How to Avoid Email Loyalty Program Mistakes

Retention Isn’t Sexy - Until You’re Broke Brands chase growth. But when the faucet turns off and the market tightens, email becomes your backbone. So why do we treat it as a short-term fix rather than a long-term asset? I hear this conversation replayed to me all the time from CRM and Brand Managers: Their Manager: Targets are down. Budget’s gone. Just send more emails. CRM: We already sent one this week with a promo. Manager: Send another. Bigger discount. CRM: Unsubscribes were high last time… Manager: Send to everyone — even non-engagers. Add urgency. And so it begins. 📉 Deliverability drops. 📉 Clicks tank. 📉 Unsubscribes rise. 📉 The database - your only owned audience - starts eroding. But the revenue target stays the same. This is what happens when you treat email like a faucet you can turn on and off — instead of a system you build and respect. 💡 Want to break the cycle? Here’s how smart brands avoid the spiral: 1. Build an acquisition engine, even when times are good. Don’t just chase sales. Chase subscribers, on all channels, not just site pop-ups. If 2% of traffic buys, aim for 20% to subscribe. That’s your future revenue. 2. Agree on discounting guardrails. Not every campaign needs a percentage off, even if times are tough. Consider other conversion tools like: - loyalty perks - free gifts - tiered basket incentives - competitions - outlet-style categories 3. Treat non-converters as humans, not dead weight. Reduce frequency, but stay visible. Try to understand why they’re lapsing e.g gift buyers? Promo-only? Seasonal? 4. Use peak trading to re-acquire, not just sell. Black Friday can re-engage lapsed customers. But the follow-up can’t be more noise. Build a new journey. Reset the relationship. 5. Track long-term metrics. Not just revenue-per-send. Show your management week on week how these are growing: -LTV - Repeat purchase rate - AOV - Site visit frequency from consumers on your database 6. Invest in content, not just campaigns. Nurture a community. Give them reasons to stay subscribed. Boost engagement before you ask for a sale. Remember nobkdy going to buy daily and weekly, you need more to keep them engage. Think weekly style tips, news Roundup, podcast drops, games, polls etc Email can be your safety net — but only if you protect the list, grow it intentionally, and stop burning it out with knee-jerk sends. Want to find out our playbook for growing your subscriber base rapidly. (like how we grew out base to 17m). DM me. Build it right. Because when things get tough, it’s your email list that keeps the lights on.

I've seen every email marketing disaster. Here are the biggest ones I see and how to avoid them: Mistake #1: Training customers to expect discounts Stop conditioning your buyers to wait for sales. When you constantly discount, you teach customers that full price is a scam. Instead: Use discounts strategically. Not every email needs a coupon code. Mistake #2: Obsessing over open rates Open rates lie to you. Especially with Apple's privacy changes making "fake opens" the norm. Focus on what matters: clicks, conversions, and revenue. Mistake #3: Generic "check your email" popups Your popup says "get 10% off, check your email." Then 60% of people never find that email. Put the discount code right on the success page. Stop making customers hunt for it. Mistake #4: Sending the same message to everyone Your VIP customer who bought 5 times gets the same "20% off" as a freebie seeker. Segment your list. Treat your best customers like the gold they are. Mistake #5: Complicated abandoned cart flows I see brands with 8-email cart abandonment sequences. Most people buy in the first 48 hours or never. Keep it simple. 3-4 emails max. Mistake #6: Ignoring your email deliverability Your emails are going to spam and you don't even know it. Check your sender reputation monthly. Monitor your metrics. Fix issues fast. The biggest disaster? Thinking email marketing is just about sending more emails. It's about sending the RIGHT emails to the RIGHT people at the RIGHT time.

