How to Get Customers to Join Your Loyalty Program: A Practical Guide

You have built a loyalty program. The rewards are attractive, the system is set up, and you are ready to go. There is just one problem: nobody is signing up.

This is more common than you think. Research shows that the average consumer is enrolled in over 13 loyalty programs but actively uses fewer than 7. That means even getting people to join is only half the battle. You also need to make the value so clear and the process so effortless that customers actually engage.

Whether you are launching a new program or struggling with low enrollment in an existing one, the following strategies address the most common barriers to signups and give you actionable ways to overcome them.

Why customers do not join: the 5 most common reasons

Before you can fix low enrollment, you need to understand why it happens. Here are the five reasons that come up again and again in business surveys and customer research.

1. The signup process is too complicated

If a customer has to fill out a paper form, provide their email address, create a password, download an app, and then wait for a confirmation email, you have lost them by step two. Every additional step in the enrollment process is a drop-off point.

The fix: Make signup achievable in 30 seconds or less. The customer downloads a free app, creates an account, and they are in. No paperwork at the counter.

2. The rewards are not compelling

"Get 5% off after spending EUR 500" does not motivate anyone. If the first reward feels impossibly far away, or if the discount is too small to matter, customers will not bother.

The fix: Design your first reward to be reachable in 3-5 visits. The customer should feel progress early and often. Research shows that members of well-designed loyalty programs are 64% more likely to purchase more frequently, but only when the rewards feel attainable.

3. Customers simply do not know it exists

Many business owners launch a loyalty program and assume customers will discover it on their own. They will not. If your program is not actively promoted at every touchpoint, most customers will never hear about it.

The fix: Promote at the point of sale, on social media, via email, and on your website. Every customer interaction is an opportunity.

4. Staff are not promoting it

Even if you have great signage, nothing replaces a genuine, in-person invitation from a team member. If your staff do not mention the program, or if they seem unsure about how it works, customers will not take it seriously.

The fix: Train every staff member to describe the program in one sentence: "You earn points every time you buy, and those points turn into free rewards." Then practice it until it feels natural.

5. The program feels generic

If your loyalty program looks like every other one, it will not stand out. Customers are drowning in loyalty programs. Yours needs to feel relevant to their experience at your specific business.

The fix: Customize your rewards to reflect what your customers actually want. A cafe should offer free drinks, not generic discounts. A salon should offer a complimentary treatment upgrade, not a 10% coupon.

Strategy 1: Offer a signup incentive that delivers immediate value

This is the single most effective tactic for driving enrollment. Businesses that offer an upfront reward upon signup build registrations more than three times faster than those that do not, according to data from.

The psychology behind this is the endowment effect, documented by researchers Joseph Nunes and Xavier Dreze. In their widely cited study, they gave car wash customers loyalty cards with two free stamps already filled in. Those customers were nearly twice as likely to complete the card compared to customers who received a blank card requiring the same number of purchases.

By giving new members immediate progress toward a reward, you tap into a powerful behavioral trigger: people are far more motivated to finish something they have already started.

Practical signup incentives:

50 bonus points credited immediately (equivalent to a EUR 5-10 head start)
A free small item on their first loyalty purchase (a coffee, a sample, a pastry)
Double points on their first three visits

The incentive does not need to be expensive. It just needs to be immediate and tangible. The value is not in the reward itself but in the sense of momentum it creates.

Strategy 2: Make the enrollment process frictionless

Every second of friction in your signup flow costs you members. The goal is to reduce enrollment to its absolute minimum: download app, create account, done.

What frictionless enrollment looks like:

Customer downloads a free app on their smartphone (iOS or Android)
They create an account in under 30 seconds
Their barcode is immediately available for scanning
Points start accumulating from their very first purchase
No paperwork, no plastic cards, no email confirmations required at the counter

What friction looks like:

Paper signup forms at the register
Requiring a staff member to manually enter customer details
Needing to verify an email address before the account activates
Mandatory fields that are not relevant (mailing address, date of birth, etc.)

If you are evaluating loyalty solutions, test the signup flow yourself. If it takes more than a minute, or if it requires any action from you or your staff, it is too complicated.

Strategy 3: Train your staff until it becomes second nature

Your staff are the front line of your loyalty program. According to various industry studies, staff-driven enrollment consistently outperforms passive signage by a wide margin.

But simply telling your team "mention the loyalty program" is not enough. You need to:

Give them a script (then let them make it their own):

"Are you in our loyalty program? You earn points every time you buy, and they add up to free rewards."
"You just spent EUR 25 today. If you were a member, that would be 25 points toward a free reward."

