A loyalty program only works if customers see and feel excited to use it. Yet during BFCM 2025, Shopify merchants face the toughest competition of the year, with discounts, ads, and flash sales crowding every inbox, feed, and checkout. In that chaos, even the best-designed rewards risk fading into the background.
That’s why promotion matters as much as the program itself. When your loyalty program is easy to find and impossible to ignore, it not only drives retention but also maximizes customer lifetime value (CLV), turning BFCM from a short-term cost into a sustainable, profitable investment.
In this article, we’ll share seven strategies to effectively promote your BFCM loyalty program, helping your brand cut through the noise and build lasting relationships that extend well beyond the holiday season.
Make Your Website the Go-To Place for Promoting Loyalty Programs
Your website is the heart of your loyalty program and the main place where customers decide whether to join. According to EY’s 2025 Loyalty Market Study, 35% of consumers sign up directly on a brand’s website, making it the number-one enrollment channel ahead of apps, in-store prompts, and email invites.
To capture this interest during this year’s BFCM, make your program visible at key moments in the shopping journey:
- Homepage: add a banner or navigation link so visitors see it immediately.
- Product pages: display the number of points each item earns to encourage exploration.
- Cart and checkout: remind shoppers of the rewards they can earn or redeem before completing their purchase.
- Email footer: include a loyalty link for consistent visibility across communications.
Widgets and pop-ups can enhance this experience further by providing customers with instant access to points and perks, without disrupting the shopping flow.
With Joy Loyalty, you can decide exactly where your program shows up. From banners and product pages to cart drawers, widgets, or a dedicated loyalty page, every touchpoint can be customized to fit how your customers naturally shop. This flexibility ensures your program is always visible, always accessible, and always aligned with the way your customers shop.
Pro tip: Avoid clutter. Too many prompts can feel pushy and drive customers away. The key is to understand your shoppers and place loyalty touchpoints where they add value, not clutter.
Use Email & SMS Campaigns to Drive Enrollment and Engagement
Email and SMS remain two of the most effective ways to reach customers directly. They cut through the noise and provide a dedicated space to showcase the value of your loyalty program. Unlike ads or pop-ups, these channels give you a dedicated space to explain value and keep members engaged.
Here are a few high-impact ways to integrate loyalty into your messaging:
- Welcome series: introduce new members and show them exactly how rewards work
- Reward reminders: nudge customers when they’re close to redeeming
- Tier updates: celebrate milestones and motivate progress to the next level
To make Email and SMS effective, segmentation is key. By tailoring messages to specific customer groups, such as new sign-ups, VIPs, or dormant members, you ensure that every interaction is more relevant and persuasive.
With Joy Loyalty, you can sync customer data across Shopify and automate these touchpoints, ensuring loyalty messages reach the right audience at the right time.
Pro tip: The goal is not to send more emails but to send the right ones. With well-timed and relevant messages, your campaigns can turn one-off shoppers into loyal members.
Promote Your Loyalty Program on Social Media to Spark FOMO
Social media thrives on the fear of missing out (FOMO). During BFCM, that fear is stronger than ever as feeds overflow with limited-time offers. That’s why it’s the perfect stage to highlight your loyalty program and show customers why they shouldn’t wait to join.
Here’s how to spark FOMO and boost loyalty engagement:
- Add a direct link: Use your bio, pinned posts, or highlights so sign-ups are just one tap away. Show the benefits: Highlight rewards like bonus points, early access, or discounts - remind customers what they’ll miss if they don’t act.
- Use high-FOMO formats:
- Reels, TikToks, Shorts: explain rewards in under 30 seconds for quick scrollers.
- Countdown stories: build urgency for limited-time BFCM bonuses.
- User-generated content (UGC): show real unboxing or redemption videos as social proof.
- Polls & contests: e.g., “Tag a friend to earn bonus points” to trigger interaction and sharing.
Pro tip: Keep it bold and authentic. Shoppers scroll fast during BFCM, so short captions, eye-catching visuals, and genuine customer voices will outperform polished ads.
Incentivize Referrals for Viral Growth
Word of mouth has always been a powerful force. With the right incentives, referrals can turn into viral growth for your loyalty program. During BFCM 2025, when shoppers are actively hunting for deals, referrals can spark viral momentum that drives both acquisition and retention.
Here’s how to make referrals work harder during the holidays:
- Offer a clear reward: Use simple, win–win models like “Give $10, Get $10” or bonus points for both the referrer and friend.
