QUICK START
Set up your Shopify loyalty program with Joy. Follow our ultimate guide for easy installation, customization, and promotion to boost customer loyalty.
Building customer loyalty is key to long-term eCommerce success. A loyalty program helps foster that loyalty, but creating one that truly works can be tricky. Starting with a program like Joy Loyalty can give you the structure and tools to build meaningful relationships with customers, keeping them coming back and ensuring your business thrives. Follow our guide to learn how to get started with Joy and build a program that converts.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction to the Quick Start Guide
3. Choose the Right Program Type
4. Set Up Your Loyalty Program in the Joy Loyalty App
5. Launch and Announce Your Program
1. Introduction to the Quick Start Guide
Who is this for?
This guide is designed for business owners or managers who want to set up a loyalty program but aren’t sure where to start. By following these steps, you’ll have a working loyalty program that aligns with your business goals in no time.
How does this guide help?
It walks you through defining your goals, planning your program, setting it up in the app, and promoting it effectively.
2. Define Your Program’s Goal
Before implementing your loyalty program, it's important to define clear objectives. Setting goals will guide your program's success and help you track progress. Different stages of the customer journey require tailored campaigns:
Customer Journey Stages:
New Customers: Reward first-time purchases. Example: Offer 100 points upon signing up to encourage the first purchase.
Repeat Buyers: Reward repeat purchases to boost retention. Example: Offer bonus points for repeat purchases within a certain timeframe.
Loyal Customers: Reward loyal customers with exclusive benefits. Example: Give special discounts or early access to sales for VIP members.
Referrals: Encourage existing customers to refer new customers. Example: Reward customers with points for every successful referral.
Set Specific and Measurable Goals:
Retention Goal: Increase repeat purchases by 20% over the next 6 months.
AOV Goal: Raise Average Order Value (AOV) by 15% in the next 3 months.
Referral Goal: Increase the number of referred sign-ups by 10% by year-end.
...
Track KPIs (Key Performance Indicators):
Repeat Purchases: Measure how often customers return and make a purchase.
Average Order Value (AOV): Monitor if customers are spending more per order.
Referral Sign-Ups: Track how many new customers are being brought in through referrals.
Redemption Rate: Keep an eye on how many rewards are being claimed by customers.
...
Action: Write down your goal. You’ll use it to shape your loyalty program.
Note: The examples provided above are just a few of the possible goals you can set for your loyalty program. Depending on your business needs, you might also focus on objectives like improving customer lifetime value, increasing engagement through social media interactions, or reducing churn.
3. Choose the Right Program Type
There are three simple types of loyalty programs. Pick the one that works best for your business:
Points Program (Best for most businesses):
Customers earn points for every purchase.
Example: “Earn 1 point for every $1 spent. Redeem 50 points for $5 off.”
You can read more here: Earning programsand Redeeming programs
Tiered Program (Best for encouraging big spenders):
Customers unlock better rewards the more they spend.
Example:
Bronze: Spend $0–$500 → 1% cashback.
Silver: Spend $501–$1,000 → 2% cashback.
Gold: Spend $1,001+ → 5% cashback.
You can read more here: VIP Tiers
Referral Program (Best for getting new customers):
Customers get rewards for bringing friends.
Example: “Refer a friend and you both get $10 off.”
You can read more here: Referral block
Action: Pick one program type and keep it simple.
Note: Depends on your goal and campagin, you can mix can create more programs to reach the goal. In the information above, we just provide the most basic programs that you can choose.
4. Set Up Your Loyalty Program in the Joy Loyalty App
Once you’ve decided on your program’s type, rules, and rewards, it’s time to set it up with Joy Loyalty!
How your customers earn points
Next, decide the actions that will earn your customers points. The more opportunities you provide for earning points, the more engaged your customers will be. See our detailed guide for each program.
Setting up an account: Encourage customers to register an account for better profile management and to grow your email list. This creates a "Member" profile within Joy Loyalty and allows for better tracking of points and activities. For example, reward 100 points for signing up.
Making a purchase: Offer points for every dollar spent, creating a cashback-like incentive. Design redemption thresholds to encourage future purchases. With Joy, you can choose to reward points after payment or fulfillment, based on your order processing flow.
Engaging with Social Media: Reward customers for interacting with your brand on platforms like Instagram or TikTok by following or sharing posts, boosting engagement and visibility.
Reviewing a Product: Encourage customers to leave reviews, adding social proof to influence others' purchasing decisions. Many product review apps integrate seamlessly with Joy Loyalty, streamlining this process.
