7+ Great Membership Program Examples to Copy

Successful Membership Program Examples

What is a Membership Program?

A membership program is designed to build strong, lasting relationships with customers by offering them exclusive benefits, rewards, or access in exchange for their membership.

The goal is to keep members engaged and encourage them to return, creating a sense of loyalty.

To manage this, a membership management system helps organizations handle everything from sign-ups and renewals to payments and communication. It simplifies the process and ensures things run smoothly, making it easier to stay connected with members.

These systems also allow organizations to personalize the experience, track member behavior, and run targeted campaigns based on insights into member trends.

Membership programs can be paid, where members pay a monthly fee for rewards and benefits, or based on earning points through spending.

Members can upgrade to higher tiers either by paying more or accumulating points, unlocking better rewards as they level up.

Many programs feature tiered structures, where the higher the tier, the more rewards members receive.

Some programs require a minimum spend to maintain or upgrade status, while others just require a fixed payment.

5+ Great Membership Program Examples to Copy

Pacific Coffee Hong Kong

Pacific Coffee - Membership Program Example

One of our clients, Pacific Coffee Hong Kong, asked us to create a well-designed membership program that includes a monthly coffee subscription.

The program offers two plans: the Standard Plan at HKD 800 per month and the Premium Plan at HKD 1200 per month.

Each plan includes 20 and 30 complimentary drinks, respectively, along with additional rewards, more points earned per dollar, and birthday surprises.

This paid membership model not only provides steady, predictable revenue for Pacific Coffee but also encourages members to develop regular coffee-buying habits.

Even if they cancel their membership, many are likely to continue returning with a similar purchasing frequency.

Pacific Coffee also offers a digital wallet that lets members reload credits to use for coffee and other food and beverages.

This feature encourages members to spend more often since they don’t directly associate the credits with actual monetary value.

Results

  • Increased the chain’s revenue by as much as 40%, through monthly subscriptions, vouchers, and credit reloads.
  • Gained 30% new members year-on-year, as a result of loyalty marketing and streamlined digital operations.
  • 100% improvement in recurring visits and purchase frequency, as a direct result of the membership program.

All Accor Loyalty Membership Program

All Accor Membership Program Tiers and Benefits

Accor Group is a French, publicly-listed hospitality company that owns and operates a global network of hotels and resorts, including renowned brands like Sofitel, Raffles, Pullman, Swissotel, and Mercure.

They offer a membership program with five levels: Classic, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond, each offering escalating rewards.

The goal of this program is simple—encourage loyalty to Accor and keep customers coming back, rather than choosing competitors like Hilton or Marriott.

While Classic and Silver members receive modest perks like welcome drinks and late checkouts, Gold members see only a slight increase in benefits.

The real value comes with Platinum and Diamond memberships, which include sought-after rewards like lounge access, dining and spa benefits, and free breakfast.

These valuable rewards motivate members to upgrade and maintain their status, ensuring that Accor retains its most loyal customers while maintaining a strong return on investment.

The program also includes a downgrading system—if members don’t meet the annual spending threshold, they risk losing their status, creating an incentive to spend more before the year ends.

Results

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is a paid membership program offered by the online retail giant, Amazon.

One of its standout features is the well-known one-day delivery service, which is mainly available in larger cities with many nearby warehouses. In the U.S., a membership costs $139 per year.

The subscription encourages customers to buy more from Amazon due to a psychological phenomenon called the “sunk cost fallacy.”

This means that once people have paid for something, they feel the need to get the most value out of it, often leading them to make more purchases.

Not to mention, Amazon Prime members also get access to Prime Video, Amazon’s answer to Netflix – which also constitutes a perk that contributes to a growing member base.

As a result, Amazon benefits from increased sales, in addition to the membership fee.

Results

Apta

Apta - Membership App Example

Aptamil, a well-known baby formula brand, wanted to create a better way to connect with its customers across both online and offline channels.

Their goal was to build a member portal that integrates all their data and provides a smooth, personalized experience for members.

Aptamil’s new portal collects important details about parents, like pregnancy status and baby’s age, allowing them to send tailored advice and product suggestions.

For example, as the baby grows, parents get reminders about when to switch to different products.

The Apta Club Member Wallet makes it easy for members to shop online or in-store, with vouchers for discounts on relevant products. The centralized system keeps members’ information up-to-date across all platforms.

Aptamil also offers exclusive classes and fun activities like quizzes, rewarding members with perks like milk powder samples.

This approach helps build a stronger connection with customers, making them feel more supported and engaged.

Although not your traditional membership program with tiers and everything, it’s still a good avenue to increase customer lifetime value and retention!

Results

  • Smoother Customer Journey & Engagement
  • Increase in Revenue Through Membership Upselling & E-Shop Integration

Costco

Costco runs a membership-based business model where customers pay an annual fee to access bulk products at discounted prices.

With over 76.2 million paying members worldwide, membership fees are a huge part of Costco’s revenue, making up almost $5 billion in 2024, even though they account for only a small portion of total sales.

This model benefits both Costco and its customers. For Costco, it creates a steady income stream and keeps customers coming back, leading to bigger purchases.

