Are you working on your loyalty program or planning to optimise it? You've come to the right place.
Today, loyalty is no longer limited to distributing points or offering discounts.
Customers expect real experiences and rewards that make them want to come back.
To help you see more clearly, we have analysed 80 loyalty programs in 8 key sectors.
The objective is simple: to share with you the best practices and the essential KPIs to follow in order to build a successful and sustainable program.
Creating an effective loyalty program is not just about checking boxes.
With the proliferation of offers and the pressure on performance, it is essential to draw inspiration from what is already working on the market.
And that's where benchmarking comes in. In 2025, it will be impossible to build a solid system without taking a moment to analyse the best programs, identify mistakes to avoid and find ideas to stand out.
Some brands have succeeded in transforming their loyalty program into a real lever for engagement and reactivation.
Personalised rewards, a fluid customer journey, an omnichannel experience...
All these elements can be found in the most successful programs.
By relying on these best practices, you save valuable time and maximise your chances of implementing a strategy that really speaks to your customers.
Too complex, poorly integrated, without real reward...
We still see many programs that struggle to convince.
By consulting a benchmark, you can quickly identify these pitfalls and adjust your strategy before you lose customer satisfaction or see your engagement rate plummet.
The idea is to build a program that is simple to understand, easy to use and truly attractive.
The market is saturated and your competitors have also understood the importance of customer loyalty.
Analysing what is being done elsewhere is also the best way to find that little something extra that will make the difference.
An original mechanism, a personalised experience, a well thought-out VIP programme...
Benchmarking gives you all the cards you need to stand out from the crowd and strengthen customer relations in the long term.
For this 2025 benchmark, we analysed 80 loyalty programs in 8 key sectors, based on data from our Industry Report 2025, our customers and our research.
The aim? To identify what really works in the field and offer you a concentration of best practices to boost your own loyalty strategy.
👉 Discover our study on the French and Loyalty in 2025.
Ready-to-wear has very strong loyalty potential: 57% of consumers say they are willing to commit to a brand.
But loyalty is no longer determined by price alone. 34% of buyers now value the brand's values when deciding on a repeat purchase.
Faced with rapidly changing trends and a constant need to renew their wardrobe, these companies benefit from natural repeat business.
But beware of missteps: price increases, quality declines or disappointing loyalty programs can weaken the relationship.
Makeup is appealing with real potential for loyalty: 34% of consumers say they are willing to commit to a brand.
The reason? The strong sensory and emotional connection with the products.
Once the right formula is found, it is difficult to change, especially when skin and appearance are at stake.
Trust in the quality and composition is therefore essential.
And the opinion of those around you also carries weight: 29% of buyers are influenced by it, hence the importance of influence and word-of-mouth strategies.
With a high repeat rate (products with a limited lifespan and a desire to try new things), loyalty programs rely on free products and miniatures to boost repeat purchases. And it works.
Here, loyalty is built on emotion and brand image, much more than on the frequency of purchase.
The sector has a low repeat rate: purchases are carefully considered and often linked to a particular moment.
Attachment to the brand's universe and expertise is key.
As a result, storytelling and exclusivity are becoming essential levers.
Vouchers or targeted discounts work, especially to unlock the purchase of more expensive items.
But perceived quality remains non-negotiable: 72% of customers are willing to leave the brand in the event of a decline.
The most effective programs focus on a premium experience: previews, personalisation and exclusive services reinforce the feeling of belonging and perceived value.
With products integrated into routines, haircare & skincare shows a high recurrence of purchase
Quality and transparency are key, especially as 62% of customers would pay more for organic ingredients.
The most effective programs rely on free products to boost recurrence.
Beware of price increases or changing formulas: loyalty can quickly erode if the benefits do not follow.
The sector benefits from a high level of recurrence, driven by courses of treatment that encourage repeat purchases.
34% of consumers declare themselves to be loyal, mainly thanks to confidence in the results.
Product tests (samples, discovery packs) are reassuring and encourage people to start new courses.
On the loyalty side, programs rely on discounts or free courses to reward regular customers.
But loyalty remains fragile: price increases or disappointing results can jeopardise everything.
Hence the importance of concrete benefits and real added value.
With 43% of consumers able to be loyal, this is one of the most successful sectors in terms of customer loyalty.
The key? Regular purchases and concrete economic benefits.
Vouchers, discounts and promotional offers remain the most effective levers for boosting repeat purchases.
But price sensitivity remains high: 57% of customers would leave the brand if prices increase.
Successful programs know how to balance generosity and perceived value to maintain long-term commitment.
