Any experience with integrated loyalty programs for online stores?

[harveymorrison]

Has anyone utilized an integrated loyalty program for Shopify?  Any good results anything to avoid?  Thanks very much

[speedboostr]

A couple of us voted Smile.io the best rewards program we've used. There's a guide on our site with tips and ideas you can use: Be a Cool Brand – Start a Customer Rewards Program.

We've seen these benefits of clients that implemented or have been using Loyalty programs:

- More engagement with the website (browsing loyalty program info, signing up and making first purchase to unlock the first discount / tier)

- More customer repeat orders

- More marketing segments to utilize

- More new customers for stores that give reward points for referring new customers (their friends / fam usually but also larger crowds if they have a following or website)

Here's a list of rewards programs with summaries if you want to do some comparisons: 15 Best Reward Points Apps for Shopify

The only thing I would mention as a pitfall is that it may take more time to manage the program than you expect, but worth giving it a try to see if it's a good fit for your business.

[Blair]

Hey @harveymorrison,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community! I'm happy to provide some guidance with locating the best loyalty app for your shop, to get this resolved. For a complete list, please check out the Shopify App Store but have gone ahead and suggested a few of our highest rated loyalty program apps: 

• Smile: Rewards & Loyalty
• Yotpo Loyalty & Rewards 
• Loyalty Program, Wishlist +3

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!

[p1Commerce]

Yotpo adds ~1MB of page load - I would suggest avoiding it if you care about your SEO.

[HilaB]

Hey @harveymorrison ! I'm Hila from the Rise.ai team. 

Rise is a Gift Card and Loyalty app here on Shopify. Using Rise you can create a loyalty program that will allow you to offer customers store credit rewards as opposed to points and discount codes.

We've built this program because points can mean different things on different platforms, but a dollar is always a dollar, and we believe that simple and straightforward programs have the best outcome.

This simple approach has helped our clients create high redemption rates and have customers coming back to use their "free money" in the store!

You can check out this video to learn more about our loyalty program- 

You can visit our app page to learn more and get in touch with us!

All the best,

Hila

[SamCritch]

Hi @harveymorrison seems like I'm late to reply after our friendly Spaaza competitor Rise and people with other good suggestions.

I think the results you get tend to correlate to how much attention you give the program you implement. Communicating the program benefits to your customers is very important too - if you send frequent (but not too frequent) mails with your offering and personalised campaigns that really helps with retention.

What kind of size store are you running and how frequently do your customers shop?

We can help you out at Spaaza, especially if you want a lot of flexibility in segmenting customers and running parallel rewards for the various different segments - for example you can split your customers so you're giving people signing up for the first time one reward, frequent customers another, whilst at the same time giving "gold" tier customers double points for certain purchases. Or you can just start with a simple points program and increase sophistication as time goes on.

We're new on the Shopify app store but we've had bigger customers using our custom apps (running on the same codebase) for some time, plus we've been running loyalty programs for some big brands outside of the Shopify community for a few years now. 

Feel free to get in touch either by DM or via the link on the Spaaza site if I can help out.

[joshuasparkes]

Hi Harvey, Josh here representing ShopHub. Loyalty & Reward Stamps is the new loyalty program that is different to the rest. It's stamp based, so shoppers get to fill up a stamp card. 

Me and the founders are on the dashboard live chat 24/7 talking to users at the moment, so give us a go and have a chat if you'd like!

Check out our vid!

[Sensei]

Hey @harveymorrison, 

If you haven't found the right loyalty program app yet, we have just launched one that might be perfect for you.

With numerous brands striving to retain customers and offering loyalty programs, the number of available apps has also increased. However, many of these apps rely on a point-based system.

One common drawback of point-based loyalty programs is their inherent complexity, making it even more challenging for customers to grasp. The true value of a loyalty program is realized when customers can immediately see the benefits of their earned rewards.

Fealty addresses this issue by providing a straightforward and easy-to-set-up loyalty program that gets you up and running in just 5 minutes, literally.

Fealty covers all the essential features you need, including configuring discounts, sending out emails, and establishing tiered programs based on cashback or earned discounts.