Choose how your customers can redeem
After setting up how customers earn points, decide on appealing rewards they can redeem. Offering diverse and attainable rewards motivates repeat purchases and encourages higher order values for more points.
Free Products: Reward customers with select free items, ideal for clearing overstock or promoting new products, seamlessly integrated with Shopify standards through Joy.
Free Shipping: Offer loyal customers free shipping, a highly valued perk that drives repeat purchases.
Discounts: Provide straightforward discounts—fixed amounts or percentages off. These are easy for customers to understand and help them set goals for future purchases, encouraging long-term loyalty.
Loyalty page
Set up a dedicated loyalty page on your website. This page should clearly explain how the program works, how customers can earn and redeem points, and the benefits of joining.
Hero banner: Briefly describe the loyalty program and its benefits. Explain why customers should join and what they can expect.
How to Earn Points: Detail the various actions customers can take to earn points. Use bullet points or icons to make this section easy to read.
How to Redeem Points: Explain the process for redeeming points for rewards. Include examples of rewards and how many points they require.
FAQs: Address common questions to help customers understand the program. This can include details on point expiration, how to check point balances, and any terms and conditions.
VIP Tiers: Display VIP perks and rewards directly on your loyalty page, providing more value to your customers.
Coming soon: Allow you to notify shoppers about your upcoming rewards program.
Rewards activity: Centralize your customers’ loyalty information, empowering them to track points and rewards conveniently.
Note: Depends on the campaigns you run that you will decide what displays on your loyalty page. You do not need to add all of the blocks above.
Action: Complete the setup and test it to ensure everything works.
5. Launch and Announce Your Program
Launch your program
- Enable the embed widget
Once you are ready, go to Theme Editor from the Shopify admin enable the Joy Loyalty - Widget, and hit the Save button to implement the change.
Adding menu links: Add a link to your Loyalty page or this link can simply open the loyalty popup widget. In some cases, you might want to use only the menu links instead of the floating button.
Marketing activities
Once your loyalty program is live, let your customers know about it!
Promote your loyalty program through social media and ads to draw attention and encourage customers to join. Create banners, posts, or videos using tools like Canva to showcase how simple it is to opt in.
Take advantage of your SEO-friendly loyalty page. Optimize it with best SEO practices and make it visually appealing as a landing page for ads and social posts.
Email marketing is another powerful tool. Send out campaigns to inform customers about the launch and encourage them to explore and participate in your loyalty program.
Example:
Subject: “Earn Rewards Every Time You Shop!”
Body: “Join our loyalty program today and get 50 bonus points to start!”
Post on social media with visuals.
Example:
“Good news! You can now earn rewards when you shop with us. Sign up today!”
Action: Use multiple ways to tell your customers about the program.
Track and Improve Your Program
Once your loyalty program is running, the metrics you track should align with your specific goals, as these can vary depending on your focus.
For example, if your goal is to drive customer retention, focus on metrics like repeat purchase rates and loyalty member engagement. If increasing average order value is your priority, monitor points redemption rates and revenue from loyalty members. For growth through referrals, track referred revenue and referral participation.
By tailoring metrics to your goals, you can evaluate performance effectively and adjust your strategy for better results.
In Joy loyalty app, we provide analytics feature to help you track your performance. The metrics you can see:
Revenue from Loyalty Program: Measure the direct sales generated by your loyalty members.
Loyalty Members: Track growth in the number of customers joining your program.
Referred Revenue: Assess how much revenue is driven by referrals through the program.
Redemption Rate: Monitor how often customers redeem their points, indicating program engagement.
Points Earned and Redeemed: Understand customer activity by comparing points issued versus redeemed.
Regularly analyze these insights to identify strengths, adjust strategies, and maximize your program's effectiveness.
6. Quick Tips for Success
Keep It Simple: Start with a basic program like a points system so customers easily understand how it works. Avoid overwhelming them with too many options.
Focus on Rewards That Matter: Offer perks your customers value, like discounts, free products, or exclusive deals, to ensure they stay engaged.
Communicate Regularly: Send reminders about rewards via email or notifications. For example, “You have 150 points! Redeem them now for $15 off.”
Incentivize Action: Run promotions like “Double points this weekend!” to encourage immediate participation.
Adapt and Improve: Monitor results and gather feedback to optimize your program for long-term success.
Wrap up
Follow this guide to create a successful loyalty program. Start by setting clear goals, choose the right program type, and set everything up in the Joy Loyalty app. Once your program is live, promote it effectively and use the quick tips to keep improving. This approach will help engage customers and grow your business.
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