Summer’s the season when new faces flood your business—people eager for cold drinks, tasty treats, and fun experiences. But what if you could turn those summer visitors into loyal customers who keep coming back all year long?
That’s exactly what smart summer loyalty campaigns do. By offering timely rewards, challenges, and perks, you can make sure your customers don’t just visit once—they make your business a regular part of their routine.
Let’s take a look at some of my personal favourite summer campaigns and some easy tips to make them work for your loyalty program.
5 of the Hottest Summer Loyalty Program Campaigns
1. McDonald’s Summer Drink Days
Cool drinks, hotter sales. A chilled beverage is one of the easiest ways to pull customers in during the summer heat—and once they’re in, they’re more likely to stay for a full order.
McDonald’s nails this with their Summer Drink Days campaign. Loyalty members can grab any size iced coffee, fountain drink, or iced tea for just $1, along with $1 ice cream cones—but only if they’re part of the app. Non-members? They pay more for larger sizes, making the value of signing up obvious.
It’s a simple but smart move: customers show up for the deal, and while they’re there, they’re tempted to add fries, a burger, or a sweet summer treat. It keeps McDonald’s top of mind and builds a repeat habit all summer long.
Here are some tips to make a summer drinks promo work for your business:
- Offer exclusive members pricing: Offer exclusive pricing on select summer drinks or treats to members only—just like McDonald’s does. (eg. “Loyalty member exclusive: Get any cold drink for $2”)
- Upsell with bundles: Create a summer snack combo that starts with a drink but encourages add-ons. (eg. “Get any iced drink + cookie for just $4.”)
- Make it consistent: Run it all summer long so customers make it part of their daily routine—and make it their go-to spot for a summer refresh.
- Use signage + social proof: Promote it in-store, on social media, and through your email list to build awareness and FOMO.
Why it works:
A promotion like this plays off of exclusive pricing for loyalty members. The immediate savings encourages sign up on the spot.
2. Sephora’s Points Multiplier Day
There’s something about earning points that just feels like free money (author’s note: I cannot resist a double points day).
Double points (or double rewards) promotions tap into that irresistible feeling, giving customers an extra reason to visit, spend a little more, and keep coming back.
Sephora’s Beauty Insider program runs special 2x, 3x, or 4x points events where members can rack up extra points on their purchases. The points multiplier often depends on their tier (Insider, VIB, or Rouge), making top-tier members feel extra valued while encouraging others to level up. These events are promoted via app notifications, email, and social media—driving visits and higher basket sizes as shoppers jump at the chance to boost their points faster.
Here’s how you can make double points work for your business:
- Pick your slow times: Offer double points during quieter hours or days to fill gaps in traffic (e.g., mid-afternoons or Mondays).
- Promote it early: Use email, social, and signage so customers know when to plan their visit.
- Tie it to seasonal items: Give double points on summer specials to boost trial of your new drinks, dishes, or products (we call this sku-based loyalty).
- Encourage bigger baskets: Track your average order volume (let’s say $22) and design your promotion to gently upsell—like offering double points on orders over $25. It’s a simple way to boost revenue while giving customers an extra reason to treat themselves.
Why it works:
People love getting more for what they were already planning to buy—and knowing they can earn double points nudges them to make that extra trip, buy that extra drink, or visit during slower times of day. It’s a simple way to keep your business top of mind and boost frequency throughout the summer.
3. PC Summer Insiders Report’s Scratch to Win
Gamifying your loyalty program is a great way to turn your summer specials into interactive experiences customers want to play—and win.
PC Optimum’s Scratch to Win campaign from the PC Summer Insiders Report nails this approach. Customers “scratch” three cards in the app, and if they match, they win a prize—usually a discount on a summer-related item, like 40% off PC brand BBQ sauce.
It’s a win-win: customers get the thrill of winning something, while retailers boost sales of seasonal products they want to highlight—whether that’s BBQ essentials, ice cream, camping gear, or other summer must-haves.
Here are a few interactive game ideas to power your seasonal loyalty specials:
- Scratch to win offers: Create a digital or in-store scratch card where customers can reveal a special summer discount or prize (eg. “Match 3 for 40% off select BBQ sauces.”).
- Spin-the-wheel deals: Add a fun game element to checkout, online or in-person, where customers spin for a summer perk (eg. “Sign up for our loyalty program and spin the wheel for the chance to win a free dessert!”).
