Loyalty program email marketing is a powerful tool to effectively communicate with your loyal customers and drive engagement. These 9 types of loyalty program email marketing trends for 2025 will be crucial to your success. 

1. Welcome loyalty program emails with first-time discounts

The welcome email is the first thing that you should do to get to know new customers. When someone first buys something or signs up for your rewards program, you send them this email. The point is to greet them, tell them about the brand, and set the tone for how you will talk to them in the future.

Why is it effective? The basis of future connections with customers is provided in the welcome email. According to Klaviyo’s statistics, welcome emails have an even 4x greater open rate than standard advertising emails. So, you should add a loyalty program email welcome discount or exclusive offer to inspire them to act right away.

How to apply it? You can set up an automatic campaign that sends an email with a simple, clear message right after someone signs up or makes a purchase.

2. Birthday emails and anniversary rewards

A loyalty program email with a birthday deal is a personalized way to make a customer happy on their special day. 

Why is it effective? Personalization is the best way to get people to stick with you. That’s because when you acknowledge their special date and treat them especially, customers feel valued.

How to apply it? You can set up your customer relationship management (CRM) system to send these emails automatically every year on its own. Time limits on the deal will make people feel like they need to act quickly.

3. Exclusive member-only offers

If you have new products, services, or a limited series, you can let your loyal customers know about them first through email. Before the product goes on sale to everyone else, give them early access or a special deal.

Why is it effective? Loyal customers feel treated better when they are offered exclusive access, which may make them more loyal and likely to make repeat purchases.

How to apply it? You should create a VIP segment of your email list and send them special offers or notifications before everyone else. 

4. Tiered loyalty program emails for long-term engagement

A tiered loyalty program is an effective way to reward and retain customers over the long term. By offering increasing benefits as customers reach higher tiers, you can encourage repeat purchases and foster brand loyalty.

Why is it effective? As customers move up the tiers, they feel like they’ve accomplished something. It makes them more likely to interact with the service more often.

How to apply it? We recommend you read our guide to set up a tiered program. 

Read more: 9 Best Tiered Loyalty Programs that Inspire Your Store.

5. Referral email bonuses for sharing the program

The Survey Center on American Life found that 53% of Americans have three to nine close friends, and 13% have ten or more. If the 10,000 made-up names on your marketing list are “average” Americans, that means they might have more than 90,000 close friends. Plus, family members aren’t even taken into account.

Why is it effective? When customers refer friends and family, they are essentially endorsing the brand. This social proof can attract new customers and increase brand credibility.

How to apply it? If you run a Shopify store, we recommend using the BON Loyalty app to create a referral program. Then, BON’s automated emails can be used to send referral bonuses to existing customers.

6. Gamified rewards and challenges

The use of gamification in brand interactions has been game-changing. Companies may increase consumer engagement and retention by a large margin by designing loyalty programs with gamification features.

We will recommend some loyalty program email marketing strategies for you:

Welcome email:

• Introduce the gamification elements of the program, such as points, badges, and levels.
• Explain how customers can earn points by completing specific actions. It is like making purchases, referring friends, or sharing on social media.
• Motivate action with an immediate incentive, like a welcome bonus or a special challenge.

Progress update emails:

• Congratulate customers on their progress and highlight their recent achievements.
• Motivate them to continue their journey by offering exclusive rewards or challenges.
• Use a friendly and encouraging tone to keep customers engaged.

Challenge announcement emails:

• Create excitement with a compelling subject line and engaging copy.
• Clearly define the challenge, the rewards, and the deadline.
• Use a sense of urgency and scarcity to encourage immediate participation.

Leaderboard emails:

• Showcase the top performers in the program.
• Create a sense of friendly competition and inspire others to climb the ranks.
• Offer special rewards to the top-ranked members.

7. Flash sales and time-sensitive offers

Creating a sense of urgency can get customers to act right away and get them more involved. Offers that end quickly and for a limited time are great ways to do this. You can get people to buy quickly by giving them deals that are only good for a short time, special access, or one-of-a-kind rewards.

Why is it effective? Limiting product or offer availability immediately addresses consumers’ Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and creates urgency.

How to apply it? We suggest that you offer a 24-hour-only deal to earn loyalty points and make members feel like they need to act quickly. This limited-time offer makes the receiver want to act right away.

8. Surprise rewards and unexpected perks

Giving people rewards and perks they didn’t expect is a great way to make them happy and make them more loyal to your brand.

Here are some loyalty email strategies to install:

• Birthday surprises with exclusive discounts, gifts, or special offers.
• Milestone rewards include their first anniversary with your brand, with special rewards or personalized messages.
• Tier-based perks, such as early access to sales or personalized shopping experiences, to high-tier loyalty members.
• Send holiday-themed emails with special offers, discounts, or personalized gift recommendations.

Why is it effective? Surprising and happy customers feel valued and respected when they get gifts they didn’t expect.

9. Thank-you emails with special rewards for loyalty

An honest thank-you email can do a lot to build stronger ties with customers. You can strengthen brand trust and get people to buy from you again by showing appreciation and giving extra benefits.

Why is it effective? A surprise reward, such as a discount or free gift, can delight the customer and make them feel appreciated.

How to apply it? A shop might send a thank-you loyalty program email to a regular customer, saying thanks for coming back and giving them a discount on their next visit. This small act can mean a lot, especially if it comes as a surprise.

Best practices for implementing email rewards in 2025

Even though it’s now 2025, email is still a great way to send personalized gifts and get customers involved. To get the most out of your loyalty program emails, you need to use best practices that appeal to current customers.

• Personalized experiences to individual customer preferences and behavior. Also, segment your email list based on customer data to deliver highly relevant offers.
• Clear and Concise Communication language to explain the reward and its terms and conditions. We recommend highlighting the value proposition of the reward.
• Strong call-to-action language in your email subject lines and body copy. Make it easy for customers to claim their rewards.
• Timely delivery to maximize their impact. Consider using automation tools to schedule and deliver emails at optimal times.
• Mobile optimization to reach customers on the go. You can use responsive design and clear, mobile-friendly layouts.

If you follow these best practices, you can make loyalty program emails that work and get customers to interact with, stay loyal to, and buy from you.