The complete Joy Loyalty onboarding guide
This guidebook will walk you through the process of setting up and optimizing your Joy Loyalty program
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This guidebook will walk you through the process of setting up and optimizing your Joy Loyalty program
Last updated
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In today's competitive e-commerce landscape, customer loyalty has become more valuable than ever. With the rising costs of customer acquisition and the limitations of third-party tracking, nurturing your existing customer relationships is essential for sustainable growth. Joy Loyalty offers a powerful solution to this challenge, providing a comprehensive loyalty program that can significantly increase customer retention, purchase frequency, and lifetime value.
This guidebook will walk you through the process of setting up and optimizing your Joy Loyalty program, ensuring you create an experience that resonates with your customers and delivers measurable business results. We'll cover everything from initial configuration to advanced optimization strategies, helping you transform casual shoppers into dedicated brand advocates.
The success of your loyalty program depends largely on thoughtful implementation. While it might be tempting to rush through the setup to get your program live quickly, taking the time to configure each element properly will yield significantly better results in the long run.
A well-designed loyalty program directly impacts these metrics by creating compelling reasons for customers to return to your store repeatedly.
Beyond immediate sales impact, your loyalty program also serves as a valuable data collection tool. In an era where third-party cookies are being phased out, the zero-party data you gather through your loyalty program becomes increasingly precious for personalization and marketing efforts.
Let's build a loyalty program that doesn't just exist as a feature checkbox but delivers genuine business value through stronger customer relationships.
are the foundation of your loyalty program, allowing you to track points, redemptions, and customer activity across sessions and devices. Without properly configured customer accounts, your loyalty program won't function effectively.
Navigate to your Shopify admin panel and go to Settings → . Here, you'll need to choose between legacy accounts (traditional email/password login) and new customer accounts (email link login). This decision will impact how customers interact with your loyalty program.
Your choice between Shopify's two account systems will significantly impact how your loyalty program appears and functions for customers. Consider these differences carefully:
Consider your brand's priorities when making this choice. If you value deep customization and rich customer profiles, legacy accounts may be preferable. If ease of signup and modern UI consistency are more important, new customer accounts might be the better option.
The way you structure your points earning and redemption system significantly impacts how customers engage with your program. This step is about creating both the right economic model and the right psychological incentives.
A coffee shop might use "Beans" or "Brews"
A beauty brand could choose "Glow Coins" or "Beauty Points"
A bookstore might opt for "Reader Rewards" or "Story Points"
This simple customization helps your loyalty program feel like an extension of your brand experience rather than a generic add-on. When customers see they've earned "Adventure Miles" instead of just "Points," it reinforces your brand identity and creates a more memorable program.
Next, establish your base earning rate—the fundamental exchange rate between purchases and rewards. Most successful programs offer between 2-5% of the order value back in the form of points. For example:
If your points are valued at 100 points = $1 (1¢ per point)
A 2% return would award 2 points per $1 spent (200 points on a $100 purchase)
A 5% return would award 5 points per $1 spent (500 points on a $100 purchase)
The right rate depends on your profit margins and business model. For products with 30-40% margins, a 2-3% return rate provides meaningful value without undermining profitability. For higher-margin businesses, rates of 4-5% may be appropriate.
Dynamic value redemption: This model allows customers to convert points to discounts at a consistent rate (e.g., 2,000 points = $1 discount). Customers can redeem any amount above a minimum threshold, creating flexibility and a sense of continuous progress.
Step-based redemption: This approach offers specific reward tiers (e.g., 100 points for $5 off, 300 points for $15 off, 500 points for $30 off). The value per point often increases at higher tiers, encouraging customers to save up for better rewards and potentially increasing the average order value.
Multiple redemption types: Consider offering various redemption options beyond discounts, such as free shipping or product rewards. This diversity caters to different customer preferences and can create emotional connections beyond transactional discounts.
