Want to reward your best customers without spending money on fancy apps? You can build a great loyalty program using tools that already come with your Shopify store. This guide shows you how to set up a simple system that works for both online sales and in-store purchases.
What is a Shopify native loyalty program?
A native Shopify loyalty program uses features that are already part of your Shopify account to reward customers who shop with you often. You can group customers based on how much they spend and give special deals to your best shoppers.
Setting up your tiered loyalty structure
First, you need to create groups for different types of customers. Go to the Customers section in your Shopify admin, then click on Segments.
Create three groups:
For your Gold tier, include people who’ve spent over a certain amount (like £500) in the last year and have signed up for your emails.
Your Silver tier might be for those who’ve spent between £200-£500, while Bronze could be for those spending between £50-£200.
These groups update on their own as customers shop more or less with you, so everyone is always in the right group.
Automating rewards with Shopify Flow
Once you have your customer groups, you can use Shopify Flow to send out rewards without having to do it yourself each time.
Set up a simple rule: when someone joins one of your loyalty groups, send them an email with their special discount code.
This means new qualifying customers get their rewards right away without you having to remember to send them.
Creating tier-specific discounts
Next, make discount codes for each loyalty tier.
Go to the Discounts section and create codes like GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE. You might give Gold members 10% off, Silver 7% off, and Bronze 5% off.
Make sure to set each discount so only people in the right group can use it. This way, Gold discounts can only be used by Gold members, and so on.
How the loyalty program works in practice
The best thing about this system is how simple it is. As people shop with you, Shopify keeps track of what they spend and puts them in the right group. When they qualify for a tier, they get an email with their special discount code.
When they use this code at checkout, Shopify checks if they’re allowed to use it before giving the discount. If they stop shopping with you for a while and no longer qualify for their tier, Shopify moves them out of the group, and they can’t use that discount anymore.
While the basic setup works well, you can make it even better. You could add automatic discounts that apply without needing a code, include surprise gifts for your top customers, or send special offers to people who used to be Gold members but haven’t shopped in a while.
Conclusion
You don’t need to pay for expensive loyalty apps to keep customers coming back. By using tools that already come with your Shopify store, you can create a reward system that makes your best customers feel special. This not only helps keep customers coming back but also encourages them to spend more so they can reach the next loyalty level.
