In the home improvement and building products space, your installers are more than just boots on the ground. They're brand ambassadors, customer touchpoints, and often the deciding factor in whether your products are bought or recommended again. That’s why building loyalty among this critical group isn’t just nice to have. When done right, it’s a bona fide competitive advantage. 

Launching a loyalty program for this group from the ground up might seem like a heavy lift. But it can also transform the way your brand engages with your down-channel partners, ultimately driving long-term revenue growth.  

But how to begin?   

If you’re looking to build a program that delivers value to both your business and your installer community, we have a few key steps that you need to take to help get your program off the ground. 

Step 1: Define Your Program Goals and KPIs 

Before diving into program design, take a step back and ask: What does success for my program look like? 

Do you want to increase repeat purchases, improve program retention, or grow revenue in specific regions? Or maybe you’re looking to push more volume toward a new product line, or deepen relationships with top-tier contractors. 

Whatever your goals, a solid installer loyalty program should be tied to clear, measurable KPIs that easy for you to track, and simple for participants to understand. For example: 

• Program enrollment rates
• Active participation rates, such as trainings completed or invoices submitted
• Installer retention over a specified (6–12 months) time period
• Reward redemption rates
• Frequency of purchase or install
• Average order value
• Revenue per participant
• Product mix
• Program referrals 

Select the KPIs that make sense for your business, and don’t try to do too much. If you can define the 3-4 key metrics upfront, your business, your channel partners, and your participants will all be aligned and rowing in the same direction. 

Step 2: Choose the Right Incentives and Rewards 

Understanding how to measure programs success is a great first step. But if you’re going to incentivize participants and generate long-term loyalty, you need to also understand what motivates them. After all, you can’t have a good incentive program without good incentives—and that means leveraging the right rewards. 

For starters, it’s important to understand who your audience is. What motivates installers won’t be the same as what motivates designers or sales teams. For example, rebates and discounts can be effective with the right audience. Gift cards can also be nice-to-haves. But will these types of rewards really separate you from your competitors? Will they help you gain mindshare (and market share)?  

Instead, we’d suggest getting a bit more creative. Again, this means considering the general persona of your audience. In our eBook, we highlight a few key rewards for various program audiences: 

• For Owners and Heads of Sales:
• Volume-based rewards like cashback
• Strategic business planning support from the manufacturer
• For Marketing Teams
• Educational tools like webinars and training materials
• For Designers
• Exclusive product previews
• Advanced training sessions
• Educational webinars
• Public recognition 
• For Installers:
• Product training and advanced certifications 
• Volume-based rewards such as bonuses for frequent product installations
• Rebates for installation milestones
• Social badging and recognition to enhance their professional standing
• For End-Customers:
• Program points for positive reviews or feedback
• Referral bonuses 
• Bundled discounts or access to product promotions 

This also means looking at the data on non-cash incentives and thinking outside the box when it comes to your incentive rewards. For example, you might consider: 

• High-end branded tools or gear
• Free access to upskilling opportunities like training or certifications
• All-expenses paid access to trade shows or other industry events
• All-inclusive incentive trips
• Exclusive experiences or merchandise 

Finally, along with these unique and compelling rewards, it’s also important to ensure that they align with your business objectives. If you want to drive adoption of a new product, tailor incentives to that SKU. If retention is the goal, focus on longer-term perks that build brand loyalty and stickiness. 

Step 3: Leverage Technology to Streamline Program Management 

In any industry, building out a loyalty program can be complex. Fortunately, the right tech stack can help simplify the process.  

Technology is everywhere today, from eCommerce platforms to online training modules. When we think of tech, we think of the Googles and Apples of the world. But you don’t have to be a software giant or A.I. startup to leverage technology to your advantage.  

Today, there are easy-to-implement tools that any building materials or home improvement business can utilize in their installer loyalty program.  

These cover a wide range of functions, including: 

• Streamlining the installer enrollment process
• Real-time points tracking and redemption
• Automated reward fulfillment
• Centralized dashboards for performance metrics, leaderboards, etc.  

The key is to make sure the platform you’ve chosen allows for robust data integration. When you can layer loyalty data with things like sales trends, product performance, and regional insights, you unlock doors to optimizing your program. 

Step 4: Develop a Strong Communication and Engagement Strategy 

Like any incentive strategy, even the most well-designed loyalty program will fall flat without strong communication. 

From initial onboarding to ongoing engagement, participants need to feel connected and informed about the program. Best practices include: 

• Clear, consistent messaging through a centralized portal
• Utilizing multiple communication channels where possible (email, SMS, app notifications, reps)
• Highlighting success stories and milestones to inspire others
• Regular check-ins from marketing/sales teams or customer support to understand what’s working—and what’s not
• Providing educational webinars, training materials, and program enablement tools 

Remember, this isn’t a one-time rollout. It’s a continuous relationship-building effort that, when done right, produces the kind of positive feedback loop that will keep your program humming.  

Step 5: Monitor, Optimize, and Scale 

Once your program is live, the work doesn’t stop. In fact, that’s when the most important phase begins: optimization and scaling. 

Use your KPIs to regularly evaluate the program’s effectiveness. Are the right incentives driving the right behaviors? Is engagement tapering off after the initial excitement from onboarding? Are some segments of your audience underperforming? If so, which ones, and why? This sort of data is like gold for your program analysis. 

Also try to personalize your program wherever possible. In our eBook, we highlight ways you can introduce personalization into your program at every level of your program. Whether this is through unique rewards and incentives, targeted messaging, or strategic interactions, the more personalized you can make your program elements, the better. 

Lastly, don’t be afraid to test, tweak, and iterate. And when you find a formula that works, be ready to scale—whether that means expanding to new markets, introducing new tiers, or integrating with additional product lines. 

Conclusion 

Building an installer or designer loyalty program from scratch takes effort, but the payoff is worth it. By grounding your program in clear goals, thoughtful rewards, smart technology, and strong communication, you create more than just structure of incentives and promotions. You create a lasting partnership with the people who are consistently on the front lines building brand awareness for your business.  

If you’re interested in seeing firsthand how transformative these types loyalty programs can be, contact us to learn more.