So, are you designing hard for your happiest, oldest customers? Do your customer loyalty emails look as engaging as the rest?
If not, you might be throwing millions at influencers only to get a fleeting mention in a smiley-shooting TikTok reel. Repeat customers bring in revenue, but they can also breed complacency. If you assume they don’t need the same attention as new customers, you are missing a huge opportunity. Our email audits reveal that:
- Going overboard in onboarding emails while underdesigning for loyal customers is a recurring trend.
- UGC emails are exclusively limited to low-tier customers.
- Newsletters by e-commerce lines are few and far between.
This isn’t ideal. If you do email and don’t have a tribe, you’re royally under-utilizing your customer loyalty emails.
At Email Mavlers, we design and code over 3,000 email templates each month, including hundreds focused on loyalty.
In this guide, we’re spotlighting some of the top-performing loyalty emails, the ones that spark advocacy and drive revenue.
1. Chick-fil-A
Subject line: Play Code Moo®. Treat yourself to food rewards.
Chick-file-A, a highly popular fast-food restaurant chain, combines humor with super-engaging visuals in their loyalty email.
It is hands-down one of the best loyalty email examples.
Why we dig this email:
- The hero image is Pixar-level funny, attention-grabbing, and urgent. It’s the perfect spot for an animated GIF.
- The font laudably takes the fun baton from the hero image, and extends the humorous appeal of the email.
- Uses live text for the most important sections of the email.
Loyalty focus: This is the second email in what looks like a “loyalty series,” nudging the customer to play the game.
This indicates how intentful the brand is toward their customers.
2. Barista & Co
Subject line: Get a free gift just for opening this email!
Barista & Co nails it with their interactive email. Cleverly, it combines the old and new of email. Check it out.
Why we dig this email:
- The heading addresses the customer directly by name. It’s a piece of live text that changes dynamically.
- The subject line is inbox-blurringly commanding.
- Getting someone to click is hard, so Barista leaves no stone unturned. You want to open the email and the envelope.
Loyalty focus: The length to which Barist & Co go to build intrigue into their email is refreshing. Instead of a complacent attitude, they craft a narrative that encourages the customer to explore further. Loyalty emails can be equally about storytelling, pacing, and a sense of discovery. Let your old, happy customers experience it.
3. Harry Potter Fan Club
Subject line: You’re free to check the King 🐍
The Harry Potter Fan Club motivates their customers to act in this beautifully-designed gamified email.
Why we dig this email:
- The bold, thematic hero image sets the tone of the entire email from the get-go.
- The interactive quiz section elevates the inbox experience.
- The animated Portrait Unlock adds to the fun.
- The color gradient lightens and darkens from text to image, creating a dynamic visual flow.
Loyalty focus: By gamifying the message with interactive elements and story-driven visuals, the Fan Club creates a reason for repeat engagement beyond fandom. This kind of design deepens loyalty by making long-time fans feel like they’re part of a living, breathing magical world, not just a list segment.
If your customer loyalty emails aren’t doing this, you’re losing out.
4. Smartpress
Subject line: Thank you for being the best
Lean, loyal, and impeccably human, Smartpress sends a Thank You email to one of their repeat customers.
Why we dig this email:
- Smartpress doesn’t take their repeat customers for granted. And we believe it is so. That alone is so refreshing. Email copywriting is widely undervalued. Take a leaf from Smart!
- The simplicity of the design and those old-worldly buttons leave no room for the customer to be distracted.
- Smartpress is NOT eyeing a revenue metric. There’s not one promotional tangent in this email.
Loyalty focus: It’s pretty much written all over the email. It’s not wet with the salesperson’s adrenaline.
Instead, it’s an authentic loyalty-building exercise by Smartpress.
5. Rainbo
Subject line: Mush Love
Marketers have stretched the word community beyond recognition. It’s now standard for top brands to greet new subscribers with a warm “Welcome to the community.” But your customer base isn’t automatically a community, and revenue metrics alone don’t create one.
That’s why Rainbo’s loyalty email stands out. It’s not another generic welcome message. Instead, it feels genuinely community driven, an authentic gesture that goes beyond the transactional.
Why we dig this email:
- Color blocking makes each content section within the email template pop and generate visual interest.
- Thoughtful use of white space enhances this effect, giving every tile and its corresponding button room to breathe.
- The minimal text keeps attention focused on what matters most
- The layout’s transition from single-column to multi-column adds a dynamic rhythm to the scroll.
Loyalty focus: The email builds emotional resonance by reinforcing values like wellness, community, and self-care. For a loyal customer, this feels like a personal check-in.
It’s a masterclass in reinforcing shared purpose, which is what turns satisfied buyers into lifelong advocates.
Wrapping Up
Loyalty emails aren’t about gold stars or last-minute discounts. They’re about memory, emotion, and attention, reminding your oldest customers why they chose you in the first place.
If your loyalty emails are only about points trackers, you’re not building relationships. You’re printing receipts.
The brands featured here treat loyalty like a conversation, not a conversion tactic. They surprise. They thank. They engage. They entertain. Sometimes, they just listen.
Need help designing engaging loyalty emails like these? Reach out to us with your ideas and vision today!