The sector has moderate loyalty potential, with 37% of consumers attached to a brand.
Purchases remain one-off, often linked to a specific project.
Here, loyalty comes through inspiration and perceived quality.
Vouchers are the most effective levers to trigger a new purchase.
Quality remains non-negotiable: 72% of customers would change brands if quality declined.
To build loyalty, brands must value their expertise and offer a careful shopping experience.
With only 16% potential loyalty, the sector struggles to create attachment, due to a very wide range of products and services and numerous players.
Here, loyalty is achieved less through repeat purchases than through emotional and community relationships.
Effective programs focus on the experience: exclusive events, tailor-made services and useful content that strengthen engagement.
More than discounts, it is the ability to become a daily partner that makes the difference.
Pssst... You might find this interesting!
Read the full benchmark with 80 loyalty programs analysed and 24 case studies to see what you can learn from them.
A good benchmark is not limited to aligning examples.
To draw real lessons from it, it is still necessary to compare like with like and analyse in depth the mechanisms that make the difference.
This is why in our benchmark a sectoral overview is carried out, before zooming in on particularly comprehensive or innovative programs to analyse what really works.
First step: define your scope carefully.
Not all brands are comparable.
For a relevant analysis, select programs that are close to your business model, your size or your market.
Otherwise, you risk being inspired by mechanics that are impossible to adapt to your context.
A program that is a hit in the luxury sector will not necessarily have the same impact on a pure player selling food supplements.
Then, analyse each program in depth. Look at the conditions of access (free or paid), the mechanics of point collection, the engagement missions (opt-in, UGC, referral), the diversity of rewards and the omnichannel approach.
The objective? To identify what really creates engagement without complicating the customer experience.
Too many conditions or unclear rules, and your users will drop out.
What works are programs that are easy to understand, motivating and simple to activate at each stage of the customer journey.
A loyalty program without KPI monitoring is like flying blind.
To really assess the impact, you need to rely on the right indicators and distinguish between transactional and relational loyalty.
Start by monitoring your customer repeat purchase rate (CRPR). This is the best way to measure the impact of the program on retention.
Then compare the lifetime value (LTV) of active members and non-members: the difference will tell you whether your program is really creating value.
In terms of satisfaction, set up an NPS dedicated to members.
To take the analysis further, it is essential to differentiate between transactional loyalty and relational loyalty, two complementary dimensions that do not reflect the same level of attachment to your brand.
Transactional loyalty is what drives a customer to come back thanks to the economic benefits on offer: points, discounts, exclusive offers. It boosts repeat purchases but does not guarantee a real connection with the brand.
On the other hand, relational loyalty sets in when your customers stay, no longer just for the rewards, but because they recognise themselves in your values, your universe or your brand experience.
They interact, leave reviews or share UGC.
In a good benchmark, these two dimensions must be taken into account to truly evaluate the long-term performance of a program.
Learn more in our article dedicated to transactional or relational loyalty.
👉 Know more about emotional loyalty in this dedicated article.
Throughout our benchmark, certain mechanics stand out.
If you want to boost the performance of your program, take inspiration from these three levers, tested and approved by the best brands.
The most engaging programs are no longer limited to rewards on purchases.
They also value UGC, referrals or social engagement.
The idea? Involve your customers in the life of the brand and strengthen their sense of belonging.
Several brands offer bonus points for a post-purchase review, sharing on Instagram or recommending to a friend.
The result: more content generated, more visibility and customers who feel truly valued.
Examples:
By rewarding these actions, you multiply the opportunities for interaction and feed your social proof without any additional effort.
The VIP level remains an excellent way to reward your best customers without complicating the experience.
Well thought out, it reinforces the perceived value of the program and makes people want to move up to the next level.
Some brands offer exclusive access, premium services or personalised benefits as soon as a threshold is reached.
The benefit is twofold: higher average order value and increased customer loyalty.
Examples:
By recognising your best members, you create a strong sense of belonging that encourages them to come back and progress through the program.
👉 Discover 11 rewards for your top VIP members.
Last key point: your program must fit perfectly into the customer journey, both in-store and online.
There's nothing worse than a system that works online but not in-store.
The most successful brands guarantee a seamless experience, with access to benefits and rewards across all channels.
The result: less friction and more repeat purchases.
Examples:
By offering a smooth and seamless experience, you facilitate recurrence and strengthen loyalty at all points of contact.
Loyoly is a loyalty and referral platform combined with UGCs, which helps to engage customers in 40+ ways to increase LTV and social proof, while reducing CAC.
