How Rituals offers premium experiences during rapid growth

Rituals’ goal is to offer premium, consistent experiences across all channels. Online, shoppers get personalized shopping experiences with smart recommendations, easy access to product information, and tailored offers for loyalty members. In-store, they can enjoy personal experiences, including tea, hand massages, and expert advice.

With five new stores opening every week in 2024, including expansions into Romania and Japan, maintaining these experiences at scale became challenging. Whether a customer purchases online, in a flagship store in Amsterdam, or at a new location in Warsaw, the payment experience must be as intuitive and frictionless as the rest of the Rituals experience. Customers expect familiar, flexible payment options, and Rituals needs the agility to adapt to local markets, requiring a unified approach quickly.

"Every touchpoint with the customer is crucial, but each serves a different role. Our physical stores drive the most revenue, while online research plays a key part in the journey. The real power lies in how seamlessly these experiences connect."

Jasper Kusters

Manager Omnichannel

Rituals partnered with Adyen in 2013 to bring their vision to life and later with unified commerce partner New Black. Together, they developed a holistic solution that connects payments, inventory, and customer data, making every digital or in-person interaction feel personalized.

In stores, Rituals combines technology with human interaction. Staff greet customers and can recognize loyalty members, assign rewards, and handle payments smoothly. 

As part of its commitment to offering a personalized experience, Rituals adapts to local markets by offering various payment options across both online and in-store channels. Whether it’s iDEAL, Apple Pay, Alipay+, or Pay by Link, customers can pay how they prefer. 

Introducing Tap to Pay on iPhone also brought a new level of convenience: staff could accept contactless payments directly on iPhones without the need for any extra hardware. This eliminated checkout queues and kept the focus on offering personal experiences, with staff able to assist customers anywhere in the store.

"Thanks to our close collaboration with New Black and Adyen, we can roll out new payment methods the moment they become available. In fact, we often integrate innovations before many other retailers even consider them. For example, we've been using Pay by Link for years, bringing the convenience of online payments into our physical stores."

Jasper Kusters

Manager Omnichannel

Loyalty also plays a vital role for Rituals. Members enjoy exclusive gifts, personalized recommendations, and seamless recognition at checkout. Secure tokenization ensures that returning customers never have to re-enter their details, and discounts and rewards are automatically applied, turning every purchase into a personal, hassle-free moment.

"Technology is crucial, but only when it removes friction. The more time we free up for real human interaction, the better the experience for both our customers and staff."

Jasper Kusters

Manager Omnichannel

The impact was clear: during December 2024, Rituals processed an impressive 48 orders per second worldwide, with nearly 230,000 of them on thousands of iPhones. This means that 15% of checkouts on December 23 were made with Tap to Pay on iPhone, significantly reducing the holiday queues.

But efficiency isn't the only win. By integrating CRM and personalization into the payment process, Rituals strengthened customer relationships. In Poland, where Rituals opened its first store just three years ago, the brand now operates over 60 locations. The ability to adapt quickly to local payment preferences and regulations has been key to this success.

"We've opened five new stores per week in 2024 and aim to maintain this pace in 2025. Expanding into a market like Poland was a huge learning experience, but also a great success. We started with one store three years ago and now have more than 60 locations. When opening in new countries, local gift cards, payment methods, and tax regulations can sometimes be tricky. That's why it's essential to have a global partner like Adyen to make the expansion run smoothly."

Jasper Kusters

Manager of Omnichannel

Rituals will continue to integrate technology to enhance the shopping experience. Their approach shows that technology doesn’t replace human connection; it strengthens it. Their next step is to replace old payment terminals with software options like Tap to Pay on iPhone.

With support from Adyen and New Black, they aim to stay a leader in retail innovation. And as the company grows, one thing remains the same: every customer deserves an experience as luxurious and effortless as the products themselves, wherever they shop.

"Adyen consistently meets our needs with top-tier service and global availability in every region where we've expanded or plan to expand. Beyond that, we've built a strong personal relationship with the Adyen team, and together, we continuously explore new opportunities to innovate."

Jasper Kusters

Manager of Omnichannel