We helped M.J. Bale grow profitable revenue by integrating loyalty into every promotion

In November 2022, Australia's preeminent sustainable menswear tailor M.J. Bale launched their MJB Members program with strategic support and expertise from Ellipsis. The program offers three spend-based tiers plus the ability to earn 'Bale Bucks' redeemable on future purchases. Members unlock increasingly valuable benefits as they graduate through the tiers — top-tier Platinum members receive complimentary tailoring, concierge access for styling and gift advice, out-of-hours store access, and VIP experiences leveraging M.J. Bale's extensive partnerships (Cricket Australia, the Wallabies, Football Australia, Sydney Kings, Penfolds, Mumm and more). Members also earn Bale Bucks for sustainability behaviour — bringing their own bag in store, or engaging with the 'ReBale' clothing-recycling program.

In the two years since launch, with expert guidance from Ellipsis, the program has enabled M.J. Bale to be more strategic and targeted with promotional strategy — and unlocked additional levers to drive sales and profitability. Three plays in particular: (1) The classic 'Spend & Save' campaigns ($50 off when you spend $250) have shifted to 'Spend & Receive' campaigns — members get $50 in Bale Bucks toward their next full-price purchase. The shift drives sales during the campaign period, lifts average transaction size, and generates a 'second wind' of redemption transactions as the vouchers near expiry. (2) 'Double Bale Bucks' campaigns reward members with 10% Bale Bucks per transaction (vs the standard 5%), driving conversion during the campaign period and lifting follow-on engagement and redemption. (3) Always-on multi-buy campaigns (e.g. 'Buy three shirts, save $30 each') are now gated to members only, increasing scan rate, program engagement and follow-on Bale-Bucks redemptions.

Most importantly, Ellipsis guided M.J. Bale to integrate loyalty campaigns into their promotional planning calendar — rather than running campaigns that compete with the program and dilute its impact. The members-only plays ('Spend and Receive', 'Double Bale Bucks') get the clean air they need to land. The program has enabled a measurable reduction in overall discounting (markdowns and promotions combined), and average transaction size sits at a two-year high. Engagement keeps rising — over 75% of sales now come from identified members. In a retail environment with stiff headwinds and competitors leaning into deep discounting, M.J. Bale has been able to use loyalty to drive profitable growth. Since launch, Ellipsis continues to play an active role: dedicated program design and CRM specialist advisory; customer journey and communications design + post-campaign analysis; program strategy and performance management with industry updates and best practices; and KPI dashboards tracking program performance with data-driven recommendations to maximise Return on Loyalty®.