The Global Loyalty Management Market will grow from USD 10.86 billion in 2023 to USD 23.69 billion by 2028. For commercial leaders, that expansion signals a genuine opportunity to strengthen customer retention and protect revenue in a competitive market.
The opportunity carries real risk, however. 77% of rewards-based programmes fail within their first two years, typically because leadership underestimates the operational and technical discipline a loyalty programme demands. A loyalty programme is not a marketing campaign — it is a data infrastructure commitment, and it deserves the same strategic rigour as any other core system.
Before you read on: ask yourself whether your organisation can currently answer three questions with confidence — which channel do our most valuable members use, what is our real redemption rate, and who owns our data governance policy? If any answer is unclear, the challenges below are likely already affecting your programme. When you're ready, explore your Salesforce readiness with Think Beyond.
This article breaks down the five most common challenges that undermine loyalty programmes, and the specific way Salesforce addresses each one.
At a Glance: Loyalty Programme Challenges and Salesforce Responses
| Challenge | Salesforce Response | Outcome to Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Disconnected ePOS, CRM, and commerce systems | Out-of-the-box and API-based integrations | Reduction in data reconciliation errors |
| Limited visibility into engagement and redemption | Native dashboards and drill-down reporting | Time to identify underperforming reward tiers |
| Generic, transaction-only rewards | Configurable Loyalty Management programme rules | Share of non-transactional reward redemptions |
| Weak data governance and member trust | Built-in security, consent, and preference controls | Opt-out rate and data-related complaints |
| Fragmented, inconsistent marketing outreach | Salesforce Customer 360 as a single source of truth | Cross-channel engagement rate |
Challenge One: Technology Barriers That Fragment the Customer Journey
Compatibility issues — particularly the inability to integrate with ePOS systems or existing CRMs — create disconnected experiences and inconsistencies across the customer journey.
Managing high volumes of loyalty data with real-time updates also requires robust infrastructure and a clear data management strategy. Organisations that fail to address these technological barriers see the consequences directly: operational inefficiency, inaccurate reporting, and a customer experience that erodes rather than builds loyalty.
Solution
Salesforce, as the market's leading CRM, offers integration capabilities that connect existing systems without months of custom development. Businesses gain a cohesive customer experience and eliminate the data inconsistencies that undermine trust.
These same integration capabilities let teams manage high volumes of data with real-time updates, so customer interactions stay timely and relevant — the foundation loyalty and long-term growth depend on.
Challenge Two: Poor Analytics That Hide Programme Performance
Without visibility into engagement and redemption rates, leaders cannot assess how a loyalty programme actually performs. Teams also struggle to tailor offerings effectively when they lack detailed insight into customer interactions.
This data gap extends to customer lifetime value (CLV) — a metric every finance and marketing leader needs to assess long-term profitability with confidence.
Solution
Salesforce dashboards and reporting tools turn raw engagement data into data-driven insight at a glance. Complex data becomes accessible, so leaders can review performance metrics quickly and drill down into individual customer records when they need deeper context on interactions and preferences.
Challenge Three: Generic Rewards That Fail to Build Real Loyalty
Poor personalisation undermines a loyalty programme's effectiveness more than almost any other factor. Every organisation is unique, and a generic reward structure rarely reflects a brand's identity or resonates with its members.
Generic programmes often fail to excite customers, so members become loyal to the discount rather than the brand. When rewards stay purely transaction-based, customers learn to engage only when a discount is available.
75% of customers want to be rewarded for non-transactional activity.
Source: Loyalty Barometer Report — What Consumers Think of Loyalty & Reward Programmes, 2017, Helloworld
Building genuine loyalty requires businesses to design personalised experiences that reflect their values and engage customers beyond the transaction itself.
Solution
Salesforce delivers a fully customisable, flexible platform. Through an accessible interface, teams configure loyalty programmes around their organisation's specific needs and optimise the strategy for stronger member satisfaction. Businesses manage the full programme lifecycle — designing benefits, vouchers, and rewards that engage members meaningfully rather than transactionally.
Related insight: in our work on the Salesforce Managed Services engagement for Virtana, low user adoption and inconsistent processes were undermining the value of the platform long before any customer-facing programme could succeed. Think Beyond rebuilt the operational foundation — clean data, clear ownership, and a stable CI/CD process — before addressing outward-facing initiatives. The same principle applies to loyalty: a programme built on a fragile Salesforce foundation cannot deliver a personalised member experience, no matter how creative the rewards strategy is.
Challenge Four: Data Control and Capture Concerns That Damage Trust
Problems with data capture and control erode member trust and engagement quickly. When members feel they have little say over how a business collects and uses their personal information, discomfort and disengagement follow.
