How Ann Summers turned everyday learning into a 8.2% sales increase
Learners using Thrive
Challenges addressed with Thrive
Integrations used
Stores increasing average transaction value
Supporting expertise that really fits
Ann Summers’ workforce spans retail locations, logistics, and head office – all with one thing in common: Customers expect absolute confidence and discretion, supported by expert-level product knowledge and advice they know they can trust. In a fast-paced retail environment where product ranges evolve quickly and expectations stay high, keeping everyone informed is business-critical.
Before launching Thrive, Ann Summers’ learning and updates all lived in different places. Important knowledge existed, but it wasn’t always easy to find when people needed it most. Colleagues needed one, reliable space that brought learning, business updates, comms, and sales training together – no matter how or where they worked.
Where product experts are made
In launching Thrive, the team at Ann Summers changed learning from an elusive task that had to be sought out, to a living, breathing part of the culture – accessible from literally anywhere. Thanks to a platform that colleagues can reach on their mobile, desktop, and even through the shop till, Thrive has become fully embedded into day-to-day work across the business.
It’s this ease of access that’s turned every colleague into a product expert, and by extension, a content creator. With over 400 colleagues feeling confident enough to author original content within the platform, 40% of Ann Summers’ learning is now user generated. Best practice and knowledge travels as fast as the business itself, shared by the people closest to the work.
A place people choose to return to
Colleagues don’t just visit Thrive when they have to. They return because it helps them stay confident and connected to the wider business. Engagement has continued to grow, with Communications readership increasing by 45% over the past 12 months. Thrive now plays a central role in how updates land and how priorities are understood across the organisation.
That momentum has been reinforced through a strong test-and-learn approach. Ann Summers worked closely with Thrive to find “the golden bullet” for retail training, blending face-to-face sessions with digital product content and UGC. This experimentation delivered an additional £10k in revenue over an 8 week period, and made the impact of learning impossible to ignore.
“Thrive is integral to our engagement strategy. Everything from how we engage, communicate, update and celebrate our colleagues runs through Thrive.”
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