5 BFCM Loyalty and Reward Strategies to Boost Conversions

Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) is the biggest shopping event of the year. In fact, Shopify ended 2023 BFCM with $9.3 billion in sales.

During this period, ecommerce stores drive a ton of traffic and sales. 

However, competition increases drastically as every store competes for customer attention with massive discounts and aggressive marketing campaigns.

So, how do you stand out in this crowd without draining your marketing budget? By implementing loyalty and reward strategies.

They allow you to tap into your most valuable asset—your existing customers, without running expensive ad campaigns.

With loyalty and reward strategies, you not only drive higher conversion rates but also turn one-time BFCM buyers into year-round customers, increasing customer lifetime value.

In this article, we’ll explore five powerful BFCM loyalty and reward strategies that help you boost sales without spending too much on marketing. Let’s dive in!

1. Leverage early access exclusivity for loyalty members

Give your loyalty program members access to products, sales, or deals before anyone else. This creates a VIP shopping experience that makes them feel special and valued.

Research says that 91% of top apparel loyalty programs in the U.S. give members early or exclusive access to sales and new products.

Key benefits: 

• Drives early sales from your loyalty members before the BFCM rush begins.
• Creates FOMO among non-members, encouraging loyalty program sign-ups.
• Eases the load on your website and customer service team by spreading out sales.

How to implement it:

• Set up a special 24-48 hour shopping window before your main BFCM sale.
• Send personalized emails to your loyalty members about their early access.
• Use countdown timers to create a sense of urgency.
• Highlight the exclusive nature of this period.

For example, if you run a skincare brand, give your loyalty members access to your 40% off BFCM sale on Wednesday, while everyone else waits until Black Friday. You can send an email saying: “As a loyalty member, shop our biggest sale 48 hours before anyone else. Your exclusive early access begins Wednesday at 9 AM EST”. This drives early sales from members and loyalty program signups from non-members.

2. Double loyalty points on purchases during BFCM

When you offer double loyalty points, customers earn twice the usual amount for every purchase. For example, instead of earning 1 point per dollar, they earn 2 points.

While many stores offer discounts, doubling loyalty points gives customers another reason to choose your store during BFCM. Also, these extra points encourage them to return and shop again, keeping them engaged beyond the holiday season.

Key benefits:

• Offers more value per dollar spent, boosting sales during BFCM.
• Customers aim to earn more points, which increases the average order value.
• Creates a second wave of sales when customers return to use their points.

How to implement it: 

• Set up point multipliers in your loyalty program.
• Choose start and end dates for the double points event.
• Apply multipliers to all products or select categories.
• Communicate the limited-time nature of bonus points.

To make it more effective, optimize your “Thank You” page by showing the number of points your customer earned.

Rivo makes it easy to set up double loyalty points and allows you to use different point multipliers for different product collections.

3. Offer time-sensitive rewards (flash rewards)

Time-sensitive or flash rewards are special offers available for a very short time, often just hours or minutes.

During BFCM, when customers are already in the shopping mindset, flash rewards create urgency and encourage quick purchases.

Research by Kerry shows that flash rewards encourage 62% of people to visit a store, 56% to visit and buy more often, and 64% to make purchases they might not have made otherwise.

Key benefits:

• Creates urgency and excitement, turning browsers into buyers.
• Keeps customers engaged throughout BFCM, encouraging multiple visits (and purchases).
• Drives higher conversion rates by reducing decision paralysis.

How to implement it: 

• Schedule short reward periods (30 minutes to 2 hours).
• Vary the types of rewards throughout BFCM.
• Send emails and SMS when new flash rewards start. Rivo-Klaviyo integration helps you send emails. And Rivo-Postscript integration helps you send SMS. 
• Use countdown timers for each offer to build urgency.

For example, you can run the following series of flash rewards:

• Earn 2x loyalty points on footwear from 9-11 AM.
• Earn 3x loyalty points on winter wear from 2-4 PM.
• Earn 5x points on accessories from 8-9 PM.