Are You Building Relationships or Just Giving Discounts? Many businesses launch loyalty programs expecting a surge in customer retention. But here’s the hard truth: points and discounts alone don’t create loyalty—connections do. A customer who sticks around just for a discount isn’t truly loyal. They’re just temporarily incentivized. So, how do you turn a transactional relationship into long-term commitment? Here’s what the best loyalty programs do differently: ✅ They go beyond just discounts Sure, discounts are nice—but if that’s all your loyalty program offers, customers will leave the moment a competitor gives a better deal. Successful brands mix in exclusive perks like early access to products, VIP events, or members-only content to deepen engagement. ✅ They make customers feel seen and valued People want to feel appreciated, not just like another number in your database. Personalization is key. Think birthday rewards, tailored recommendations and recognizing repeat customers with surprise perks. A simple "Thank You" email can go a long way. ✅ They create an emotional connection Great loyalty programs aren’t just about transactions; they tap into emotions. Brands like Sephora and Starbucks use tiered programs that encourage progression—people love working toward "elite" status. Others integrate social impact, allowing members to donate points to causes they care about. ✅ They reward engagement, not just spending Loyalty isn’t just about how much someone spends. Some brands reward customers for writing reviews, referring friends, engaging on social media, or attending events. This makes customers feel like active participants in the brand’s community. ✅ They remove friction and make it fun Ever signed up for a loyalty program that felt like a chore? Complicated rules, expiring points and difficult redemption processes kill engagement. The best programs are seamless, easy to use and even gamified—turning customer retention into an experience, not just a system. 📌 Here’s a question: If you removed all discounts from your loyalty program, would your customers still stay? If the answer is no, it’s time to rethink your approach. Loyalty is earned, not bought. Build programs that give customers a reason to stay—not just an incentive to return. What’s the best loyalty initiative you’ve seen or implemented? Let’s discuss. #retention #acquisition #customerlifetimevalue #points4purpose #loyalty ----------------------------- Points4Purpose boosts customer lifetime value while empowering member choice - redeeming cash rewards or donating to their favourite cause - seamlessly! If you like this post and would like to see more, please ring the 🔔 on my profile to receive my content directly to your LinkedIn Notifications Tab. To review my published content in one place click: #ivanschwartzpoints4purpose

Your brand's emails aren't driving sales. Instead, your CTRs are low and your placed order rates are even lower. The issue isn't your list or your offers, but with your email content itself. Here’s where brands go wrong: 1. Focusing Too Much on Promotions, Not Enough on Value Sure, discounts can drive short-term sales, but if your emails don’t offer real value, you’re missing a crucial opportunity to build a relationship with your subscribers. What You Should Do Instead: 1. Educate Your Subscribers 📚 Use your emails to inform subscribers about your product’s features, benefits, and the problems it solves. Help them understand why they need it. 2. Share Engaging Content 🎨 Provide insights, tips, and stories that resonate with your audience. Engaging content fosters a deeper connection and makes your emails more valuable. 3. Personalize Your Messaging 💬 Tailor your content based on subscriber behavior and preferences. Personalized emails are more relevant and have higher engagement rates. 4. Create a Customer Journey 🚀 Design your email sequences to guide subscribers through a learning process. Start with education, build interest, and then offer promotions. A client came to us with each of these issues. By shifting their focus from constant discounts to a value-driven approach, they saw a 30% increase in email engagement and a 20% boost in conversions. Stop relying solely on promotions and start delivering value. That’s how you turn subscribers into loyal customers. #EmailMarketing #DigitalMarketing #MarketingStrategy #ConsumerBrands #CustomerJourney #RetentionMarketing #EmailCampaigns #LinkedInTips Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog: https://lnkd.in/e7MZcpGZ

