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We may not spend as much time at home as we have done in recent years, but the online home and garden sector is showing no signs of slowing down. Though rises in inflation and interest rates may have slightly curbed the appetite for home improvement, many are still purchasing the products that will make staying in that bit more appealing.
So how do you capitalize on the increasing online opportunity and secure more returning customers for your home and garden store?
Let’s take a look at our top three home and garden loyalty program examples, and see why they are top performers.
Kitchenware store, Greenpan created its rewards program to support its community of home cooks. With an attractive loyalty page and lots of opportunities to earn points and redeem them for money-off vouchers, there is a lot to like about this program.
However, the real reason we believe this program is effective is the tier-based structure. Greenpan has created three loyalty tiers that are very on-brand, named ‘Healthy Start’, ‘Healthy Cook’, and ‘Healthy Kitchen’. As customers collect more points, they progress through the tiers and unlock more benefits.
The thing that stands out here, however, is the nature of the tiered rewards on offer. While Greenpan’s initial rewards are all financial incentives, their tier rewards are all experiential, and designed to make customers feel valued and part of something exclusive.
Even in the lowest tier, members can unlock VIP rewards such as early access to sales or new products, access to premium customer service, and bonus points events – all items that can be delivered at little to no cost to the brand. However, move up a tier and you start to unlock exclusive membership promotions. Move up again, and you’ll unlock surprise rewards and an anniversary gift.
These top-tier rewards are particularly effective as they are aspirational, but still slightly secret. Until you reach the Healthy Kitchen tier, you won’t find out what the surprise rewards or the anniversary gifts are, and this makes members all the more inclined to earn enough points to reach that level. To earn those points, they must engage more in between purchases to earn points and eventually spend more – a win-win situation for both brand and customer.
Moving from the kitchen into the garden, another favorite program of ours belongs to Lively Root – a brand that delivers fresh indoor and outdoor plants to your doorstep.
Similarly to Greepan, Lively Root also has loyalty program tiers. However, they have included both a subscriber tier and a paid membership tier. This is an extremely effective way of retaining customers for longer and increasing repeat purchases as nobody wants an under-utilized subscription or membership.
Is it worth the commitment though? Absolutely! Within their subscriber and paid membership tiers, Lively Root has added several additional benefits on top of those included in the two initial tiers. Benefits such as free shipping, 15% off all orders, early access to new plants, and 4x per year member-only sales are perks that only subscribed members can access. So, while Lively Root are investing in somewhat more financial perks for their top-tier members, they are only offering them to members who have committed to ongoing spend.
We also really love that Lively Root have incorporated a section for customer photos on their loyalty page. This is a fantastic way to increase conversion and demonstrate that they are building a community of customers that it pays to be a part of.
Now from the garden, back inside to the bedroom, snug, or wherever else you may need sheets and blankets! Let’s take a look at Red Land Cotton – a proud creator of American-made luxury bedding and towels.
The first thing we noticed about Red Land Cotton, is that as well as awarding loyalty points for purchases, birthdays and social follows, they also incentivize signing up to the mailing list with 100 points. This is extremely powerful as it helps them to keep in touch with members in between purchases, promoting their story and their products, and generally adding power to their wider email marketing strategy.
The second thing that shines through when you look at Red Land Cotton’s program, is that they are keen to make their products part of their loyalty strategy. Spend enough dollars to enter the ‘Bloom’ tier and you will receive a free signature candle. Spend enough to reach the ‘Boll’ tier, and you’ll get both a candle and an All-American throw blanket.
These are compelling items that members are likely to keep in mind and look forward to unlocking. They are also likely to be elements of a wider range that members will be introduced to, and then interested in buying more of. Red Land Cotton is successfully putting more of its products in front of members while simultaneously rewarding increased spend and loyalty. How can they afford to give these products away? Well, with every purchase a member makes, their average order value (and overall lifetime value) is likely to increase, making the return on this investment far higher than it would be in a lower tier.
Finally, we love the way Red Land Cotton has placed referrals front and center on its loyalty page, clearly explaining how customers can give and get 20% off for each successful referral.
For ecommerce brands in the home and garden space looking to capture more customers investing in their homes, solutions like LoyaltyLion can provide lots of opportunities to stand out and introduce members to more products.If you want to find more ways to increase your returning customer rates then get started by booking a demo today.
