Liquor Store Loyalty Programs: 7 Benefits, Tips, and Tools

What’s the number-one factor in your liquor store’s success? A steady flow of customers coming through the door. 

Fortunately, launching a loyalty program makes it easy to generate repeat business and keep sales high. 

In this quick guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about liquor store loyalty programs — including the key benefits, the basics of implementing your program, and four expert tips to maximize its impact. 

Why Should You Start a Liquor Store Loyalty Program? 

As a liquor store owner, your to-do list is already long — so why should you add starting a loyalty program? 

The answer is that loyalty programs work. Let’s look at seven reasons to reward customers for shopping with you: 

• Decrease marketing costs: A loyalty program helps you retain customers — which is more affordable than running expensive marketing campaigns to bring new shoppers into your store. 
• Increase repeat business: Loyalty programs give customers a reason to rely on your store for all their liquor needs. The more they shop with you, the faster they earn rewards. 
• Boost basket sizes: Loyalty programs encourage shoppers to spend more during each visit to your liquor store in the hopes of accumulating more points and unlocking exciting rewards. 
• Increase customer satisfaction: Rewarding customers for choosing your store makes them feel special and appreciated, strengthening their connection to your small business. 
• Personalize the customer experience: Loyalty programs let you create accounts for your most valuable customers. When they drop by, you can refer to their notes and purchase history to provide top-shelf service and make tailored recommendations. 
• Gather valuable data: You can review your loyalty program data to learn more about your most important customers, adjusting your store’s product selection, hours, and marketing approach to align with their preferences and shopping habits. 
• Stay in touch: Loyalty programs make it easy to collect and store your customers’ contact information, allowing you to use SMS and email marketing to keep them informed about your latest deals. 

You don’t have to take our word for it: Recent retail industry reports reveal that 85% of customers prefer to shop at stores that offer loyalty programs. Another 73% of customers say they’ll spend more to unlock program rewards. 

In short, loyalty programs are a cost-effective way to turn one-time shoppers into repeat customers and maximize the amount of money they spend in your store. 

Implementing a Loyalty Program

We’ve covered the why behind liquor store loyalty programs — now let’s dive into the how. 

Step one is to make sure your point of sale (POS) system includes built-in customer loyalty program options. While you can use standalone software to manage your program, relying on your POS system makes it effortless. Here’s how: 

• Enrolling customers: Rely on a single system to handle the checkout process and enroll new customers into your loyalty program. 
• Tracking purchase histories: Ensure every purchase is accurately reflected on your customers’ loyalty program account. 
• Applying discounts: Allow cashiers to easily check customers’ rewards balance and redeem perks at the checkout counter. 
• Sending marketing messages: Log members’ contact information and use your system’s marketing features to send updates about your latest deals. 

A liquor store POS system with built-in loyalty options should make things easier for your cashiers and your customers, ensuring that they can earn rewards and unlock discounts hassle-free. 

Related Read: The Best Liquor Store POS Systems in 2025: 7 Top Features & Providers

4 Top Tips for Liquor Store Loyalty Program Success

Investing in the right tools and setting up a basic loyalty program is only the first step; you need to tailor your program to your goals and customers’ unique wants and needs. 

Let’s dig into our advice for making the most of your liquor store’s loyalty program. 

1. Create an Attractive Rewards Structure

Want customers to sign up for your liquor store’s loyalty program? Offer perks and discounts they can’t turn down. 

Here are a few examples of loyalty program benefits to inspire you: 

• Point-based rewards: Customers earn points for every dollar they spend and can redeem them for discounts or freebies. For example, they might earn a 20% off coupon for every 100 points they collect. 
• Tiered rewards: Customers can unlock new levels of your loyalty program and increasingly valuable rewards by visiting more often and spending more. For instance, they might start earning double rewards once they’ve earned over 1,000 points. 
• Member-only promotions: Customers must be part of your loyalty program to take advantage of your regular in-store promotions. For example, you might offer a flash sale exclusively to your loyalty program members. 

Your program should be enticing enough to encourage customers to sign up and spend more, but also simple enough that your cashiers can explain the perks quickly and clearly at the checkout counter. 

2. Train Your Cashiers To Promote Your Program

A successful liquor store loyalty program requires your team members to buy in. 

Before launching your program, schedule a training session for all your employees to cover everything they need to know about it, including: 

• The structure, benefits, and why customers should sign up
• How to pitch your loyalty program during the checkout process 
• How to use your POS system to enroll new customers
• How to check members’ reward balance and redeem their points

After your program has been in place for a while, ask your cashiers to note common questions they get about it and ensure they have the right answers to share with customers. 

3. Stay in Touch With Your Loyalty Program’s Members

Customers often forget about your loyalty program until they’re physically in your store, which is why we recommend regularly reaching out. 

Use your POS system’s built-in marketing tools to send email newsletters or SMS messages to your loyalty program members, encouraging them to stop by your store and earn rewards. 

You can also let them know about upcoming promotions or new inventory, like seasonal beers or trending beverages. 

4. Learn From Your Loyalty Program Data

Your loyalty program members are your liquor store’s most important customers. They visit frequently and spend more per visit than your one-time, casual shoppers. 

That’s why we recommend digging into your loyalty program’s data and learning as much as possible about these loyal customers. Your POS system should help you identify their favorite spirits, when they typically stop by, and how much they usually spend during each shopping trip. 

You can use these insights to tailor your liquor store’s offerings and operations to meet your most valuable customers’ needs. 

For example, if your loyalty program members often purchase flavored liqueurs and mixers, you can expand your selection of cocktail must-haves or even launch a “cocktail of the month” program to highlight new recipes and bottles. 

Start Your Liquor Store Loyalty Program With Bottle POS

Ready to see how a liquor store loyalty program can help you turn one-time shoppers into regulars, build lasting relationships, and boost your bottom line? We can help. 

Bottle POS is an all-in-one liquor store POS system that includes a powerful built-in loyalty program. With our software, you can customize your rewards structure, simplify the sign-up process, and easily redeem rewards and apply discounts at the checkout counter. 

Plus, Bottle POS’ integrated marketing features and in-depth reporting tools can help you learn more about and stay connected with your most valuable customers. 

Schedule your live, personalized demo to see how Bottle POS makes launching a loyalty program and running your liquor store effortless.