Don't forget to set a custom prefix for your coupon codes to reinforce your brand identity. When customers receive a code like "GLOW50" instead of a generic alphanumeric string, it serves as another touchpoint with your brand.
VIP tiers create powerful motivation for customers to increase their spending and engagement with your brand. By offering escalating benefits at each level, you create aspirational goals that drive purchase behavior and foster an emotional connection with your brand.
When setting up a tier structure, first choose between points-based and spending-based qualification methods:
Points-based tiers take into account all point-earning activities (including non-purchase behaviors like referrals or social media engagement). This approach rewards overall engagement with your brand ecosystem, not just purchase volume.
Spending-based tiers focus purely on purchase volume. This approach is simpler to explain to customers and easier to maintain if you ever migrate between platforms. It also more directly incentivizes the behavior most critical to your business—completed purchases.
For most merchants, a three-tier structure works well (e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold or Member, VIP, Elite), creating a clear progression path. The key is making each tier meaningfully different from the ones below it, with benefits that justify the additional spending or engagement required.
When defining benefits for each tier, create a mix of:
Transactional perks: Higher earn rates, exclusive discounts, and free shipping thresholds
Experiential benefits: Early access to new products/ collections, dedicated support, birthday rewards
Reserve truly special benefits for your top tier—these should create a sense of exclusivity and recognition that motivates customers to reach and maintain that status.
Finally, decide how often tier status will be assessed. Most programs recalculate status quarterly or annually, giving customers enough time to reach higher tiers but also ensuring that status reflects recent behavior. Whatever period you choose, make sure customers understand when and how their status might change.
Many merchants already have existing loyalty programs on other platforms or Shopify apps before switching to Joy. Properly migrating this customer loyalty data is critical to maintaining customer goodwill and program continuity.
Migration types
There are two primary migration scenarios to consider:
Switching from another Shopify loyalty app: When you're already on Shopify but changing loyalty solutions
Migrating from a different e-commerce platform: When you're moving your entire store to Shopify and need to bring loyalty data with you
In both cases, the most important data to transfer is usually customer point balances. Historical activity data (like past redemptions or point-earning actions) is typically more difficult to migrate completely, but Joy can help with the essentials.
You can read detailed docs, which considerably help you quickly learn how to migrate from other Shopify apps:
Migration best practices
To ensure a smooth transition for your customers:
Plan one definitive migration rather than multiple partial imports, which can lead to errors or duplicate records
Include VIP tier status in your migration data to maintain customer status and benefits
Communicate the migration timeline and any changes to your customers
Consider whether customers should earn signup points again on the new platform (typically this should be disabled for migrated accounts)
Enable Sandbox Mode from the Joy dashboard settings. With this mode active, you can place test orders, earn points, redeem rewards, and trigger email notifications without any risk to your live data. This testing environment is invaluable for identifying potential issues before customers encounter them.
During testing, pay special attention to the following elements:
Point earning: Verify that points are awarded correctly for different order values, products, and promotional scenarios.
Redemption flow: Test the entire redemption process, from selecting rewards to applying coupon codes at checkout.
Email notifications: Ensure all triggered emails contain the right information and branding.
Widget display: Check that the loyalty widget appears correctly across different pages and device types.
Account integration: Confirm that loyalty information displays properly in customer accounts.
If you discover any issues during testing, you can make adjustments without disrupting the customer experience. This phase is also an excellent opportunity to gather feedback from team members who can approach the program with fresh eyes, similar to how customers will.
Once you're satisfied that everything functions correctly, you'll disable Sandbox Mode as part of your official launch process.
Your loyalty program should feel like a natural extension of your brand, not a generic bolt-on feature. Joy offers extensive customization options to ensure the visual identity of your loyalty program aligns perfectly with your overall brand experience.
Start by uploading your logo for use in loyalty communications. This logo will appear in the loyalty widget, on your loyalty page, and in email notifications, creating visual consistency across all touchpoints.
