A British Department Store Is Setting The Standard For Amazing Customer Perks

One of Britain's oldest department stores is going above-and-beyond to deliver that experience and offer shoppers the perks they crave.

John Lewis was founded in 1864. It's a department store similar to Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's, although it also sells electronics.

But what really differentiates the store is the measures it's taking to give customers VIP treatment.

"John Lewis is absolutely leading the way in offering that personalized experience to customers," said Shannon Warner of Cognizant Technology Solutions.

John Lewis' CIO, Paul Coby, talked about a few perks the chain offers to customers at the National Retail Federation convention.

• Free WiFi in stores. This allows customers to make better use of the company's mobile app and even visit other websites for price comparisons if they want to, Coby said.
• Free cake and tea in the stores each month. John Lewis hosts shopping events with special refreshments for certain loyalty members.
• Opportunities to win special prizes. Past prizes included tickets to the 2012 Olympic Games.
• Sending select loyalty customers chocolates on their birthday. "We want to make our customers feel special," Coby said.

The retail world is "somewhat behind in building loyalty," Coby said. "Retailers should realize that traditional values still matter, even in the omni-channel world of e-commerce and mobile."