Send emails and SMS 30 minutes before each flash reward like "Flash Alert! Triple points on all winter wear starts in 30 minutes. Ends at 4 PM EST!".

4. Create spend-based reward tiers 

This strategy involves creating different levels of rewards based on how much customers spend during BFCM. The more they spend, the better rewards they get.

Spend-based tiers motivate customers to add more items to their cart to reach the next tier.

Key benefits: 

• Encourages larger transactions, increasing average order value.
• Creates a game-like shopping experience for customers.
• Increases customer retention rate as members strive to maintain their tier status. 

How to implement it: 

• Create clear spending tiers. For example,some text
  • Bronze: Spend $50-$100
  • Silver: Spend $101-$250
  • Gold: Spend $251-$500
  • Platinum: Spend $501+
• Offer increasing rewards. For example, some text
  • Bronze: 2x points
  • Silver: 3x points + free shipping
  • Gold: 4x points + free shipping + gift
  • Platinum: 5x points + free shipping + gift + early access
• Display a progress bar during checkout to show customers how close they are to the next tier.
• Send emails and SMS when customers are nearing the next tier.

Let’s look at how Kitsch, a hair care and accessories store, implemented the spend-based tiered loyalty program:

Each tier provides progressively better rewards, from increased points per dollar to exclusive offers such as new product testing. They also provide upgrade rewards—bonus points when customers reach a new tier (100 points for Treat Yourself, 250 for Ritual Revamped, and 500 for All Access).

5. Integrate referral rewards for BFCM sales

BFCM is the prime opportunity to boost your word of mouth marketing through strategic referral rewards. By incentivizing your existing customers to bring in new shoppers, you can increase your sales.

This strategy works because people often share shopping recommendations with friends and family during BFCM. Also, referred customers typically have higher conversion rates and larger average order values than those acquired through ads.

Key benefits:

• Expands your customer base without hefty marketing costs.
• Creates a sense of trust and credibility as recommendations come from friends and family.
• Encourages repeat purchases from both referrers and new customers.

How to implement it: 

• Offer dual-sided rewards (both referrer and referee get benefits).
• Create a simple referral process with easy sharing options.
• Promote the referral program through emails, social media posts, and other marketing channels.
• Use a loyalty platform (like Rivo) to automatically track referrals and rewards.

Aloha, a plant-based protein store, leveraged referral rewards by offering a "Give $15, Get $15" offer. 

Customers could send friends a $15 discount, and in return, receive $15 for themselves. This dual-sided reward system encouraged both existing and new customers to engage with the brand. The simplicity of the referral process—requiring just a name and email—made it easy for customers to participate.

Conclusion

While other ecommerce stores run expensive ad campaigns, you can leverage these five strategies: early access, double points, flash rewards, tiered benefits, and referral programs, to increase your conversion rate during BFCM without draining your marketing budget.

Want to make the most of this BFCM? Rivo helps you implement effective loyalty and reward strategies that drive exceptional results for your ecommerce business.

With over 150 features and 100+ pre-built integrations, Rivo simplifies the setup, management, and tracking of all your loyalty programs in one place.

Book your demo today!

Frequently asked questions 

What is a loyalty program?

A loyalty program is a marketing strategy designed to encourage repeat business by rewarding customers for their ongoing engagement with a brand. These programs offer incentives such as points, discounts, or exclusive access in exchange for purchases or other interactions. By fostering customer loyalty, businesses aim to drive more sales, boost customer retention, and increase customer lifetime value.

What types of rewards are best for your BFCM loyalty program?

For BFCM, effective rewards include:

• Exclusive early access: Let loyal customers shop before other BFCM shoppers.
• Double loyalty points: Offer 2X points on purchases.
• Flash rewards: Provide limited-time offers to create urgency.
• Tiered benefits: Give better rewards based on spending levels.
• Referral rewards: Offer rewards to customers to bring in new shoppers.

These incentives create urgency and excitement, motivating customers to make more purchases and engage with your brand during BFCM.

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