Best Loyalty Programs for Small Business

1. Loyalty Points

Loyalty points programs encourage repeat business by offering points for every purchase, turning one-time shoppers into loyal customers. As customers accumulate points, they’re motivated to return and redeem rewards, ensuring a steady stream of sales and building long-lasting customer relationships.

Example: Starbucks Rewards program treats its loyal customers with free drinks and food against star points.

2. Mission-driven Loyalty Program

By aligning your program with a cause or charity, you can show your customers that you’re committed to making a positive impact. This not only enhances your brand’s reputation but also attracts socially conscious customers who want to support businesses with a purpose.

Example: Ben & Jerry’s makes social justice-themed ice cream flavors and donates a share of their sales to charities that help animals, the environment, and other causes.

3. Membership Loyalty Program

A membership loyalty program offers exclusive perks and benefits to loyal customers, keeping them engaged and coming back for more. If your small business sells products that customers use regularly, like food, beverages, or health and beauty items, a subscription program could be a fantastic loyalty solution.

Example: GrubHub has a monthly subscription called GrubHub+ that gives users unlimited free delivery on eligible orders and special rewards.

4. Community Loyalty Program

Community loyalty programs, like Sephora’s Beauty Insider, can do wonders for small businesses. It creates a sense of belonging and community among your customers, making them feel appreciated.

Through exclusive events and personalized offers, you can keep your customers engaged, ensuring they keep coming back and become your brand advocates. This strengthens your customer relationships and boosts your small business’s success.

5. Referral Program

When you encourage your satisfied customers to refer friends, you expand your customer base while rewarding your advocates with discounts or bonuses.

Example: Freshly delivers 12 free meals worth $120 to your friend on the first five orders and a $30 cashback to you.

6. Customized App-based Loyalty Program

With a dedicated app, you can effortlessly track your customers’ purchases, allowing you to offer tailored rewards and incentives, creating a personalized shopping experience.

Example: Chipotle hints to you that you get a more rewarding experience if you download their app!

7. Loyalty Card

A loyalty card is a valuable tool for small businesses, particularly in salons and restaurants. You can use it to encourage customers to return a set number of times, whether based on buying multiples of a specific item or the dollar amount spent during each visit. This simple and effective strategy builds customer loyalty and boosts your small business’s success.

Example: Disney introduced “Magic Keys,” a tiered loyalty program using cards to motivate and reward repeat visits to their Disneyland venues.

8. Email-Exclusive Rewards

Email-exclusive rewards keep your customers coming back by sending exclusive benefits like birthday surprises and special sales to those on your loyalty email list, you make customers feel valued and appreciated.

The best part? It’s super simple for your customers – all they need to do is check their email to access these rewards, ensuring a hassle-free experience.

Example: When you become a member of Reservations.com’s R-Club, you gain access to a dedicated travel advisor whom you can easily reach via text, phone call, or email to assist with your travel plans.

9. Present Customers With a Foursquare or Swarm Reward

Bringing Foursquare or Swarm rewards to your loyal customers is a fantastic way to keep them engaged. It brings an added layer of thrill to their journey. Just remember, with third-party systems like these, staying updated with the trends customers love can be a challenge, but the payoff is worth it.

Take Rakuten, for instance; they’re currently making significant efforts to attract customers through their cashback approach.

10. Upgrades and Buy-One-Get-Ones (BOGO)

Small businesses, especially B2B service providers, often face the challenge of getting clients to invest in their top-tier services. However, by offering loyal clients temporary free upgrades, you can entice them to explore and experience your higher-priced offerings.

This approach not only increases their willingness to try your premium platform but also enhances their likelihood of sticking with it, fostering long-term loyalty. It can also benefit B2C businesses in a similar way.

Next, let’s shift our focus to Saufter.io, an automated customer support software designed to take your small business’s customer service to the next level.

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