Loyalty Emails That Sell: 3 Must-Have Campaigns for Garden Centres

You’ve built a loyalty programme, your customers are signing up… but how do you keep them coming back?

At Spring Marketing, we’ve been helping garden centres grow customer loyalty since 2005 - and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s this: email is still your most powerful tool. With average open rates of over 58% across our client base, it consistently outperforms other channels for both engagement and ROI.

But not all emails are created equal. The key to long-term success lies in what you send, when you send it, and how it fits into the wider customer journey. Here are three essential loyalty-focused email campaigns every garden centre should have in their toolkit.

🌱 1. The Welcome Series

Why it matters: Your customers are most engaged right after they join your loyalty scheme. A welcome email (or series) sets expectations and introduces all the ways they’ll benefit.

What to include:

• A thank-you for joining and a reminder of their benefits

• App download links or how to scan at the till

• A simple “next step” call-to-action - like earning their first reward

From our experience: The highest-performing welcome emails have a clear value proposition and mobile-friendly design. Over 50% of our client email opens happen on mobile, so fast load times and clear CTAs are non-negotiable.

🎂 2. The Birthday Treat

Why it matters: Birthday emails are more than just a nice gesture - they’re a strategic touchpoint that builds loyalty, boosts footfall, and encourages spend. Plus, they give you valuable customer data like birth month and age range for future segmentation.

What to include:

• A warm, celebratory message

• A clear reward (e.g. free cake or £5 voucher)

• Strong call-to-action (“Celebrate with us in store”)

• Short expiry window to create urgency

Real results: In a recent client campaign, over 30% of customers redeemed their birthday offer. Even better, 70.4% of those redeemers made an additional purchase on the same visit. That’s proof that a well-timed loyalty email doesn’t just delight, it drives sales.

🔁 3. The Re-engagement Nudge

Why it matters: Everyone needs a little nudge to revisit their favourite garden centre if they haven’t been for a while! A smart re-engagement campaign brings lapsed customers back without spamming the loyal ones.

What to include:

• A “We miss you!” message – even better with an incentive to return

• A reminder of everything wonderful at your garden centre, including the benefits of your loyalty scheme

• A visible CTA - whether that’s to check their points balance or visit in-store

Tip from our team: One of the biggest missed opportunities we see is treating everyone the same. Segmenting based on scan behaviour, last visit, or purchase history can massively improve click-through rates and relevance.

Final Thoughts

Promoting your loyalty programme through email doesn’t mean sending more - it means sending smarter. By using targeted, thoughtfully timed campaigns, you can drive higher engagement, increase average transaction values, and boost repeat visits.

Need help setting up or improving your loyalty emails? We’ve been doing it for 20 years - and we’ve got the benchmarks to prove what works.