Members who return in their first month are 2.7 times as likely to stay a year
Loyalty program statistics from 9,528 real cards: members who return in their first month are 2.7 times as likely to still visit a year later.
The first weeks after a customer joins your loyalty program tell you more than anything else about who becomes a regular. We followed 9,528 digital loyalty cards on Rewardly, first used between May and September 2025, and checked month by month for a full year whether each card came back to the counter. About seven in ten belong to coffee and matcha bars. These loyalty program statistics come from real visits, not from a survey.
Why it matters for your revenue: every repeat visit is a sale. Rewardly's clients see 30% more repeat visits and 2.5 times higher customer value on average, and café Ráno in Bratislava reports 32% more revenue six months after moving to Rewardly.
The short answer
- 54.3% of members who came back in their first full month were still visiting 10 to 12 months later. That is 2.7 times the rate of members who did not (20.1%).
- 41.0% of new members were back the very next month.
- One in five new members was still coming in a full year later.
Example in euros: with an average purchase of €5, a regular who visits twice a month brings about €120 a year. Members who come back in their first month are the most likely to become those regulars.
The first three months matter most
Share of new members who visited, by month after the first visit:
- Month 1: 41.0%
- Month 2: 35.4%
- Month 3: 31.2%
- Month 6: 24.8%
- Month 9: 22.9%
- Month 12: 20.5%
The curve tells a clear story: most of the change happens in the first quarter. After month 6 the curve flattens, moving only about four points, from 24.8% to 20.5%, by month 12. That early window is exactly where a loyalty program can do the most for you.
What the first month tells you
Many people who come back quickly were probably regulars already, so a fast return is partly a sign of who they are. Either way it is a clear signal you can act on: members who return in the first weeks are the most likely to become regulars, and members who have not been back after a few weeks are the ones worth a friendly nudge.
Cafés keep members longest
Coffee and matcha bars hold their members best: 43.7% were back the next month and a quarter (24.9%) were still visiting a year later. Coffee is a daily habit, which suits a card that is used every day. Businesses people visit less often, such as salons and services, follow a slower rhythm, so compare yourself with your own trade.
How Rewardly helps you keep them
- The card is always in their pocket. Customers add it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet in 10 seconds, so the reward stays in sight between visits.
- Make the second visit easy. Tell new members at signup how close the first reward is, and give staff one sentence to say about it.
- Bring quiet members back automatically. Rewardly can send a push notification on its own to members who have not visited for a while. For more ideas, read 7 best ways to reactivate customers.
- Watch your own first three months. Rewardly analytics shows new members and how often they return.
About the data
- Anonymised scans in the Rewardly scanner, May 2025 to September 2026. No business is named or identifiable.
- A visit is a card scanned on a given day. Some visits are never scanned, so the real figures are likely a little higher.
- Only businesses that scan cards in the Rewardly app are included, leaving out accounts with gaps in tracking, one business with a different scanning practice and probable staff test cards. The figures describe how members behave; they are not a before and after comparison.
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