beyoncé concert, Primavera Sounds Festival in Barcelona or Star Academy in Paris.

Spotify fits that direction because it brings Plus closer to moments of inspiration, culture and self-expression. And as shopping becomes more AI-driven, these benefits matter even more: they help show the full value of the relationship customers have with Zalando, not just the product they are buying.

Yet, there are times when customers will use external AI agents. How does Zalando Plus remain visible in those journeys?

Benefits like Spotify show why loyalty needs to be visible beyond a simple points balance. They are part of the value customers associate with Zalando — whether they come to us directly or discover products through new AI-powered journeys.

As customers use assistants and agents to discover, compare and shop, loyalty cannot sit separately from that experience. It should be part of the value they see along the way.

With shopping becoming more agent-led, loyalty should not sit separately from the experience. Whether customers use Zalando’s own AI-powered experiences or discover products through external assistants, Plus should remain part of the value they see along the way.
On Zalando, that can mean bringing Plus benefits directly into AI-powered shopping moments. For example, when Plus members use the Zalando Assistant, they can receive guidance based on their preferences and shopping history, while relevant Plus benefits — such as premium delivery, rewards or access — are automatically reflected in the experience.

Beyond Zalando, we are also preparing for a future where AI agents and merchant systems can work together more seamlessly. This is one of the reasons why Zalando is one of the first European businesses to endorse Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol. The ambition is for the full value of Zalando, including Plus benefits, to be visible at the right moment, wherever the customer journey starts.

At the same time, Plus should remain a reason for customers to come to Zalando directly. Customers will still care about the things that build trust and confidence: reliable delivery, convenient payment options, relevant rewards, easy returns and benefits they can actually use.

What should brands keep in mind as loyalty becomes more personal?

Technology will continue to make shopping smarter, faster, and more automated. But technology is just the delivery mechanism — the relationship itself still has to be earned.

Brands must look past immediate transactions and look at the holistic ways customers engage: how they spend time with your brand, save items, explore content, and interact with your native tools. If you can use AI to make your customers feel seen, valued, and understood — while respecting their boundaries — they give people stronger reasons to return directly and build a lasting relationship over time.