For customers, the membership offers access to high-quality products at great prices, encouraging them to shop more often to get the most out of their membership.

One of Costco’s well-known tactics is its “loss leader” strategy, like the $1.50 hotdog and soda combo.

Even though they sell it at a low price, it helps draw customers in, increasing foot traffic and encouraging them to buy other items while they’re there.

Results

  • Almost $5 billion in yearly revenue (2024).
  • 76.2 million + paying members globally.

What Do These Membership Program Examples Have in Common?

These membership programs focus on building customer loyalty and repeat business through personalization.

For example, Aptamil gathers detailed data on parents and babies, sending tailored product recommendations and advice to strengthen customer bonds and increase repeat purchases.

Pacific Coffee uses its subscription model to encourage habitual buying, with a digital wallet that encourages members to preload credits, making spending feel seamless and routine.

Amazon Prime and Costco leverage psychological triggers like the “sunk cost fallacy,” where customers feel compelled to maximize their membership’s value, driving more frequent purchases. Costco’s bulk-buying model reinforces this effect.

Data integration is also key. Programs like Accor’s loyalty system track customer behavior across various touchpoints, ensuring a consistent experience that strengthens brand relationships.

As long as you focus on these 4 things, which are personalization, customer experience, data analytics, and attractive rewards – it’s honestly hard to go wrong.

Looking for a Membership Program Solution?

Struggling with your membership program, or just want to emulate the success of these examples?

Reach out to us for a free, personalized consultation, and let’s get things on track. Just click the button below to send us a message—no strings attached!

5+ Proven Membership Retention Ideas & Strategies to Know

Membership Retention Ideas and Strategies

Keeping your members engaged and loyal is crucial for any organization, whether it’s a business, non-profit, or community group.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just about rewarding—it’s about building meaningful connections and making your members feel valued. 

In this article, we’ll go into some practical membership retention ideas to help you retain your members, from personalized outreach and content to creating a supportive community.

These tips can help you keep your members around and ensure they stay committed to your cause or brand!

What is Membership Retention & How to Calculate It

Membership retention refers to the strategies that businesses or organizations use to reduce the number of members who leave, whether they are paying or non-paying.

It applies to a wide range of situations, from keeping a newsletter subscriber list engaged, to retaining gym members, to maintaining retail memberships (like Costco or Sam’s Club), and even in organizations like churches, non-profits, or charities.

Even community projects can have members and work on keeping members engaged.

For example, we’ve had clients who are car enthusiasts pooling their money to create an app for planning meetups, making payments, and booking appointments.

This helped them retain members and build a stronger, more connected community by streamlining their processes and operations!

To calculate the membership retention rate, you can use the following formula:

Customer Retention Rate = [(Customers at the End − New Customers Added) / Customers at the Start] x 100

To calculate the percentage of original customers who stayed, subtract the number of new customers added from the total number of customers at the end.

Then, divide that result by the number of customers at the start. Finally, multiply by 100 to convert it into a percentage.

Here’s an example:

Customers at the Start: 1,000
Customers at the End: 1,100
New Customers Added: 300

Customer Retention Rate = [(1,100 – 300) / 1,000] x 100 = 80%

Alternative Membership Retention Calculation Method

We understand that some businesses may not be able to track new customers, especially if they don’t have a proper system for recruiting members. In such cases, we recommend using a simple formula to calculate your customer retention rate.

Simplified Customer Retention Rate = (Customers at the End / Customers at the Start) x 100

Example:

  • Customers at the Start: 1,000
  • Customers at the End: 1,100

Simplified Customer Retention Rate = (1,100 / 1,000) x 100 = 110%

If the result is more than 100%, it means your customer base has grown, though this doesn’t show how many customers are new versus retained.

If the result is less than 100%, it indicates you’re losing customers and your customer base is shrinking.

Why is Membership Retention Important?

Membership retention is vital, especially for businesses that rely on recurring revenue, such as beauty salons, restaurants, or even your most popular apps like Spotify or Netflix, not to mention, of course, gyms.

Keeping members subscribed provides predictable revenue, cash flow, and better forecasting.

Members tend to be some of the most loyal customers, engaging with the business the most—whether that’s by redeeming rewards, using perks, attending events, or participating in other activities.

These loyal members often generate additional revenue beyond just their membership fees, through things like extra services, cross-promotions, or referrals.

Plus, it’s much cheaper to retain existing members than to constantly attract new ones—about 500% cheaper.

How To Retain Your Members Through These Membership Retention Ideas

Be Proactive in Engaging Your Members

To retain your members, one of the first steps is to actively engage with them.

Many businesses assume that offering great rewards is enough to keep people around, but that’s not always the case.

With so many brands competing for attention, if yours loses its relevance, it could quickly become forgotten.

So, relying on rewards alone won’t guarantee member retention.

What can you do instead? Start by engaging with your members through email, SMS, or messaging platforms like WhatsApp.

Connect with them through surveys, share freebies or special offers, and keep them updated on what’s going on.

Social media can also be a great tool—create group chats where your brand and members can interact.