The best part is that you won't encounter any transaction fees or trial periods. The app is completely free and offers unrestricted functionality. 

The features are beyond what you'd get with the integrated loyalty program. 🙂

[BON_Loyalty]

Hi @harveymorrison, 

It’s Lindsey here from the BON Loyalty Rewards & Referrals app. I'm happy to provide some assistance with integrating a loyalty program for your Shopify store, ensuring your questions are resolved effectively.

To set up a loyalty program for your Shopify store, you’ll find there are several types of loyalty program builders available:

1. Points-Based Loyalty Programs
2. Tier-Based Loyalty Programs
3. Cashback Loyalty Programs
4. Subscription-Based Loyalty Programs
5. Stamp-Based Loyalty Programs

Each option comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It’s crucial to consider your business goals and current status to select the most suitable option for your needs.

If you are seeking a points-based loyalty program that also offers VIP tiers and a referral program, take a look at BON Loyalty. We are supporting more than 6000 merchants on Shopify. 

For an example of successful implementation, we have a case where a merchant specializing in health products achieved remarkable sales results after incorporating BON Loyalty into their business strategy. For more details on their journey and the positive impact of the loyalty program, click here to read the full case study.

It's also important to be aware of some common mistakes that merchants often make when setting up a new loyalty program. These include:

1. Overcomplicating the Rewards System: Making the rewards system too complex can confuse customers, leading to lower participation rates.

2. Not Promoting the Program Effectively: If customers are unaware of the loyalty program, they won’t participate. Ensure that your marketing communications clearly highlight the loyalty program.

3. Failing to Align with Customer Values: The rewards offered should resonate with what your customers value the most. This could be discounts, exclusive products, or special services.

4. Lack of Staff Engagement: If your team isn’t well-informed or enthusiastic about the program, this can translate to poor customer experiences. Ensure all team members are trained and understand the benefits of the program.

By keeping these points in mind and learning from successful cases like our health products retailer, you can more effectively engage customers and enhance your business through a well-crafted loyalty program.

Let me know if you need any more details or have specific questions. I’m here to help!

All the best,
Lindsey

[Loloyal-Phoebe]

Hi, @harveymorrison  This is Phoebe from Loloyal. Hope I can help you~😄

Good Results: 1. Cost-Effective Customer Retention: keeping existing customers is far cheaper than acquiring new ones. Loyal customers contribute significantly to profits. Loyalty programs boost customer loyalty, repeat purchases, and CLV (customer lifetime value), and ultimately increase overall sales and profits. 2. Customer Management: Loyalty program provides clear insights into customer spending and interactions. By checking these analytics, merchants can reward high-quality customers, encourage regular customers to become top customers, and attract new customers through referral systems. 3. Brand Building: Implementing a loyalty program is crucial for business growth. As businesses expand, transitioning from product sales to brand building is essential, and gaining customer loyalty is the key.

Things to Avoid: 1. Complex Systems: Avoid too complex loyalty systems that are difficult for customers to use or slow to load. Poor user experience can negatively impact your store's image. 2. Irrelevant Rewards: if you don't understand your target customers' needs and preferences. Offering unattractive rewards will lead to low engagement and ineffective interaction with your store. 3. Cost Issues: Loyalty software requires long-term use to transform customers into brand advocates. Due to its rich features, data processing capabilities, and so on, it might be more expensive than other kinds of apps. Choosing a cost-effective solution based on your desired features, customer base, and monthly sales for long-term use is quite important.

Given these points, I recommend Loloyal, a customizable, points-based loyalty software designed specifically for Shopify merchants. It covers all essential loyalty program features, including points systems, reward systems, referral systems, VIP tiers, and unique features like pop-ups, limited-time offers, points labels, and email notifications. Additionally, it integrates with popular apps like Klaviyo, Judge.me, Trustoo, GemPages, and PageFly, helping Shopify merchants boost sales growth.

Last but not least, its pricing plans are flexible and cost-effective. More affordable pricing compared to competitors while offering the same features and higher order volumes. By the way, it has the Early Bird offer now: 7-day Free Trial and up to 50% discounts on all plans for merchants who pay for Loloyal for the first time.Enjoy the discount with the content link~

I hope it can help.😊