Case Study

How The INKEY List’s loyalty program drives 25% of total revenue

A global skincare brand builds retention through its loyalty program “INKEY Insiders”. Loyalty membership is a must-have thanks to exclusive rewards and quizzes that help the brand get to know customers 25% of total revenue comes from loyalty Redeeming loyalty members spend 3.4x as much as non-members Top tier Icons spend 5.3x as much and order 4.1x as often as bottom tier

INKEY's journey from growth to retention

The INKEY List is a UK-based brand simplifying science-led skincare.

After fast global growth, they needed a loyalty solution to keep retention and personalization at the heart of their strategy, without overloading their lean team.

They turned to LoyaltyLion to meet these key needs:

• A loyalty platform that could scale globally

• Deep expertise in customer retention

• Tools to build loyalty in a competitive beauty market

• Actionable insights to better serve their customers

INKEY's journey from growth to retention

How INKEY Insiders works

INKEY Insiders was launched in 2022 across four global regions to reward brand engagement and personalize the customer journey.

Key features:

• Insider's Prices: Member-only discounts

• Double points on selected launches

• VIP tiers: Early access for Stars, exclusive invites and gifts for Icons

Engagement through data and User Generated Content

To support personalized marketing, The INKEY List used LoyaltyLion's custom activities to collect zero-party data while rewarding customers.

How it works:

• Customers earn points for completing skin, hair, and breakout quizzes — plus 50 bonus points and a free product for joining INKEY Insiders

• Quiz results trigger Klaviyo emails that nudge shoppers to return and redeem rewards

• Reviews also earn points, with extra rewards for photo submissions to boost UGC

This strategy builds stronger relationships and powers personalized marketing — all without feeling transactional.

Engagement through data and User Generated Content

Listening to our customers' skin and hair-care needs with quizzes has brought us a fabulous wealth of zero-party data. It's just one way our loyalty program has helped inform product development so we can better serve our customers.

Georgie Little, Head of Digital Strategy, The INKEY List

Insiders Week: a launchpad for loyalty

INKEY Insiders Week, one of the company's most successful loyalty initiatives, proves that exclusive rewards don't just delight your best customers — they fuel growth.

What happened:

• A week of Insider-only perks: double points on all purchases, random refunds, early access to new products, scratchcards in every order, and much more

• Better benefits for higher tier members: site-wide discounts plus a free product (size dependent on tier) with every order

• 41% of total revenue was attributed to the program, loyalty's highest-ever weekly contribution

• Loyal members spent 3x more than non-members

• Over double the number of program enrollments compared to a normal week

Connecting loyalty data across support, SMS, and email

Faster, friendlier support with loyalty

Integrating their loyalty program with customer support platform Gorgias allows The INKEY List's support agents to know if a customer seeking assistance is an INKEY Insider. This means they can credit points when solving a problem, helping to smooth out customer concerns and drive a repeat purchase, with the new points visible on the member's personalized loyalty page.

Smarter SMS with loyalty triggers

The INKEY List leverages loyalty data to elevate its SMS strategy with the LoyaltyLion and Attentive integration. Texts can be triggered by loyalty events, such as having enough points to redeem a specific discount, or segmented to share exclusive invitations for Insiders-only events. These strategic comms encourage Insider engagement with the program and power an increased repeat purchase rate.

Email that drives results

LoyaltyLion's elite integration with Klaviyo saw the INKEY Insiders program secure a 62% increase in campaign clicks in 2024, thanks to regular launches of Insider promotions. In addition to regular loyalty emails, such as personalized reminders of points balances and what tier they should aim for next, quiz results can be emailed to both members and non-members. A free cleanser offered alongside the personalized skincare routine — plus the 50 points received for doing the quiz — drive intrigued shoppers back to the site for a repeat purchase.

Insiders are at the heart of INKEY's growth

The INKEY List's loyalty program is a textbook example of how to surprise and delight customers — and it shows. Program activities now drive 25% of the brand's total revenue.

From smarter support to high-impact email and loyalty-driven UGC, The INKEY List shows how retention can power long-term revenue — and stronger customer relationships.

• Redeeming members spend 3.4x more than non-members

• Top-tier members spend 5.3x more than bottom-tier members

• They also order 4.1x more often