Heidi Shurtz, VP of commercial operations at Allergan, explains how customer feedback shaped the revised loyalty program and what the changes mean for plastic surgery practices.
Allergan Aesthetics has updated its Allergan Partner Privileges (APP) loyalty program, introducing simplified pricing, greater transparency, and expanded opportunities for aesthetics practices to earn benefits as they grow.
Developed in response to customer feedback, the revised program includes streamlined discounts, real-time visibility into program status, and new Portfolio Levels that recognize purchasing across the company’s product categories. Allergan Aesthetics has also introduced a separate BOTOX Cosmetic Growth Benefit for qualifying practices.
Plastic Surgery Practice spoke with Heidi Shurtz, vice president of commercial operations at Allergan Aesthetics, about the changes, their implications for plastic surgery practices, and evolving expectations of industry partners.
Plastic Surgery Practice: What were aesthetics practices telling Allergan Aesthetics about the previous APP program, and which concerns or pain points most directly shaped this update?
Heidi Shurtz: We spent a lot of time listening to our customers, and what we heard consistently was that they wanted the program to be simpler, more transparent, and better aligned with how they are growing their practices today.
They wanted to more easily understand the savings available to them and have clearer visibility into how their purchasing translated into benefits. They also wanted rewards that better reflected the different ways practices grow.
That feedback became the foundation for the updates we made to APP. Our goal was to reduce complexity and make it easier for customers to understand, access, and maximize the value of the program, while creating more opportunities for practices at different stages of growth.
PSP: The new program emphasizes simpler savings and greater pricing transparency. What specifically has changed, and what will practices notice when they order products or track their APP benefits?
Shurtz: One of the biggest priorities was providing greater clarity around the benefits and additional opportunities available to APP members.
We streamlined our Brand Tiers and simplified the pricing discount structure so customers can more easily understand how they earn and access savings. We also expanded the number of Allergan Aesthetics products that contribute toward each Brand Tier, which is more inclusive of our broad portfolio and can help practices unlock benefits sooner.
From a transparency standpoint, customers can now see their net pricing at the time they order, with the savings they have earned through their APP status reflected more clearly. They can also track their current APP status and progress toward the next level in real time.
Ultimately, we wanted to take some of the guesswork out of the experience. Practices should have a much clearer view of where they stand, what they are earning and what opportunities are available to them.
PSP: You’ve introduced new Portfolio Levels intended to reward growth across the Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. How do those levels work, and how do they change the way practices can qualify for savings as their purchasing grows?
Shurtz: The new Portfolio Levels are designed to recognize growth across the Allergan Aesthetics portfolio rather than looking at benefits through the lens of a single product.
Eligible purchases across the portfolio count toward a practice’s Portfolio Level, and as purchasing volume grows, customers can qualify for higher APP discounts. The updated structure also allows customers to begin earning pricing benefits sooner.
What we like about that approach is that it better reflects how many aesthetics practices operate today. Their businesses may engage with different parts of our portfolio based on the needs of their patients and their practice, and APP is designed to recognize that broader relationship as it grows.
PSP: Plastic surgery practices often combine surgical procedures with nonsurgical treatments and skin care. What are you seeing in terms of how these practices are building a broader aesthetics offering around their surgical business, and how does APP support that model?
Shurtz: Plastic surgery practices can have a unique opportunity to build relationships with patients across different parts of their aesthetics journey, and we recognize that every practice will build its business differently.
From an APP standpoint, the important piece is flexibility. The new Portfolio Levels recognize eligible purchasing across the Allergan Aesthetics portfolio, so the program can support practices that engage with multiple areas of our portfolio as their businesses grow.
Our broader goal is not to prescribe a particular practice model. It is to give our customers a program that is easier to navigate and better able to recognize the way they choose to grow their businesses.
PSP: The update also includes a new BOTOX Cosmetic Growth Benefit. How does this benefit work, which practices are eligible, and how does it fit into Allergan Aesthetics’ broader approach to rewarding practice growth?
Shurtz: The BOTOX Cosmetic Growth Benefit was introduced as an additional way to recognize and support eligible customers that are growing their businesses.
Eligible practices that achieve qualifying quarterly growth can earn a quarterly rebate on eligible BOTOX Cosmetic purchases. Importantly, the Growth Benefit complements APP but is separate from the APP program itself.
More broadly, we know practices are looking for brand partners that recognize growth and provide meaningful value as their businesses evolve. The Growth Benefit gives us another way to support that.
PSP: Beyond purchasing volume, what do aesthetics practices increasingly expect from a manufacturer or brand partner today, and how is Allergan Aesthetics changing its approach to those relationships as practices become more complex businesses?
Shurtz: What we hear from customers is that partnership today has to extend beyond the product itself.
Practices are running increasingly complex businesses, and they value partners that can make it easier to do business, provide greater transparency and help remove unnecessary friction so they can stay focused on their practices and their patients.
APP is one example of how we are responding to that. We listened to customers and redesigned the program to make benefits easier to understand, easier to track and more aligned with practice growth.
But our commitment goes beyond APP. Across Allergan Aesthetics, we continue to look for ways to deliver innovation, education, service and customer-focused solutions that support the long-term success of our practices. The goal is to build relationships that grow with our customers rather than simply transact with them. PSP
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