Loyalty is still alive in retail, but the rules have changed. Today’s home improvement shoppers are more channel-savvy and intent-driven than ever before, creating new opportunities for retailers to deepen relationships beyond traditional rewards programs.
Customers now expect relevance at every touchpoint. Discounts alone don’t cut it. Loyalty is built when brands show they understand who the customer is, what they need and when to offer it.
The checkout moment: Loyalty’s most overlooked opportunity
Too often, loyalty prompts at checkout fall flat as they are generic, repetitive and easy to ignore. Customers aren’t just looking for another program to join; they want to see immediate, personal value.
With real-time identity tools and first-party data, retailers can transform these moments into powerful touchpoints, delivering loyalty messaging that’s tailored to the customer in front of them. For a busy parent, that might be priority shipping. For a price-conscious shopper, exclusive discounts. For a Pro, faster reorders or purchase history benefits.
When made relevant in this way, checkout becomes a loyalty accelerator, not just a conversion point. These experiences feel intuitive, not interruptive, and build both short-term engagement and long-term preference. This approach is especially critical for high-value audiences like trade professionals who, as repeat customers, expect relevance and efficiency with every interaction.
Unlocking high-intent app downloads
In most retail environments, mobile app users represent the most engaged, highest-spending segment, but they don’t get there by accident. Getting a customer to download and adopt your app is a major loyalty milestone, often tied to increased frequency, higher average order volume (AOV) and deeper brand connection.
App adoption starts well before someone visits the App Store. It’s shaped during high-intent moments like checkout, when customers are already engaged. That’s the ideal time to introduce app benefits such as order tracking, tailored offers, faster reordering or exclusive pricing.
And it pays off:
- According to Think with Google, retailer app users spend 37% more, purchase 34% more items and buy 33% more frequently than non-app users.
- Venn Apps reports that AOV is 15% higher on apps than on mobile websites, and app conversion rates are up to 157% higher.
- Cart abandonment drops to just 20% on apps, compared to 85% on mobile web.
Activating app prompts within the transaction flow not only drives installs, but it also creates stickier experiences that extend customer lifetime value and strengthen brand preference over time.
LTV isn’t a metric. It’s a strategy.
Customer lifetime value is built across many moments. But most ecommerce journeys treat checkout as the end. Rokt treats it as the beginning.
By using real-time data to make each Transaction Moment more relevant, whether through app onboarding, upsells or loyalty nudges, Rokt helps home improvement retailers deepen relationships and grow value over time. In fact, Rokt already powers the Transaction Moment for some of the most recognized names in home improvement, turning overlooked moments into long-term drivers of customer LTV.
Customers buy more, return more often and engage more deeply without increasing acquisition cost. In a category where margins are tight and competition is relentless, shifting from transactional thinking to long-term value creation becomes a true competitive edge.
Loyalty that lasts starts with relevance
Points may bring people back, but lasting loyalty comes from feeling understood. As retailers rethink their ecosystems, the shift is clear: transactional perks are being replaced by timely, data-informed relevance.
When brands deliver the right message at the right moment, such as an app download, exclusive benefit or curated offer, they create stronger connections that drive long-term value. In high-consideration categories like home improvement, that nuance becomes a competitive edge.
In a competitive, high-consideration category like home improvement, that difference is everything.