Next, set your brand colors to match your website's color scheme. At minimum, configure your primary brand color, which will be used for buttons, highlights, and accents throughout the loyalty interface. For more sophisticated branding, you can also set secondary colors, background tones, and text colors.
The loyalty widget is a key visual element that appears on your storefront, so take time to customize its appearance:
Font selection: Choose the font for widget text. "Inherit" (default) uses your website's fonts for seamless integration.
Content display configuration: Select and order the blocks displayed in your widget (e.g., Ways to Earn, Redeem, VIP Tiers) to highlight key program aspects.
Banner customization: Personalize the top banner with your image, message, and brand colors to grab attention.
Icon style selection: Choose an icon style (e.g., Elegant, Vivid) that aligns with your brand's aesthetic.
Floating button customization: Customize the color, icon, and position of the floating button that opens the widget, or disable it entirely.
Minimal button option: Collapse the widget into a smaller button for a cleaner interface while still providing easy access.
Widget display by specific pages: Control which website pages the widget appears on (e.g., all pages, product pages, checkout).
Display for Logged-in customers only:
Show the widget only to logged-in users for a more tailored experience.
Create specific links to open particular sections within the widget for targeted promotions.
Impact on engagement:
A well-branded and user-friendly widget enhances customer interaction with your loyalty program, encouraging reward usage and repeat purchases.
For the safest approach to visual customization, create a duplicate test theme in your Shopify admin. This allows you to experiment with widget placement and design without risking changes to your live store. Once you're satisfied with how everything looks in the test environment, you can either publish the test theme or transfer the loyalty configurations to your live theme.
While the loyalty widget provides quick access to program features, a dedicated loyalty page serves as a comprehensive resource for customers to learn about your program. This page increases program visibility, improves enrollment rates, and reduces support inquiries by clearly explaining how everything works.
To create an effective loyalty page, add the following blocks in a logical sequence:
Hero Banner: Start with an eye-catching banner that communicates the primary benefit of joining your program. Use compelling imagery and a clear value proposition like "Earn Rewards on Every Purchase" or "Join 10,000+ Members Earning Exclusive Rewards."
How it Works: Provide a simple, step-by-step explanation of your program mechanics. Use icons or illustrations to make the process visually clear. Focus on the simplicity of participation rather than technical details.
Ways to Earn: Detail all the methods customers can use to earn points, from purchases to social media engagement to referrals. Include the specific point values for each action to help customers understand the value exchange.
Ways to Redeem: Showcase the rewards available, highlighting both the practical value (discount amounts) and the emotional benefits they provide. Use product imagery where appropriate, especially for physical reward items.
VIP Tiers: If you've implemented a tiered program, clearly display the requirements and benefits of each tier. Create visual distinction between tiers to emphasize the progression and make higher tiers appear desirable.
FAQ Section: Anticipate common questions and provide clear answers. This section reduces support inquiries and removes potential barriers to enrollment. Consider including questions about point expiration, tier assessment, and how to redeem rewards.
Don't forget to optimize this page for search engines by customizing the meta title, description, and URL slug. Make sure these elements include relevant keywords like "rewards," "loyalty program," and your brand name.
Finally, ensure your loyalty page is easily accessible by adding it to your main navigation menu, footer links, or both. Consider placing it near your "Account" or "Customer Service" links where shoppers are likely to look for such information.
Email notifications are a crucial component of your loyalty program, serving as automatic touchpoints that drive engagement and remind customers of their accumulated benefits. Joy's emails have an impressive 40% open rate, making them an effective channel for nurturing loyalty program participation.
Begin by configuring your welcome email, which is sent when customers join your program. This email should congratulate new members, briefly explain how the program works, and ideally include an immediate benefit (like welcome points) to kickstart engagement.
Next, set up points earned notifications. These emails confirm point awards after purchases or other activities, reinforcing the value customers receive from your brand. Include their updated point balance and a call-to-action to explore available rewards to encourage redemption.
