After COVID-19, things have started to get back to normal, and people are starting to expect businesses to reward their loyalty. However, there are so many techniques and plans to pick from when designing a rewards programme that you could feel overwhelmed. We’ll show you how seven well-known brands approach customer loyalty and the many game mechanics they’ve implemented to keep their prized customers on board if you want to get a leg up on the competition.

1. Amazon Prime – Convenient Shipping
   Amazon Prime, the largest e-retailer in the world, was introduced in 2005 and is a subscription-based reward programme. In the cutthroat market of today, charging a membership fee would seem counterproductive, but Amazon is now able to provide instant and real benefits that free reward schemes could never provide.
   
   Amazon offers exclusive discounts and offers members unlimited access to their streaming services from the first day of their memberships. But shipping convenience is their program’s main advantage. There is no minimum expenditure requirement and free next-day delivery is available to members on 100 million eligible items. Additionally, the list of items available for same-day delivery is expanding. A 2-hour grocery delivery from AmazonFresh is available in some areas, and since October 2019, it has been free for Prime members.AutoZone Rewards – Simple Regulations
   
2. An very simple to grasp transaction-based loyalty programme is offered by the American auto parts store AutoZone. Customers receive credits for all qualified purchases made in the previous 12 months that totaled $20 or more. AutoZone gives its customers a $20 reward after they accumulate 5 credits, which they are free to use within 90 days.

It’s crucial to maintain the rules straightforward and unambiguous so that participants in your loyalty programme understand what to anticipate. However, if you intend to impose restrictions, you should use extreme caution and ensure that the explanation of the adjustments is equally palatable. Costs of $48.9 million have been incurred by AutoZone as a result of their failure to adequately notify customers before introducing new expiration criteria for their credits and incentives.

However, the business continues to make excellent strides with its initiative. Now that customers are less likely to carry plastic cards in their wallets, AutoZone’s rewards programme is available online or through its mobile app. The drawback is that users must download it.

3. Engagement Through Rewards at Kellogg’s Family Rewards
   Finding ways to interact with clients directly is especially crucial for FMCG companies that sell their goods through retailers. Kellogg’s is able to interact with Family Rewards members even when they are not in the market to make a purchase by creating a separate website specifically for the loyalty programme.

Kellogg’s used to require customers to enter codes from product packaging, but five years ago it was among the first businesses to introduce more convenient, receipt-based earning. Members can send in their online or in-store receipts through email, text message, or KFR.com.

4. Omnichannel nutrition supplement brand The Vitamin Shoppe overhauled its rewards programme a year ago with the introduction of the Healthy Awards, which are supercharging the loyalty ladder. The current version of Healthy Awards is a hybrid programme that combines spend-based tiers, personalised rewards, and components of typical earn-and-burn loyalty programme processes.

The application uses intricate programme logic to reward repeat purchases. Although consumers can move up the loyalty tiers by spending more (Silver membership after $200 spent and Gold membership after $700 spent), points also build up more quickly as customers move up the tiers.

5. Stress-free Rides with Successful Drivers with Uber Rewards and Uber Pro
   Targeting both drivers and potential customers, Uber is continuously adding additional areas to its reward programmes, Uber Reward and Uber Pro.
   For both groups, Uber has designed a point-based tier system with specialised rewards and incentives.

The Uber Rewards programme, which follows the conventional earn-and-burn model, gives consumers $5 in Uber Cash when they have accumulated 500 points from valid Uber trips and Uber Eats deliveries.

6. The North Face VIPeak – Million Methods to Earn

The North Face, a brand that caters to outdoor enthusiasts, has created a rewards programme that harnesses the power of money to encourage repeat business, brand engagement, and continued contact across all channels—behaviors that every brand strives to achieve.

The programme divides the year into three, four-month Peak Points Windows, where participants can accumulate points to receive coupons at the conclusion of each window. Customers receive 10 points for every $1 they spend in-store or online, plus there are many other ways to earn points. Members can gain more points by referring friends, downloading The North Face app, checking in at stores, completing surveys, utilising reusable bags, or taking part in campaigns.

7. Run Your Business Easily with The Home Depot Pro Xtra
   The Home Depot created a loyalty programme for business customers that make frequent large-scale purchases of goods and equipment in order to reward its top customers. With all the advantages it provides, the Pro Xtra programme aids professionals in boosting their profit margins through the reduction of costs, time, and effort.

Customers can visit My Pro Xtra Workbench after logging in to locate and export all previous purchase information and invoices, making it simple to enter the information in their accounting programme. To ensure that all business expenses are recorded under one account, pros can provide buyer ID cards with spending limitations to their employees. With the Text2Confirm solution, in-store employee purchase authorisation is also quick and simple.