Using Customer Promotion Programs to Build Loyalty & Protect Margins

By Brad Chase

Editor’s note: This article on Customer Promotion Programs was provided by Opia, a global sales promotion and incentive company that helps brands drive sales, build customer loyalty and increase engagement.

As the automotive aftermarket prepares to gather at the 2026 SEMA Show in November, the industry enters the event from a position of cautious optimism, while also facing a more demanding consumer environment.

Reports from the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show the industry generated nearly $53 billion in accessory and performance parts sales in 2025, with approximately 25% of vehicle owners purchasing products to personalize or enhance their vehicles at some time during the year.

As an industry, brands are looking at how to capitalize on opportunities for growth, build loyalty and protect margins. Demand remains strong, but winning an initial purchase does not release any pressure for a good-performing year.

One approach that can help create a winning strategy for increased growth involves promotions and creative programs to gain customer interest—and, hopefully, at the end, loyalty. Promotions must create recognizable value, distinguish the brand and give customers a reason to return without unnecessarily sacrificing margin or exposing campaigns to fraud and multiple rebate attempts often created by bots and fake emails.

This is especially relevant in the tire manufacturing category, where cashback offers and rebates have become standard practice. These programs can motivate purchases, but when brands use similar offer structures, it becomes difficult for consumers to distinguish true value.

A customer may remember receiving money back without developing a stronger connection to the manufacturer that provided it. The answer is not to abandon cashback; it is to make cashback work harder.

Start With the Second Purchase

A promotion should be designed with the customer’s next action in mind. What should happen after the claim is approved and the reward is delivered?

Instead of treating fulfillment as the end of the campaign, brands can use it to begin a longer relationship. A tire customer might receive maintenance reminders, a future service benefit, a seasonal safety-check offer or a reward tied to another purchase. This approach is even more relevant as customers turn to smart tires and technology-enabled products to make the car more autonomous.

An accessories brand could connect an initial purchase to complementary products, installation services or membership benefits. These steps extend the value of a promotion without requiring a larger upfront incentive. They also allow brands to collect permission-based customer information and better understand which products, vehicles and motivations are driving response.

SEMA’s consumer research shows that aftermarket purchasing is heavily front-loaded after vehicle acquisition, particularly for personalization, appearance and performance upgrades. According to SEMA’s Retail Trends Report, 37%-43% of vehicles that are eventually modified receive their first modification within three months of acquisition, with another approximately 20% modified during months four through six. In other words, well over half receive their first aftermarket product within six months.

That early window gives aftermarket brands an opportunity to reach consumers when they are already thinking about spending on their vehicles and makes incentives especially relevant.

Make It Memorable

Cash rewards can be enticing, but they are not always memorable; rewards tailored to how customers use and care for their vehicles can create a stronger connection. Depending on the audience, those rewards might include fuel, charging, tire maintenance, travel or automotive-related incentives.

A truck accessory brand could tie a promotion to recreation or utility, while a performance brand might offer an enthusiast experience or exclusive content. As fuel costs fluctuate and EV adoption grows, brands can also tailor incentives to the unique needs and buying triggers of gas-powered and electric vehicle owners. That kind of personalization can enhance a promotion’s relevance and effectiveness, making it an important capability for aftermarket brands to consider when choosing a promotions partner.

Protecting margin does not require reducing the value of an offer; it requires aligning that value with the behavior the brand wants to generate:

• Tiered rewards can encourage customers to purchase a larger package or move into a premium product line
• Bundled promotions can connect complementary accessories instead of placing the entire incentive on one item
• Limited-time bonuses can create urgency, while bounce-back rewards can direct part of the promotional investment toward a future purchase

Brands should evaluate campaigns based on incremental sales and customer behavior, not simply the number of rewards fulfilled. Redemption volume measures participation, but it does not reveal whether the promotion attracted new customers, increased order value, encouraged trade-up or generated another purchase.

Build Fraud Protection Into the Program

As rebate and cashback programs become more common, they can attract increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts. Duplicate claims, altered receipts, false purchase documentation, invalid product combinations and organized submissions can quietly erode a campaign’s return.

Fraud controls should be built into the program from the beginning, rather than added after suspicious activity appears. Consequently, when selecting a promotional partner, automotive brands should determine whether the provider can validate receipts and eligible products, identify duplicate submissions, connect related devices and claims, flag suspicious patterns in real time and provide manual reviews when needed.

Reporting should clearly show which claims were rejected, why they were rejected and how much financial exposure was prevented. The goal is not to make legitimate customers navigate an obstacle course. The strongest programs combine rigorous, behind-the-scenes protection with a simple customer experience.

Heading into SEMA, the aftermarket’s promotional opportunity is bigger than offering another incentive. The brands that stand out will use promotions to recognize different customer needs, support future purchases and build relationships that continue after fulfillment.

A successful campaign should not end when the reward is delivered—that should be where loyalty begins.

Brad Chase is an account director at Opia, a global sales-promotion and incentive company that helps brands drive sales, build customer loyalty and increase engagement through rewards, rebates and other promotional programs. Follow Brad on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chasebrad/.