Remove ambiguity:

Everyone on the team should know exactly how many points per euro customers earn
Everyone should know what the first reward is and how quickly it can be reached
Everyone should be able to explain the signup process in 10 seconds

Create accountability:

Track how many signups each team member generates (if your app provides this data)
Recognize top performers weekly or monthly
Consider small incentives: a coffee, an extended break, or a team lunch when targets are hit

The best enrollment rates come from teams where mentioning the loyalty program is as automatic as saying "thank you."

Strategy 4: Use in-store visibility to reinforce the message

Even when staff are actively promoting the program, visual reinforcement matters. Customers need to see the offer multiple times before they act on it. Marketers call this the "rule of seven": a consumer needs to encounter a message at least seven times before taking action.

High-impact placement points:

Counter display near the register: a small card or tent display explaining the program
Door sticker or window poster: catches attention before the customer even enters
Table tents or menu inserts (for restaurants and cafes)
Packaging inserts: a card in every bag or delivery explaining how to join
Receipt messaging: a line at the bottom of every receipt

Keep the copy short and benefit-focused:

"Earn points every time you visit. Download Fedele App to start."
"Your loyalty earns rewards. Ask us how."

Avoid long explanations on signage. The goal is to prompt a conversation or a quick app download, not to explain the entire program in 50 words on a poster.

Strategy 5: Leverage social media proof

When potential customers see real people enjoying the benefits of your program, it normalizes participation and reduces skepticism. Research shows that 72% of consumers believe customer-generated content is more credible than brand messaging.

How to use social proof for enrollment:

Share posts from members who have just redeemed a reward: "Congratulations to Luca who earned his free espresso today!"
Create Instagram Stories or Reels showing the signup and scanning process (so customers see how easy it is)
Repost customer photos and stories (with permission)
Feature a "member of the month" on your social channels

This approach works particularly well for businesses with younger demographics. Quick video content showing a real customer scanning their barcode and earning points is more persuasive than any graphic explaining the program mechanics.

Strategy 6: Ask at the right moment

Timing matters. The best moment to invite someone to join your loyalty program is when they are already experiencing your product and feeling positive about the interaction.

Best moments to ask:

Immediately after a purchase: "You just earned what would have been 30 points. Want to start collecting?"
When a customer compliments your product: "Glad you love it! Did you know we have a loyalty program? You would earn rewards on every visit."
During a natural pause (waiting for a coffee to be made, waiting for a receipt): "While we get that ready, have you heard about our rewards program?"
At delivery (for food or retail): Include a card with the order explaining how to join and earn on their next order

Worst moments to ask:

When the customer is in a rush
During a complaint or service recovery
When there is a long queue behind them

Read the room. A well-timed invitation feels helpful. A poorly timed one feels pushy.

Strategy 7: Create urgency with limited-time offers

Scarcity and urgency are powerful motivators. A limited-time signup bonus gives customers a reason to join now rather than "maybe later" (which almost always means never).

Effective urgency tactics:

"Sign up this week and get 100 bonus points. Offer ends Sunday."
"First 50 members to join in March get double points for their first month."
"Launch special: signup before the end of the month and receive a free [product]."

The time pressure converts indecisive customers into active members. Just make sure the offer is genuine. If you run "last chance to join" campaigns every week, the urgency disappears.

Strategy 8: Make the program visible on your digital channels

Your website, Google Business profile, and social media bios should all mention your loyalty program. Research shows that 76% of consumers check a business's website before their first visit.

Digital visibility checklist:

Homepage section or banner explaining the loyalty program
A dedicated loyalty program page with FAQ
Link in your Instagram/Facebook bio
Mention in your Google Business description
CTA in your email signature

Many businesses invest in their loyalty program but forget to mention it anywhere online. A potential customer browsing your website should know within seconds that you reward repeat visits.

How Fedele helps you get more signups

Fedele is designed to remove the barriers that prevent customers from joining. The customer-facing app (Fedele App) is free, takes under 30 seconds to set up, and works via barcode scanning with no extra hardware. Welcome bonuses can be configured to give new members instant points, leveraging the endowment effect from their very first interaction.

Your business also appears on the Fedele map, which means new customers in your area can discover you and your loyalty program simultaneously. The Free plan includes up to 5 customers with full features (barcode scanning, custom rewards). When you are ready to grow, Premium unlocks unlimited customers at EUR 49.99/month (annual) or EUR 59.99/month (monthly).

The bottom line

Getting customers to join your loyalty program comes down to three things: make it easy, make it valuable, and make it visible. Remove friction from the signup process. Offer a reward that creates immediate momentum. Train your staff to mention it naturally. And promote it everywhere your customers already look.

The businesses that solve the enrollment challenge are the ones that turn occasional visitors into regulars and regulars into advocates. Every strategy in this guide can be implemented this week with minimal cost. The only question is which one you will start with.