- Seasonal quiz or trivia: Engage customers with a fun summer-themed quiz or trivia game, rewarding participants with loyalty points or discounts (eg. “Take our Summer Trivia Quiz and earn 50 bonus points!”).
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- Pick-a-card games: Customers choose from a set of digital or physical cards to reveal a prize or discount (eg. “Pick a card and win up to 50% off summer snacks!”).
The key to using this campaign is to offer bonus points or exclusive discounts on summer items that your customers are likely going to love or that you want to promote.
Why it works:
Gamification isn’t just fun—it delivers real results. Brands that use gamification have seen a 47% rise in engagement, 22% boost in customer loyalty, and 15% lift in brand awareness.
4. Starbuck’s Summer Game
Just like interactive games, loyalty challenges give customers that extra motivation to visit again and again—but instead of winning instant prizes, they’re working toward a bigger reward over time.
Starbucks shows how powerful a seasonal challenge can be with its Summer Game. Through their app, Starbucks Rewards members can complete tasks like making a purchase or trying a featured item to unlock chances to win prizes—from bonus stars to free drinks to sweepstakes entries for bigger rewards. With up to two plays per day, it encourages repeat visits and keeps customers engaged all season long.
Here are a few tips to implement summer challenges into your loyalty program:
- Visit streaks: Encourage customers to visit multiple times during the season to earn a reward (eg.“Visit 5 times before Labour Day and get a free meal.”).
- Try it all challenge: Get customers sampling your seasonal specials by rewarding variety (eg: “Try 3 different summer drinks and earn 100 bonus points.”).
- Social sharing challenge: Reward loyalty points to customers who share their summer experience with your brand on social media. (Pro-tip: With DataCandy’s social rewards, you can make this easy by tracking shares and automating bonus points—turning every post into a win for your customer and your brand)
- Track progress in-app: Make it easy for customers to see how close they are to the reward (and nudge them to complete the challenge).
Why it works:
Time-limited loyalty challenges give people a reason to visit more often, try new items, and stay connected to your brand. When customers feel like they’re working toward something, they’re more likely to return and engage.
5. Uber’s Summer Referral Boost
Summer is better with friends—and your loyalty program can help bring them along. A referral bonus that rewards both your customer and their friend turns casual visitors into enthusiastic advocates.
Uber Toronto ran a special referral promo that doubled the usual sign-up offer—just for the season. Instead of the standard $10, both the referrer and the new rider received $20 in Uber credit when the friend completed their first ride. By timing it during sunny months when people were out enjoying patios, concerts, and festivals, Uber made it extra appealing to bring friends along—and boosted their summer rider base.
Referral promotion ideas to try this summer:
- Double points for referrals: Give both the referrer and their friend double points on their next purchase.
- $5 off next order: Reward both parties with a discount to use on their next visit.
- Free summer treat: Offer a free iced drink, smoothie, or snack for both when the friend makes their first purchase.
Summer is prime time for sharing recommendations—whether it’s your go-to patio or your favorite cold drink spot. After all, 89% of people trust recommendations from friends and family more than any other form of advertising.
Pro-tip: With DataCandy’s built-in refer-a-friend feature, you can easily set up referral offers that reward both the customer and their friend automatically—whether that’s bonus points, discounts, or free treats. It’s simple to launch, track, and promote, so you can turn summer visits into long-term loyalty.
How to Bring The Heat to Your Summer Loyalty Campaign All Year
Launching a summer loyalty campaign is just the start—here’s how to make sure it delivers results all year:
- Promote it properly: Make sure customers actually know about your offers! Use signage, social media, email, and your website to spread the word loud and clear.
- Measure what’s working: Track redemptions, visits, and sales so you can see which offers are driving real engagement.
- Adjust to meet customer needs: Use the data you collect to tweak your offers, timing, or rewards. That way, you can make sure your loyalty strategy keeps delivering value even as seasons change.
With a bit of ongoing attention and adaptation, your summer loyalty campaign can become a year-round engine for repeat business and customer happiness.
P.S. If you want more ideas on how to collect and use customer data to grow your loyalty program, check out our blog on turning tourist season into data season for practical tips.
Final Thoughts: Make Summer Loyalty Last
Summer loyalty campaigns aren’t just about seasonal spikes—they’re your chance to build lasting relationships that keep customers coming back all year.
By combining fun incentives, smart data tracking, and meaningful rewards, you can turn casual summer visitors into loyal advocates. Start planning your campaign today, and watch your business thrive even when cold weather starts to kick in.
Use DataCandy to launch your summer loyalty campaign and keep them coming back every season.
