A loyalty programme gives shoppers a reason to come back to your store instead of a competitor’s. Customers earn points when they buy, review and refer, and spend those points on rewards in your store.
This guide covers what the Loyalty page in WiserReview does, how each part helps you sell more, and how a store with a loyalty programme compares with one without.
Why run a loyalty programme
Winning a new customer costs far more than selling again to one you already have. A loyalty programme works on the customers you have already paid to acquire:
- More repeat orders. Unspent points are a reason to return. The “You have a reward waiting” email brings members back the moment they can afford something.
- Bigger orders. Members spend more per order to reach the next reward or the next VIP tier.
- More reviews, photos and videos. Points for reviews turn customers into content creators. That content then sells to the next shopper.
- More referrals. Points for a referred friend’s first order turn happy customers into a sales channel.
- Less discounting. Instead of site-wide sales anyone can use, you reward the people who already buy from you, and only once they have earned it.
Loyalty programme vs no loyalty programme
| Without a loyalty programme | With WiserReview Loyalty | |
|---|---|---|
| Reason to come back | Only price and memory. The next order may go to a competitor. | Points already in their account, and a reward they are close to. |
| Order size | Shoppers buy what they came for. | Shoppers add to the cart to reach a reward or the next tier. |
| Discounts | Site-wide sales and public codes, which anyone can find and use. | Single-use reward codes, given only to customers who earned them. |
| Reviews and UGC | Most customers never leave one. | Points for a review, and extra for a photo or video. |
| Referrals | Word of mouth, if it happens. | Points when a referred friend places their first order. |
| Best customers | Treated the same as a first-time buyer. | VIP tiers with better earning rates and perks, so they have a status to keep. |
| Emails after the order | Generic newsletters. | Personal emails: points earned, reward waiting, new tier reached, birthday. |
| What you can measure | Total sales only. | Revenue from members, repeat purchase rate, and average order for members vs everyone else. |
A worked example
The example store on the Loyalty page earns 1 point per $1 and offers $5 off for 500 points. So a member gets back about 1% of what they spend, and only when they come back to spend it.
In that example:
- Members spend $92 per order, and everyone else spends $61. That is about 50% more per order.
- 38% of members buy again.
- The 87,800 unspent points are worth $878. That is the most the programme could cost if every point were spent, against $48,250 of revenue from members.
These figures are sample data shown before your own data arrives. Your results depend on your store, your rewards and how many customers join.
Before you start
- Your store must be connected under Integration, so we receive your orders
- Your Email sender must be set up, because loyalty emails use the same sender as your review requests
Step 1 — Open the Loyalty page
Go to Loyalty in the sidebar. The top of the page has two rows:
- Loyalty programme — the on/off switch. It is Off until you press Turn on. While it is off, no points are earned and the panel stays hidden on your store.
- Set up on your store — adds the loyalty panel to your storefront (Step 7).
Until real activity arrives, the page shows sample data so you can see what each report looks like.
Step 2 — Choose the ways to earn
Open Ways to earn. This is the list of actions shoppers get points for. Keep it short and obvious, because shoppers quit programmes where earning is unclear.
Reviews are your advantage. Points for reviews come from your existing WiserReview data, so you need no extra app. When a review is published, the points follow.
Press Add rule to choose from the suggestions:
| Way to earn | How it helps you sell |
|---|---|
| Place an order | Every order moves the shopper closer to a reward, which is a reason to order again |
| Write a review | More reviews build trust and raise conversion on your product pages |
| Add a photo or video to a review | Visual reviews sell harder than text, so they earn extra |
| Refer a friend | New customers at the cost of a few points |
| Join the programme | Every new member starts with points, so your member count grows faster |
| Birthday | A yearly, personal reason to visit. Shoppers add their birthday in the rewards panel |
| Subscribe to the newsletter | Grows your email list. Needs your email platform connected under Integration |
| Follow on social media | Grows your audience. Follows cannot be verified, so points are given when the shopper clicks through |
Add only the ones that suit your store. You can change the points with Edit after adding.
Step 3 — Add rewards
Open Rewards and press Add reward. A reward is what points buy, such as free shipping or a fixed amount off.
Keep the cheapest reward within reach of a first order. People quit when the first reward feels too far away. In the example, free shipping costs 300 points, which is roughly one $300 order or a few smaller orders plus a review.
Each reward shows its cost, what it is worth, how many times it has been redeemed and how many codes are left. A warning such as 8 left means the reward is running out of discount codes, so top them up before redemptions stop.
Step 4 — Set up VIP tiers (optional)
Tiers are levels members move up as they spend. Roughly two in five shoppers say they would leave a programme with no tiers to climb.
Press Add tier and set:
- Reached at — the spend that unlocks the tier, for example $250 for Silver and $750 for Gold
- Perks — a better earning rate (for example 1.5 points per $1), free shipping, or early access to sales and new products
The grey bar above the tiers shows how members move up, for example amount spent in the last 12 months. Press Change to switch to points earned, or to change the period.
Why it sells: a member $40 away from Gold has a reason to add one more item, and a Gold member has a status they do not want to lose.
Step 5 — Check the emails
Open Emails. These bring members back to your store:
| Sent when | |
|---|---|
| Welcome to the programme | A customer joins |
| You earned points | Points are approved |
| You have a reward waiting | A member has enough points for a reward. This is the email that drives the next order |
| Happy birthday | With the birthday reward |
| You reached a new tier | A member moves up a tier |
Each email is sent by WiserReview unless you move it to your own email platform. Press ⋯ on an email and choose Klaviyo or Omnisend. The email is then grouped under that platform, and you build it there as a flow triggered by the event shown. We send the member’s points, tier and reward with the event.
The sign-in link email is always sent by WiserReview, so members can sign in even if a flow on your email platform is paused.
Step 6 — Settings
Open Settings to choose:
- When points are awarded for an order — when the order is paid, fulfilled or delivered. Fulfilled or delivered avoids giving points for orders that are later cancelled.
- Email sender — shown for reference. Press Manage to change it on the Email sender page.
- Member data — how long to keep members who never earned or spent anything, plus exporting or deleting one member’s data on request.
Step 7 — Add the loyalty panel to your store
Expand Set up on your store and press Add widget on Loyalty panel.
The panel is a floating rewards button on every page. Shoppers open it to see their points, how to earn more and what they can redeem. They sign in with a link sent to their email, with no password to remember.
Then press Turn on at the top of the page to start the programme.
Step 8 — Read the results
The Overview tab shows whether the programme is paying for itself:
- Members, Points issued, Points redeemed and Revenue from members for the selected period
- Where points come from — purchases, reviews, referrals, and sign-ups and birthdays. If reviews are a small share, raise the review points.
- Is it working? — the repeat purchase rate, and the average order of members against everyone else. This is the clearest measure of what the programme adds.
- Points you still owe — unspent points and what they are worth. This is the cost still to come.
- Members by tier and Top members — your best customers by name
Step 9 — Manage members
Open Members to search by name or email, filter by tier, and see each member’s points, spend, orders and last activity. Press View for one member, or Export CSV to download the list.
Tips for a programme that sells
- Start small. Place an order, Write a review and one cheap reward is enough to launch.
- Make the first reward reachable. If a new member cannot see a reward within one or two orders, they stop paying attention.
- Reward reviews with photos and videos more than text. They do more to sell your products.
- Keep the “reward waiting” email on. It brings members back at the moment they have a reason to buy.
- Watch “Is it working?” monthly. If members do not order more often or spend more per order than everyone else, change the rewards before adding more ways to earn.