Is Your Loyalty Program Actually Working?

It’s never been easier to launch a loyalty program - and never been harder to make it actually work. 

From punch cards and points to cashback and card-linking, customer loyalty programs are now a staple in most brands’ retention strategies. But here’s the truth: just having a program doesn’t mean it's effective. In fact, many program running today are underperforming in silence - the walking dead, if you will. 

So how can you tell if yours is one of them? 

The Most Common Loyalty Pitfalls

We’ve reviewed dozens of programs, and the same challenges come up again and again: 

• Customers sign up, but never return.
• The value proposition isn’t clear or isn’t valuable.
• Rewards are confusing, underwhelming, or hard to access.
• Internal teams struggle to measure performance or know what to optimize.

Why Loyalty Program Effectiveness Matters More Than Ever

In 2025, customer acquisition is only getting more expensive. That makes loyalty a high-leverage lever - if it’s working. A well-performing loyalty program can add more to your overall business over a longer period of time. This includes: 

• More repeat purchases
• Improve customer lifetime value (CLV)
• Increased word-of-mouth and referrals
• Reduced churn and increase stickiness

But if it’s not performing, it can quietly drain resources, confuse customers, and dilute your brand. 

So…how’s yours really doing? 

So, how's your loyalty program doing?

To evaluate whether your program is delivering on its promise, you need to look at four key pillars:

• Program Setup: Is it aligned with your business goals and customer behavior?
• Member Experience: Is it seamless, rewarding, and easy to understand?
• Member Engagement: Are members actually interacting with the program?
• Review & Optimization: Are you measuring what matters — and adjusting as needed?

A Simple, Strategic Way to Find Out

Even with just four pillars, pulling the full picture together can be tricky. That’s why we created a short, practical tool to help.

In just a few minutes, our Loyalty Program Effectiveness Quiz walks you through a self-assessment of your program’s structure, engagement, and results. You’ll walk away with: 

• A personalized effectiveness score
• Insights on what’s working - and what’s not
• Practical tips you can act on right away

It’s like a free consultation, but faster (it only takes 2-3 minutes to complete). And no forms until you’re ready to see your results. 

👉 Take the quiz now 

About Olive Card-linking for Loyalty

If you're looking to start or improve your loyalty program, Olive can help.

Our platform offers card linking with Visa and Mastercard, access to thousands of offers across the US and Canada, and an intuitive dashboard for analyzing customer behavior and setting up targeted notifications. It's the fastest way to get to market.

Interested? Talk to sales or book a demo today.