What: John Lewis revives 'Never Knowingly Undersold' pledge with AI support, sees positive initial results.

Why it is important: This move highlights the importance of pricing strategies and customer loyalty in the current retail environment.

John Lewis has reintroduced its 'Never Knowingly Undersold' price match promise, which was dropped two years ago. New CEO Peter Ruis reported an "exceptional" response within the first week, with 55,000 more daily organic visits to the website and strong sales across various product categories.

Unlike the previous iteration, which relied on manual price checking, the revived pledge uses AI technology to match prices with 25 major retailers, including M&S, Next, Boots, and AO.com. This update addresses the inefficiencies that led to the policy being discontinued in 2022.

In addition to the price match initiative, John Lewis Partnership is preparing to launch a joint loyalty program with Waitrose. CEO Nish Kankiwala announced that customers will soon see offers spanning both brands online and in apps, marking the first step in a pan-partnership loyalty scheme.

These initiatives come as John Lewis aims to enhance its customer offer and competitiveness in the market, particularly as it approaches the crucial golden quarter of retail.

John Lewis hails ‘exceptional’ response to Never Knowingly Undersold return