Redemption confirmation emails should be configured to provide clear instructions on how to use the newly acquired reward, along with expiration dates if applicable. This is also an opportunity to suggest complementary products or remind customers of other ways to earn points.
For all email notifications, maintain consistent branding by:
Using your logo in the header
Applying your brand colors to buttons and accents
Matching the tone and style of your regular marketing communications
Including your social media links in the footer
Consider adding personalized touches to increase relevance, such as product recommendations based on past purchases or progress updates toward the next VIP tier. The more valuable and personalized these communications feel, the more effective they'll be at driving program engagement.
Test all email notifications before launch by triggering them in Sandbox Mode and checking how they appear in various email clients. Pay attention to both desktop and mobile rendering to ensure a good experience regardless of how customers access their email.
Point calculators provide immediate feedback to customers about the value they'll receive from their purchase, creating a powerful incentive to complete transactions and potentially increase order size. These visual elements show the specific point amount that will be earned for the current purchase consideration.
Add calculators to strategic locations:
Product pages: This placement shows customers the loyalty benefit while they're making purchase decisions, potentially tipping the balance in favor of adding items to cart. Position the calculator near the price and add-to-cart button for maximum visibility.
Cart page and drawer: This reminds customers of the additional value they'll receive just as they're preparing to check out, potentially reducing cart abandonment. For customers close to a tier threshold or reward level, this reminder can be particularly effective.
Checkout page (Shopify Plus only): This final reminder serves as a last-minute incentive to complete the purchase.
Ensure your calculator is visually consistent with your overall loyalty branding and noticeable without overwhelming the primary purchase flow. Consider A/B testing different placements and designs to find what drives the best conversion rates for your specific customer base.
In some cases, especially with custom themes, you may need to add the calculator to the cart drawer manually with a simple code snippet:
Place this snippet in your cart drawer template and ensure the Joy Points Calculator app embed is enabled in your Shopify admin. If your theme dynamically refreshes the cart contents, you may need to call the avadaJoyRerenderAllCalculators() function after the cart updates to ensure the calculator remains visible.
Available extension blocks
Joy's checkout extensions include several valuable components that can be enabled individually or in combination:
Point Calculator: Shows customers exactly how many points they'll earn from their purchase, creating a final incentive to complete the transaction. This tangible reminder of future value can help overcome last-minute purchase hesitation.
Quick Redeem: Allows customers to apply their available rewards directly during checkout without needing to navigate away. This seamless integration removes friction from the redemption process and increases reward utilization.
Available Rewards: Displays all rewards the customer has already earned but not yet used, encouraging immediate application to the current purchase.
Member-Only Benefits: Highlights special loyalty benefits available exclusively to program members, creating both immediate value and FOMO (fear of missing out) for non-members.
All Discounts View: Provides a comprehensive view of all available discounts, including both loyalty rewards and standard promotions, helping customers maximize their savings.
Displaying personalized loyalty rewards during checkout can increase order values by up to 15% and conversion rates by up to 25% when implemented effectively.
A referral program transforms your satisfied customers into brand advocates, creating a powerful acquisition channel with higher conversion rates and lower costs than traditional marketing. Joy's referral feature allows you to harness this potential in a structured, measurable way.
Begin by defining the rewards for both parties in the referral relationship. For referrers (existing customers who recommend your store), points are typically the most appropriate reward, as they further strengthen loyalty and encourage continued engagement. A common starting point is 500-1,000 points per successful referral, equivalent to $5-10 in reward value.
For referees (new customers coming through referrals), a discount on their first purchase is usually most effective. Consider offering a percentage discount (10-15%) or a fixed amount off, depending on your average order value and margins. Make this offer generous enough to overcome the initial hesitation of shopping with a new brand.
Next, configure your referral display methods. Joy offers both pop-up and inline banner options for promoting your referral program. Pop-ups are more attention-grabbing but should be used judiciously to avoid disrupting the shopping experience. The inline banner provides a more subtle, persistent reminder that can be placed on various pages, including the loyalty page, account page, or post-purchase thank you page.
