Reliance Retail’s Masterclass in Retention: The Omnichannel Advantage

Niti

• 2 min read
Reliance Retail’s Masterclass in Retention: The Omnichannel Advantage

When most brands talk about retention, the conversation often drifts toward discounts, loyalty coupons, or ad spend. But Reliance Retail — India’s largest retailer — has taken a very different path. Instead of bribing customers to stay, it has built an omnichannel system where every interaction compounds into loyalty and trust.

And the results speak for themselves.

In FY2024–25, Reliance Retail recorded:

  • 1.2 billion customer transactions
  • 1 billion+ store footfalls
  • 18,800+ physical stores connected with digital platforms like JioMart and AJIO

At first glance, those numbers might sound almost unbelievable. After all, India’s population itself is ~1.4 billion. But here’s the nuance that matters:

“Footfalls” ≠ unique customers.
A footfall is every visit to a store, not every person.

If one customer visits a Reliance Smart grocery store 12 times a year, that counts as 12 footfalls. Multiply this by 18,000+ stores across groceries, fashion, electronics, and digital services — and the billion+ number quickly makes sense.

It isn’t about reaching 1 billion unique people. It’s about the frequency and depth of engagement Reliance Retail has built with its customer base.

The “Phygital” Bridge

Reliance Retail’s strategy rests on erasing the lines between physical and digital commerce. A shopper might:

  • Browse a new outfit on AJIO.
  • Check stock availability online.
  • Walk into a Reliance Trends store to try it on.
  • Complete the purchase in-store or on the app.

Every step is tied to a single customer profile. This ensures continuity and convenience, no matter where the transaction happens.

Unified Data, Smarter Personalization

Reliance also aggregates every click, scan, and purchase into one unified system. This 360-degree view allows the company to:

  • Deliver personalized offers that feel helpful, not intrusive.
  • Anticipate customer needs (like repeat grocery cycles).
  • Eliminate friction between browsing, buying, and reordering.

One Loyalty Currency Across All Channels

The RelianceOne program acts as the glue holding everything together. Customers earn points in one format (say, Reliance Digital) and redeem them in another (like JioMart groceries).

This single loyalty currency does two things:

  1. Encourages cross-channel shopping.
  2. Reinforces the sense that customers are part of a unified ecosystem, not just making isolated transactions.

Why This Works

Reliance Retail’s approach isn’t about running “campaigns.” It’s about building infrastructure for retention.

  • Customers don’t think in “channels.” For them, it’s one brand.
  • Convenience matters more than coupons.
  • Recognition — being seen and understood — builds loyalty deeper than discounts.

Lessons for D2C and Emerging Brands

Not every brand has Reliance’s scale, but the principles are transferable:

  • Unify your data. Even small D2C brands can connect Shopify, email, and WhatsApp into a single view.
  • Think journey-first. Map how customers move between channels and smooth out the friction.
  • Build loyalty beyond discounts. Exclusive experiences, personalized nudges, and consistent service create stickiness that price cuts never will.

Final Takeaway

Reliance Retail’s billion+ footfalls aren’t about scale for its own sake. They reflect a system where customers return again and again because the experience is frictionless, consistent, and rewarding.

For brands everywhere, the lesson is simple but urgent: retention isn’t a program. It’s a system.

The future belongs to those who build it in from Day 1.