Collecting customer data is challenging for 18% of brands.
Source: Loyalty Marketing & Rewards Programmes — Global Market Report 2022, a study Forrester Consulting conducted on behalf of Comarch
Customers expect transparency and the ability to manage their own data preferences. Businesses that fail to address these concerns risk members opting out of the programme entirely or withholding the insights that make personalisation possible.
Solution
Building long-lasting loyalty starts with data privacy. Businesses need to offer clear opt-in and opt-out options and give members real control over their information.
Salesforce implements robust security controls that protect customer information from unauthorised access and breaches. Clear communication about data collection practices, paired with member-managed preference centres, gives customers the confidence that they control their own data.
Challenge Five: Inefficient Marketing Infrastructure That Undermines Omnichannel Engagement
Many loyalty programme challenges stem from the difficulty of delivering a seamless omnichannel experience. Businesses must engage current and prospective customers consistently across email, SMS, and social media.
Organisations also often struggle to monitor daily point activity, and manual processes consume time that automation could free up. This inefficiency limits the impact of otherwise well-designed marketing initiatives.
Solution
Businesses need technology that simplifies cross-channel communication. The right platform lets marketing teams collaborate effectively without overwhelming customers with redundant messages.
Salesforce Customer 360 gives organisations a single source of truth for every member. This unified view enables personalised interactions at scale, so customers receive relevant, well-timed communications that strengthen engagement rather than fatigue it.
Metrics That Prove Loyalty Programme Impact
Leaders should track the following KPIs to prove — not assume — a loyalty programme's return on investment:
- Redemption rate — the share of earned rewards members actually redeem
- Non-transactional engagement rate — participation in activities beyond purchases (reviews, referrals, social engagement)
- Customer lifetime value (CLV) — long-term profitability per loyalty member versus non-member
- Data opt-out rate — a direct signal of member trust in your data practices
- Cross-channel engagement rate — consistency of interaction across email, SMS, app, and in-store touchpoints
- Time-to-insight — how quickly teams can access and act on performance dashboards
Maximising Loyalty Programme Success with Omnichannel Salesforce Solutions
Building an effective loyalty programme requires the right technology stack, not just the right incentive design. Salesforce provides several tools that close the efficiency gap and elevate loyalty programme performance:
- Data Cloud to segment the market and reach the right members at the right time
- Journey Builder to implement and automate promotions
- Loyalty Management to integrate loyalty operations with Marketing Cloud and other external systems
The commercial case is clear: 95.3% of programme participants say membership makes them more likely to buy from a brand over a competitor. A platform like Salesforce turns that preference into a seamless omnichannel experience that sustains customer loyalty and satisfaction over time.
How Think Beyond Helps Businesses Build Loyalty Programmes That Last
Think Beyond partners with commercial leaders to design and implement loyalty programmes that survive past year two. Our services include:
- Loyalty programme strategy and roadmap design
- Salesforce Loyalty Management and Data Cloud implementation
- Integration with existing ePOS, CRM, and commerce systems
- Reporting and dashboard design for engagement and CLV tracking
- Data governance and consent management configuration
Ready to strengthen your loyalty programme's foundation? Book a Salesforce implementation review with Think Beyond and find out where your current setup is losing members.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do most loyalty programmes fail within two years?
Most loyalty programmes fail because the underlying technology can't support personalisation, real-time data, or omnichannel consistency — not because the reward concept is flawed.
What's the difference between a discount scheme and a real loyalty programme?
A discount scheme rewards transactions only. A real loyalty programme rewards non-transactional engagement too, such as reviews, referrals, and brand advocacy, which builds loyalty to the brand rather than the price.
How does Salesforce improve loyalty programme analytics?
Salesforce dashboards consolidate engagement, redemption, and CLV data in one place, giving leaders real-time visibility instead of relying on manual, siloed reports.
How does Salesforce protect member data in a loyalty programme?
Salesforce provides built-in security controls, consent management, and preference centres that let members control how their data is collected and used, which builds the transparency loyalty programmes depend on.
Do we need Salesforce Data Cloud specifically for a loyalty programme?
Data Cloud is not mandatory, but it significantly strengthens segmentation and personalisation by unifying data from multiple sources into a single, real-time customer profile.
Key Public Sources Referenced
- Global Loyalty Management Market Size, Share, Analysis, Growth, Trends & Forecasts 2023–2028
- Salesforce Loyalty Management Overview
- Loyalty Barometer Report: What Consumers Think of Loyalty & Reward Programmes, 2017, Helloworld
- Loyalty Marketing & Rewards Programmes – Global Market Report 2022, Forrester Consulting on behalf of Comarch
- Loyalty Program Statistics 2024 – Data & Reports, CouponBirds via LinkedIn