We’re paid ~$3,500/mo(minimum) by founders of $100k+/mo ecom brands to implement this playbook and flood repeat purchases (but you can 80/20 it yourself): 1) FIX THE FOUNDATION Look… if your email backend is just the default Shopify confirmation email, that’s like lighting thousands of dollars on fire every month. Here’s what you need live: - welcome flow (with an actual offer, not just “Hi 👋”) - abandoned cart/checkout - post-purchase flow (education + cross-sell) - browse abandonment - review + UGC request - winback - VIP flow (big one most people ignore) If you’re starting from zero: just set up Welcome + Post-purchase. That alone can print money. 2. POST PURCHASE = RETENTION ENGINE Most brands stop talking to customers after they buy. Huge mistake. Here’s the simple flow that works: Day 0: “Thanks for buying – here’s what’s next” Day 3: How to use the product (video, tips, etc) Day 7: Bonus use case, story, or unexpected benefit Day 10–14: Soft cross-sell / bundle offer Day 20+: Ask for UGC/review + pitch VIP status 3. SEGMENTATION Same email to your whole list = same people ignoring your emails. Segment by: - never bought - bought once - bought 2–4x - VIPs (5+ orders or high LTV) - cold (haven’t opened in 90+ days) Pro tip: Use dynamic blocks in Klaviyo if you’re lazy smart. 4. DELIVERABILITY If your emails are going to spam, nothing else matters. Don’t mess this up: - clean your list regularly - stop sending daily “flash sale” emails to dead leads - use real reply-to addresses - avoid spammy subject lines Ramp slowly after promos like BFCM You won’t know deliverability is wrecked until it’s too late. 5. EMAIL SHOULDN’T LIVE IN A SILO If your ads are saying one thing and your emails are saying another, guess what? Confused customers don’t buy. Your email content should line up with: - what your best ads are saying - what support is hearing - what your product pages are promising Consistency = trust. Trust = conversions. 6. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS At a bare minimum, track this weekly: - % of total revenue from email (aim for 25–40%) - revenue per recipient (RPR) - flow vs campaign revenue - open/click/opt-out rates - deliverability rate Unless you enjoy surprises on your P&L… track your sh*t 7. SOUND LIKE A HUMAN Not everything needs to be beautifully designed. Some of the best emails look like a friend just typed them up. Try this: - plain text > overdesigned templates (especially post-purchase) - use “you” more than “we” - tell real stories, not just “NEW DROP!” - treat VIPs like actual humans, not credit card PS: We run systems like this: VEX Media

I audit a lot of email marketing programs. Here are 7 mistakes I see brands make over and over again. 1. Over-Segmenting: only sending emails about Category A to buyers/browsers of Category A. 2. Talking "At" The Email File: letting a team like branding, creative or merchandising determine your entire content calendar. Never considering what the customer might find valuable. 3. No Plain Text Email: plain text typically gets more placement in the main inbox, better deliverability overall, and higher CTRs. It's a pattern breaker. Even if your brand is highly visual, you should throw this in the mix. 4. Scattershot Testing: if you run a test, you should be able to implement the result repeatedly. If you can't apply the learnings to at least 30% of your email calendar, don't bother. 5. Focusing On Loyal Buyers Only: They're the 20% of your file that generates 60-80% of the conversions. For that reason, their preferences dominate your understanding of "what works". But if you don't proactively speak to other segments, your revenue will flatline. 6. Short Welcome Series: your Welcome series should have more than one email. If you have a new customer opt-in offer, you should message that offer 3-4x in the first 48 hours. 7. Treating Email Like A Money Tree: "if we shake the tree harder, more money will fall out!" Oh wait...we shook the tree too hard. Now it's dead. The email file is a snapshot of your customer file. If the business is unhealthy, email revenue will contract. Tactics can stop the bleeding but they can't heal the wound. Bonus Mistake: over-investing in email testing and strategy. In reality, there are a few key decisions and tactics that will drive disproportionate impact. Testing product shots vs model shots in your creative isn't one of them. 🙃 This Sunday I'm sending out my email playbook for 2024. It's a summary of the strategic principles + proven tactics that will grow your email revenue this year. Don't get stuck in the weeds! Comment if you want the link to sign up.

Avoid making that one mistake that might upset your newest clients. Something I see in many audits... Sometimes the Welcome Flow has only one simple trigger: Added to List X The problem is that these accounts also send people who opt-in to the newsletter via checkout to the same list. What does it mean? People who just ordered are sent the first Welcome Email, which usually gives the 10% discount on the first order. That leads to some customers complaining, they want their discount, etc. Here is how to solve that: · Make sure your Welcome flow is triggered when somebody is added to a list AND their consent form ID corresponds to the correct Popup / Sign up Form · Make sure you exclude buyers from your Welcome Flow · Make sure the opt-ins made at checkout go to a different list. Have you seen or made that mistake? ___ I am Nicolas, an email marketer helping fashion brands dress more people. Follow me for more tips and strategies to grow your brand. Also go check my email marketing checklist on my profile.