Newsweek and Statista have released their list of America's Best Loyalty Programs 2025, and 20 convenience retailers made the list. “Loyalty programs have become a cornerstone of the modern shopping experience, offering perks and rewards designed to keep customers returning for more. From exclusive discounts to free products, these programs not only provide value to consumers, they also play a vital role in driving customer retention and brand loyalty,” Newsweek said.
Industry experts predict the global loyalty market will grow from $13 billion in 2024 to $41 billion in 2032, according to the report.
The report surveyed thousands of loyalty program members to find which offerings consistently deliver the most rewarding experiences and evaluated hundreds of programs across 39 categories for customer satisfaction, perceived value, customer support, trust, the likelihood of a member recommending a program to friends and family and overall benefits.
Retailers who made the list are:
Loyalty programs can build connection with consumers, increase purchase instances and provide customer insights for retailers.
A report from guest engagement platform Paytronix revealed that operators in the 75th percentile of loyalty transaction share achieve 30% of their transactions from loyalty program members, while brands in the 90th percentile see loyalty penetration reaching 37% and beyond. The report measured key metrics such as retention, the effectiveness of personalization, email campaigns and more across QSRs, restaurants and c-stores.
“The first step toward a more effective loyalty strategy is to evaluate your current program's performance by assessing key metrics like penetration, growth rate, discount levels and whether members' behaviors align with your corporate goals,” said Jeff Hindman, Paytronix CEO.