- Add a seasonal twist: Frame referrals around gifting, e.g., “Share this deal with a friend - you both earn holiday rewards.”
- Unlock referral bundles: Give both referrer and friend a special BFCM bundle (like a “Holiday Essentials Gift Set” or “Family Special Pack”) that feels designed to enjoy together.
Pro tip: Protect your program. Referral campaigns often spike during BFCM, so use safeguards like unique codes, capped rewards, or verification steps to ensure rewards go to genuine referrals only.
Promote Loyalty with Influencers and Micro-Communities
Influencers and micro-communities shape purchasing decisions in ways ads rarely can. Their voices feel authentic, relatable, and grounded in trust, qualities that make them ideal for showcasing how a loyalty program fits into real life. During BFCM 2025, when shoppers are skeptical of ads but open to peer recommendations, this credibility can be the edge your brand needs.
Here’s how to collaborate effectively:
- Partner with micro-influencers: Choose creators in your niche with engaged followings who respond to authentic recommendations.
- Showcase loyalty in action: Let influencers demonstrate how they earn and redeem points, turning abstract rewards into tangible benefits.
- Offer exclusive perks: Create special incentives, such as bonus points, early access, or referral bundles, for influencers and their audiences.
- Tap into micro-communities: Work with tight-knit groups (fitness clubs, beauty forums, gaming communities) where trust runs high and word-of-mouth spreads naturally.
Pro tip: Authenticity beats reach. Choose influencers who genuinely reflect your brand’s style and values, because the closer the match, the more natural and effective the collaboration will be.
Use In-Store Channels to Drive Loyalty Sign-Ups
Not every shopper will discover your program online. For many, physical stores are influential touchpoints for introducing loyalty and driving immediate enrollment. BFCM 2025 is expected to bring a surge in foot traffic. In-store promotions are a golden chance to capture enrollments on the spot.
Here’s how to maximize in-store promotion:
- Add visible prompts: Place loyalty callouts at checkout counters, on receipts, and near high-traffic displays so customers can’t miss them.
- Use QR codes: Make it effortless for shoppers to sign up by scanning a code on packaging, posters, or displays.
- Train your staff: Equip store teams to effectively highlight the program during transactions and explain to customers how they can earn or redeem rewards on the spot.
Pro tip: Keep the message concise and straightforward. Shoppers at checkout don’t have time to read lengthy explanations - one clear benefit and a fast sign-up option work best.
Partner with Complementary Brands for Cross-Promotions
Your loyalty program doesn’t have to grow alone. Partnering with complementary brands enables you to expand your reach and offer customers additional reasons to engage. By aligning with businesses that share your audience but don’t directly compete, you can create rewards that feel more substantial and valuable.
Here’s how to do it effectively:
- Identify natural partners: Pair up with brands in related niches (e.g., a coffee shop and a bakery, or a cosmetics line and a skincare brand).
- Create joint rewards: Offer perks like “Earn points at Brand A, redeem at Brand B.” These shared benefits increase loyalty across both communities.
- Run seasonal campaigns: Collaborate on holiday bundles or BFCM-exclusive perks that highlight the partnership, such as bonus points for shopping with both brands.
- Leverage shared promotional channels: Cross-promote on social media, in newsletters, and in-store displays so that both audiences see the value.
Pro tip: Keep the customer experience at the center. Partnerships work best when the rewards feel natural and enhance the shopping experience, not when they’re forced.
Measuring Success: 5 Key Metrics to Track
A loyalty promotion only works if it reaches the right people and convinces them to join. Instead of tracking every loyalty metric, focus on the numbers that reveal how well your promotions are performing.
- Reach: How many shoppers saw your loyalty promotion (on-site banners, emails, or social posts)?
- Click-through rate (CTR): What percentage of customers clicked on your campaign link or widget?
- Sign-up conversion: How many of those clicks turned into actual program enrollments?
- Cost per acquisition (CPA): How much did it cost to acquire each new member through the promotion?
- Promotion-to-purchase rate: The percentage of new members who made a purchase right after joining, showing immediate impact.
Don’t get distracted by vanity numbers like impressions. The real insight comes from following the full path: from reach → to clicks → to sign-ups → to purchases.
Final thoughts
The trend is clear: loyalty is not just about rewards, it is about visibility and impact. These seven strategies, from email and SMS to social media, referrals, in-store promotions, and brand partnerships, show how to make your program stand out during BFCM 2025.
This holiday season, don’t let loyalty fade into the background. With the right strategies, you can turn holiday shoppers into lifelong members. See how Joy Loyalty makes it simple.