Customer-to-customer engagement is often the most genuine and can help build a stronger, more connected community.

Relevant Content is Everything

Building on the previous point, content creation plays a crucial role—especially when it’s personalized.

In addition to your usual content marketing efforts, like blog posts or social media updates, it’s important to create content tailored specifically for your members.

This could include personalized newsletters or microblogs that are exclusive to them.

If you’re not sure where to start, begin by gathering data on your members—things like their purchase history, browsing habits, and preferences.

From there, you can segment your audience and craft content that speaks directly to those groups.

For example, if you run a hotel and know which locations your members frequent, you could create a list of the best coffee spots near “Hotel A” for their next visit.

The more relevant and personalized the content, the more likely your members will stay engaged and renew—and the better the return on investment for your membership program.

Data-Driven Retention: Predicting and Preventing Churn

The previous strategies focus on engaging customers after they’ve taken action, but data-driven retention helps you predict and address potential churn before it happens.

It’s important to act before a member decides to leave. For example, if a member hasn’t engaged with your app or website for 3 to 6 months, their chances of not renewing are significantly higher—even if they’ve paid for a yearly membership.

By using your data, you can identify these inactive members and reach out to them early.

Send personalized content to reignite their interest—offer special rewards or exclusive vouchers that are easy for them to use and encourage them to engage with your brand again.

Being proactive and relevant can go a long way in keeping your members loyal.

Introduce a Decay System to Your Membership Program

Creating a sense of exclusivity within your membership program encourages members to maintain their status in order to enjoy exclusive benefits.

If you have a tiered, upgrade-based system (non-paid), consider introducing levels with clear requirements, such as minimum spending, activity days, or the number of referrals.

Members who don’t meet these criteria can be downgraded within a specific timeframe.

However, make sure to be reasonable with your limits—don’t immediately downgrade a gold member to bronze.

Provide a clear path for members to easily move up again if they fall behind.

This creates a balance between motivating them to stay active and offering a chance for redemption.

For paid subscriptions, this kind of system may not be as relevant. Instead, you can offer an auto-renewal model to make the renewal process seamless.

You can consider offering personalized incentives to encourage members to opt for auto-renewal, making it a no-brainer for them to stay with you. The goal is to make the experience as smooth and easy as possible.

Give Members Benefits & the Royal Treatment

Show your members that you truly appreciate their support by making them feel like VIPs.

The way you welcome them, thank them, and make them feel valued goes a long way in building loyalty.

It doesn’t have to be extravagant—small gestures like a personalized welcome, a drink upon arrival, a handwritten note from the manager, or even a piece of chocolate can make a big impact.

Luxury brands like Chanel, Hermes, and Dior understand this well. They offer champagne and chocolates in their VIP rooms because they know this exclusive treatment keeps customers coming back for more.

Hotels often do the same thing to make guests feel special.

If these examples aren’t relevant to your industry, something as simple as addressing customers by their names can have a significant effect.

Sources show that using a customer’s name makes them feel more connected and valued.

This kind of personalized attention also ties into your PR and branding efforts, creating a positive reputation that spreads through word of mouth.

As your satisfied members share their experiences, you’ll naturally attract more members, especially if you have a strong referral system in place.

Every customer touch point matters, and sets the stage for the next interaction.

Care About Your Members & Build a Community

To truly keep your members loyal, it’s essential to listen to them and take their feedback seriously.

Regularly ask for input through surveys, reviews, and polls—engagement is the key. When members see that their opinions are valued and acted upon, it strengthens their connection to your brand.

Customer service is a big part of this. When complaints come up, address them quickly and thoughtfully.

Members need to feel that their feedback is not just heard but also appreciated and resolved.

Beyond just handling feedback, get involved in the community your members are part of.

Observe how they communicate and share with each other. You can join or create communities on platforms like Facebook groups, Discord, Telegram, livestreams, or brand forums. These spaces help foster a sense of belonging and engagement.

Building an active, supportive community is one of the best ways to keep members engaged and encourage them to renew.

For example, hotel loyalty programs like Accor and Hilton have vibrant Facebook groups—either managed by the brand or the community—where members can share information, find deals, organize meetups, and feel more connected and valued.

Can These Strategies Be Used for Non-Profits & Organizations?

Yes, these strategies can be applied to non-profits and organizations. While some examples focus on businesses, the core ideas of engagement, personalized content, data-driven retention, and building a community are highly adaptable for non-profits.

For example, non-profits can proactively engage their supporters through emails, surveys, and social media, keeping them updated and involved.

Personalized content, on the other hand, like targeted newsletters, can help keep donors and volunteers informed about the organization’s impact.

Using data, non-profits can identify inactive members (like lapsed donors) and reach out to re-engage them.

Recognition is also key—offering exclusive benefits or simply showing appreciation, such as personalized thank-yous, can encourage continued involvement.

These strategies also help non-profits maintain long-term relationships with supporters and encourage ongoing participation!

Need More Help With Membership Retention?

If you need more help with retention for your membership program, feel free to contact us via the button below for a free consultation – no strings attached!