Enable anti-cheat protection to prevent program abuse. Joy offers several safeguards, including email verification requirements, unique link tracking, and the ability to restrict points issuance until the referred customer makes a qualified purchase.
Craft compelling messaging for your referral program that emphasizes the mutual benefit. Rather than technical explanations about how the process works, focus on the value proposition: "Give $10, Get 500 points" or "Share the love and both get rewarded." Make sharing easy by providing pre-written messages for email and social media that customers can personalize.
Finally, consider how you'll promote your referral program beyond the built-in display options. Mention it in post-purchase emails, feature it in your newsletter, and highlight success stories from customers who have benefited from referral rewards. The more visibility your program receives, the more likely customers are to participate.
For maximum effectiveness, your loyalty program should work seamlessly with the other tools and platforms you use to operate your business. Joy offers numerous integration possibilities that extend the program's functionality and ensure a cohesive customer experience across all touchpoints.
Segment customers based on loyalty data (points balance, tier status, redemption history)
Trigger automated flows based on loyalty events (tier upgrades, point milestones)
Include dynamic loyalty information in your marketing emails
Create targeted win-back campaigns for lapsed loyalty members
For merchants using Shopify Plus, Shopify Flow integration opens up powerful automation possibilities. You can create custom workflows that trigger point awards for specific customer actions, segment customers based on loyalty behaviors, or create specialized promotions for different tier levels. This allows for highly customized loyalty experiences that go beyond standard earning and redemption patterns.
For subscription-based businesses, integrate Joy with your subscription management app to reward recurring purchases. Consider offering enhanced benefits for subscribers, such as elevated earn rates or exclusive redemption options, to encourage both loyalty program participation and subscription sign-ups.
Finally, if you use a headless commerce approach or have highly customized frontend requirements, explore Joy's APIs and SDK. These developer tools allow for custom implementation of loyalty features within bespoke shopping experiences, ensuring brand consistency across all customer touchpoints.
Test each integration thoroughly in Sandbox Mode before going live, paying special attention to the customer journey across different platforms and scenarios.
All Joy Loyalty merchants can use code snippets to display customer loyalty points in custom locations throughout their Shopify store.
The Joy Loyalty theme integration feature allows you to display customer point balances in strategic locations across your storefront, such as:
Navigation menu
Account page
Cart page
Product pages
Custom page templates
By adding a simple code snippet to your theme files, you can show customers their current point balance without requiring them to open the loyalty widget. This creates a more integrated loyalty experience and keeps points top-of-mind during the shopping journey.
Displaying loyalty points throughout your storefront increases program visibility and engagement. When customers can easily see their point balance while browsing products or checking their account, they're more likely to. This integration helps maximize the value of your loyalty program by keeping it visible throughout the customer experience rather than hidden behind a widget.
After careful configuration and testing, it's time to launch your loyalty program to customers. This transition from preparation to active operation requires both technical steps and strategic communication to ensure a successful rollout.
Begin by disabling Sandbox Mode in your Joy dashboard settings. This critical step switches the program to live mode, allowing real customers to start earning and redeeming points. Double-check that all your reward rules, tier structures, and point values are finalized before taking this step, as changes after launch may affect customer points that have already been earned.
Next, publish your loyalty page and ensure all loyalty elements are visible on your live store. This includes the loyalty widget, point calculators, and any other customer-facing components you've configured. If you've been working in a test theme, either publish that theme or carefully transfer all loyalty configurations to your live theme.
Develop a comprehensive launch announcement strategy that creates awareness and excitement about your new program. This should include:
Dedicated launch email: Send a detailed announcement to your entire customer base explaining the program benefits, how to join, and any special launch promotions.
Website banners and popups: Create prominent homepage messaging that drives attention to the new program, highlighting key benefits and the signup process.
Launch promotion: Consider offering bonus points for signing up during the launch period, or creating a limited-time earning opportunity to drive immediate engagement.
