This past fall, R3 Marketing and Adviso, in collaboration with Ad hoc Research, unveiled the 7th edition of LoyalT, the most comprehensive study of loyalty program performance in Canada. This year, the study evaluated over 80 programs based on responses from 10,000 Canadians. Discover who made it into the top 10 list of best loyalty programs in Canada in 2024.
Overview
LoyalT Score
Top Programs in 2024
Top Programs by LoyalT Index
Top 10 Takeaways
LoyalT Score
As with previous editions, the LoyalT study employs its own unique methodology: the LoyalT Score. Composed of three key indexes—Behaviour, Engagement, and Attachment—this single score is based on performance scores attributed to each program. It facilitates the measurement of behavioural changes of members without neglecting the program’s overall engagement and appreciation levels.
Top Programs in 2024
PC Optimum, which always ranked among the top five best programs in past years, achieved first place this year in the LoyalT rankings, consolidating its position as a leader in loyalty.
PC Health, its club focusing on wellness, contributed to PC Optimum’s performance with an exceptional engagement rate. Fifty-two percent of members stated they used the mobile application on a weekly basis. This success attests to the increasing popularity of the health and wellness approach, a robust trend that has particularly been observed in the U.S.
Launched in 2023, the new private coalition program Moi, from Metro, climbed into third place. Uniting the Brunet, Première Moisson, Jean Coutu, and Super C brands, Moi is the replacement for the metro&moi program, a fixture in our rankings in previous years.
While Sephora’s Beauty Insider makes its first return to the top 10 since 2018, Pet’s Rewards (Global Pet Foods), Nike Membership, and Air Miles are making their first appearance.
The rise and fall of Air Miles
Air Miles has experienced a major recovery since its acquisition by BMO. The program has seen improved performance, partly attributable to a change in its business model and its card-linked offers, which generate greater engagement.
But despite being in fifth place, the coalition program seems to be faltering in Quebec since the withdrawal of a number of major retailers such as Rona, Jean Coutu, and IGA. It received an average LoyalT score of 88 in Quebec while receiving 111 in the rest of Canada. Over 20 percent of Quebecers stated they had left the program in the past 12 months, which is the highest rate of abandonment observed.
Scene+ didn’t make the list
In 25th place, the new coalition program Scene+ (from ScotiaBank and Cineplex) received mixed results. While the program had the strongest growth in terms of members in 2024, it was not able to create attachment in its members nor influence their purchase behaviours or visit frequency.
The number of members is rarely a reliable measurement of program performance. Our experts can help you identify the key performance indicators for your program.
Top Programs by LoyalT Index
The analysis by key index reveals the strengths of each loyalty program based on its ability to:
…create LOYALTY amongst members and change their behaviours (Behaviour Index)
- Nike Membership / Nike
- Walmart Rewards / Walmart
- Pet’s Rewards / Global Pet Foods
…ENGAGE members (Engagement Index)
- Inspire / SAQ2
- Moi / Metro Inc.
- PC Optimum / Loblaw Companies
…create an EMOTIONAL CONNECTION with members (Affection Index)
- Nike Membership / Nike
- lululemon Membership / lululemon
- Walmart Rewards / Walmart
Communication Score
The Communication Score is based on four variables that reflect the relevancy and appreciation of content offered by programs.
- Appropriate frequency of communication
- Content is consulted regularly
- Higher appreciation of content
- Higher level of personalization of content and offers
In 2024, the loyalty programs with the best Communication Scores were:
- Nike Membership / Nike
- Walmart Rewards / Walmart
- Air Miles / BMO
- Moi / Metro Inc.
- Thank You Rewards / Longo’s
Top 10 Takeaways
After analyzing the top 10 loyalty programs in 2024, we discovered key trends that could improve the performance of your own program.
Flexibility and evolution
The best programs are distinguished by their ability to adapt and evolve, with PC Optimum being an excellent example. During the pandemic, this program was able to offer relevant, reassuring content while demonstrating generosity by offering free benefits. With PC Health, the program evolved further by adapting to consumers’ interest in wellness.
- Facilitate the integration of future technologies
- Regularly survey your members
- Adapt your program based on comments and analyzed data
- Designate one or several managers to the evolution of the program
Going beyond transactional loyalty
Loyalty programs don’t merely consist of points or discounts, although these features remain essential. Their true added value lies in authenticity, experience, and emotion, as can be seen in two persuasive examples: Sephora and the SAQ. Thanks to their hyper-personalized content, these programs have evolved into personal advisors for each member while offering discounts only occasionally.
- Test personalization using artificial intelligence (AI), which is a more accessible approach than you might think!
- Design your program to be truly about customer experience, or even a fully fledged service in its own right
- Offer a fluid, optimized mobile experience
- Integrate features that are useful for members
- Develop members’ sense of belonging to your brand
Business strategy and analytics
Companies included in 2024’s top 10 best loyalty program list make loyalty the focus of their business strategies. To optimize the performance and profitability of their programs, they all rely on analytics. Maintaining a presence in our rankings since 2021, Domino’s fully understands this aspect, and in recent years has turned it into a key driver. "Eighty five percent of our sales go through online, we’ve got 14 million actives, we have got 70 to 100,000 lines of data – we are fundamentally a data business, but we were acting just like a pizza business." - Sarah Barron, directrice du marketing chez Domino’s Pizza3
- Don’t treat your loyalty program like a marketing project
- Rigorously track your key performance indicators
- Break down silos and promote collaboration between marketing and business intelligence teams
The LoyalT study provides much more information than just the top 10 loyalty programs in 2024. Access more statistics and insights by downloading our PDF. 📥
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