Drawing on insights from over six billion emails sent via the Everlytic platform in 2024, the study reveals the 20 top-performing rewards-driven mailers across 16 industries. From eye-popping open rates to loyalty that sticks, this report is a blueprint for using smart incentives to spark engagement, boost click-throughs, and build long-term customer love. While email can be an oft-overlooked marketing tool – Everlytic’s research reveals striking insights into the power of incentive-based email campaigns.
Exceptional engagement that defies norms
Rewards-centric campaigns achieved open rates ranging from the mid-70s to an extraordinary 98.18 per cent, substantially outperforming typical email benchmarks. Click-through rates frequently entered double-digit territory, demonstrating that consumers respond enthusiastically to offers combining urgency, exclusivity and clear calls to action.
Sector performance and emerging champions
While retail remains prominent, financial services led the pack, leveraging cashback, digital vouchers and partner offers to foster trust and engagement. Education and training, along with publishing and media, also featured among top sectors, underscoring the broad applicability of incentive-driven strategies in both B2C and B2B contexts.
Six strategic themes underpin high performance:
- Collaborative partnerships
Co-branded rewards, from complimentary coffees via medical aids to travel perks through banks, boost engagement by tapping into shared value propositions. Businesses should explore alliances with non-competing brands to expand reach and enhance perceived value.
- Community and belonging
Messaging that emphasises membership (“member-only benefits”, “VIP access”) drives emotional loyalty alongside tangible incentives.
- Urgency and scarcity
Time-sensitive prompts (“limited time only”, “offer ends soon”) leverage present-bias triggers and counteract procrastination.
- Prestige and exclusivity
Eligibility-based framing (“exclusively for you”, “first priority access”) increases desirability by implying selectivity.
- Ownership framing
Presenting rewards as already belonging to the recipient (“your coffee voucher awaits”) taps into loss aversion, motivating action to avoid forfeiture.
- Abundance messaging
Language such as “boost your rewards” and tiered programme details signal generosity and encourage ongoing participation.
Design and readability ensure clarity
Top-performing mailers averaged a Flesch-Kincaid readability score of 64, ideal for broad audiences. They employed concise sentences, bullet points and subheadings, guiding readers through clear, step-by-step redemption processes.
Implications and recommendations for business
This report underscores that rewards-driven messaging can transform email performance and strengthen customer relationships. Businesses are advised to:
- Audit loyalty communications against the six strategic themes to pinpoint areas for enhancement.
- Refine subject lines and pre-headers, testing language that conveys urgency and personal ownership; sparing use of exclamation marks or emojis can heighten emotional impact.
- Streamline redemption pathways with clear, numbered steps to minimise friction and drop-off.
- Identify partnership opportunities through customer surveys and market mapping to align with complementary brands.
- Introduce tiered reward structures that motivate repeat engagement and clearly outline progression criteria.
Why this matters to businesses
In South Africa, where 76 to 82% of consumers participate in multiple loyalty programmes, applying these evidence-based strategies offers more than immediate performance gains. It enables brands to cultivate deeper, more enduring connections, ultimately driving sustainable growth through targeted, rewards-centric communications. Learn more about this and impress your bosses with the stats and facts that matter in loyalty and conversion, download the research now: https://www.everlytic.com/guides/the-loyalty-effect/.
Reference:
Everlytic and BreadCrumbs Linguistics (2025) The Loyalty Effect: research report, July 2025 Available here for download: https://www.everlytic.com/guides/the-loyalty-effect/