Train your customer service team thoroughly on all aspects of the program, from basic mechanics to troubleshooting common issues. Create an internal FAQ document covering typical customer questions and how to address them. Ensure the team knows how to check customer point balances, adjust points if needed, and explain redemption processes clearly.
For the first few weeks after launch, closely monitor program performance and customer feedback. Be prepared to make minor adjustments based on initial results and questions from customers. This period provides valuable insights into how customers are interpreting and engaging with your program.
Consider a phased rollout if you have a very large customer base. You might launch first to your most loyal customers as an "exclusive preview," then gradually expand to your full customer list. This approach allows you to refine the program based on feedback from your most engaged customers before scaling up.
Even the most carefully designed loyalty programs can encounter challenges. Here are solutions to some common issues merchants face:
If customers aren't signing up for your program as expected, consider these adjustments:
If customers are earning points but not using them, try these approaches:
For customers who engage once but don't return to the program:
If you encounter challenges with your tech stack:
Building an effective loyalty program is a journey, not a one-time setup. By thoughtfully configuring each element of Joy Loyalty and continuously refining your approach based on customer behavior and business results, you'll create a powerful engine for customer retention and growth.
Remember these key principles as you move forward:
Quality trumps speed: Take the time to get your program structure right before launch, as major changes afterward can confuse customers and diminish trust.
Communicate consistently: Ensure customers understand how to participate in your program through clear, frequent, and engaging messaging across all channels.
Balance program economics: Your loyalty program should generate more incremental revenue than it costs to operate, while still providing meaningful value to customers.
Think beyond discounts: The most effective loyalty programs create emotional connections through exclusivity, recognition, and personalized experiences, not just transactional rewards.
Test and learn: Use data to guide ongoing optimization, and don't be afraid to experiment with new earning opportunities, redemption options, or program mechanics.
By following the guidance in this handbook, you're well-positioned to create a loyalty program that not only retains customers but transforms them into enthusiastic advocates for your brand. The effort you invest now will pay dividends through stronger customer relationships and sustained business growth for years to come.
You can build the customer's account page loyalty blocks (e.g., Discounts available, Redeem discounts,..) with easily.
Start by defining . Rather than using generic "Points," consider a name that reflects your brand identity or product category:
According to , loyalty program disruption is cited as a top concern by 67% of customers during merchant transitions, making seamless migration essential for retention.
Before launching your program to customers, it's essential to thoroughly test every component using . This feature allows you to simulate all program functions without affecting real customer experience and data or points.
: Customize the widget's color scheme to match your website's branding for visual consistency. Select primary and secondary colors.
VIP Tier : Personalize the display of your VIP tiers with custom names and highlighted benefits.
:
Want to see more inspirations from leading brands. Check out our
For Shopify Plus merchants, Joy offers powerful checkout extensions that create additional opportunities to drive loyalty engagement at this critical conversion point. According to , the checkout page represents the final decision moment where 18% of shoppers abandon their purchase—making this an ideal place to highlight loyalty benefits.
Start with email platform integration, connecting Joy to services like or . This integration enables you to:
Next, integrate with review apps like , , or . These integrations allow you to reward customers for leaving product reviews, increasing both your review collection rate and loyalty program engagement. Configure the point value for reviews appropriately—valuable enough to motivate action but proportionate to your overall points economy.
If you operate physical retail locations, connect Joy to your . This integration ensures that customers can earn and redeem points regardless of whether they shop online or in-store, creating a truly omnichannel loyalty experience. Familiarize your staff with how to identify loyalty members, check point balances, and process redemptions through the POS interface.
Checkout the
You can find detailed information at
Social media campaign: Announce the program across all your social channels, potentially creating short videos or graphics that explain how it works. You can refer to the to see how they utilized social media
Integrate with : Add a loyalty program promotion during the checkout process when customers are already providing their information.
Use : For apps without direct Joy integration, Shopify Flow can often bridge the gap by creating custom automations.
