The last-minute checklist: Start your loyalty programme today

As an ambitious entrepreneur, you know: growth is not just about new customers, but more importantly about the strong relationships you build with your existing customer base. You've probably already read about the importance of a loyalty programme, what mistakes to avoid and maybe even read through a comprehensive guide.

But then the key question: where do you really start? What are the very first, fundamental steps for success?

Forget complexity and choice stress. With this practical foundation checklist, you will lay the foundation for a flying start today.

Step 0: The strategic basis (3 questions for success)

Preparing a good loyalty programme is half the battle. Set your foundation first: answer these three questions and set your programme on the right course immediately. This will save you precious time and build a strategy that works.

What is your #1 goal?

Define one primary, measurable goal for your loyalty programme. Are you going for:

• Drive more repeat purchases?
• Increase average order value (AOV)?
• Collect more product reviews for social proof?
• Lower your acquisition costs by retaining customers longer?

Every choice you make after this, test it against this one, clear goal.

What do you call your programme?

Give your programme a name that fits your brand. This will make it instantly tangible. Think ‘Club Reloadify’, ‘Reloadify Rewards’ or ‘The VIP Lounge’. A good name gives your programme its own identity.

Who pulls the cart?

As an entrepreneur, you do a lot yourself. This is precisely why this is a crucial question. Who within your (small) team will be the project owner? Who will analyse the results and make adjustments? Assign one person final responsibility. This way, you guarantee focus and prevent it from becoming a project “for the side”.

The checklist: Lay your foundation in 5 practical steps

The strategy is in place. Now the practice. Follow this loyalty programme set-up roadmap and lay a rock-solid foundation.

Step 1: Choose your home base: integrated vs seperate tool

This is your most important technical choice. Do you opt for a loose tool for loyalty, which you then have to link to your email software with artifice? Or do you opt for one integrated platform where loyalty, e-mail and SMS work together seamlessly from a central command centre?

You know the pain of separate tools: your data is stuck, systems don't “talk” to each other and you lose time switching. An integrated platform like Reloadify works like a Swiss army knife: one powerful tool that can do everything. Your loyalty data directly feeds your e-mail automations. Does a customer reach VIP status? Then you automatically start an exclusive welcome flow. That's radical simplicity that saves you time and creates new marketing opportunities.

Step 2: Define your minimum reward

You can make rewards as complex as you want. Our advice? Keep it simple. Start with a “Minimum Viable Reward”: a clear, simple promise. For example, ‘Save 1 point for every euro and redeem 100 points for €5 off.’

Start now, perfect later. You can always expand this base.

Still want to dive deeper into the options? Read our guide on choosing between points, tiers and other reward structures here.

Step 3: Prepare your visual elements

Give your programme a face. Design a simple header for your loyalty page and a small visual for in your emails. Make sure the look and feel perfectly matches your corporate identity. A bit of recognisability works wonders.

Step 4: Plan your communication channels

How will your customers discover your amazing loyalty programme? Think about which channels you will use to communicate the launch. A banner on your homepage and an announcement in your newsletter are a perfect starting point.

• Need help with the launch? Use our ultimate guide to announcing your loyalty programme.
• Wondering how to combine it powerfully with e-mail? Find out how to combine loyalty and email marketing for more repeat purchases here.

Step 5: Check your legal foundation (GDPR)

As a European webshop, you have to deal with the GDPR. Are you working with American software? Then you bring in unnecessary complexity and legal risks.

Give yourself and your customers peace of mind. Choose a European platform built with the GDPR in its DNA. We guarantee that your customer data never leaves the EU. That's not a marketing promise, but a fundamental certainty that gives you peace of mind.

Congratulations, you have laid your foundation!

If you complete these steps, you will have laid a solid foundation for your loyalty programme. You not only have a plan, but a strategic foundation that allows you to grow further. You are ready. Turn buyers into fans and maximise the value of each customer.

Now that your foundation is in place, it's time to build.

See how an integrated approach makes a difference? Schedule a free, no-obligation demo and we'll show you how to bring this checklist to life in the Reloadify platform.