This guide is for Shopify Plus brands launching a loyalty program, whether it is the first or a replacement. It takes the decisions in order: goals and points economics, program design, where loyalty shows up across your Plus stack, the launch, and the first 90 days. Shopify facts come from Shopify's Help Center, changelog and Plus pages, read in October 2026. For the basics on any Shopify plan, see how to create a loyalty program on Shopify.
On Plus, a launch is less about installing a widget and more about deciding where members earn, see and spend their points.
TL;DR: To launch a loyalty program on Shopify Plus, set goals and a points budget your finance team signs off, design points, VIP tiers, referrals and bonus events, then put the program into checkout, customer accounts, Shopify POS, Shopify Flow and Klaviyo. Soft launch to staff, import members if you are switching, announce with a launch bonus, and review membership, redemption and repeat purchase rates at 30, 60 and 90 days. Shopify has no built-in points program, so the program runs on a loyalty app such as Smile.
The Launch Plan at a Glance
| Step | What you decide | What you have at the end |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goals and economics | The metrics that define success and what points will cost | A program brief finance signs off |
| 2. Program design | Points, VIP tiers, referrals and bonus events | Earning rules, rewards and tier thresholds |
| 3. Shopify Plus surfaces | Checkout, customer accounts, POS, Flow, Klaviyo, headless | A program members meet wherever they shop |
| 4. Soft launch and import | Live testing, and a member import if you are switching | Verified balances, tiers and redemption |
| 5. Launch campaign | Timing, announcement and a launch bonus | Members enrolled and earning |
| 6. First 90 days | What to watch and when to adjust | A program tuned against your baseline |
Step 1: Set Goals and Program Economics
Record a baseline before launch: repeat purchase rate, purchase frequency, average order value and customer lifetime value. After launch, compare members with non-members on each. Track the program's own health too: membership rate, order earning rate, redemption rate (points flowing from earned to redeemed) and reward usage rate (issued discount codes that get used). For figures to set targets against, see our loyalty program statistics.
Budget points as a liability. Every point is a promise of a future discount. Work out three numbers before you set earning rules:
- Reward rate. The value returned per dollar spent. At 1 point per $1 and 100 points for $5 off, it is 5%.
- Expected redemption. Your real cost is the reward rate times the share of points members redeem. Model a few scenarios, not one.
- Outstanding balance. Under US GAAP (ASC 606), the part of a sale allocated to points is deferred until they are redeemed or expire, as BDO explains (2018). Agree the treatment with finance before launch.
Points expiry keeps the balance in check: on Smile, from the Growth plan, it resets a balance after a set period of inactivity and emails members 30 days and 3 days before by default. Smile's points accounting report shows the value of unredeemed balances, discounts issued and discounts used on orders.
Step 2: Design Points, VIP Tiers, Referrals and Bonus Events
Launch with a program a member understands in one read. You can add to it later; taking things away costs trust.
Points. Reward purchases first, then a few actions such as an account, a birthday or a review. Put a first reward within reach after a purchase or two: across Smile's platform, customers who redeem a reward spend 31% more per order (Smile data team, February 2026).
VIP tiers. Set entry by money spent or points earned, over a calendar year or the customer's lifetime, and size thresholds from your own order data. Smile syncs each member's tier to a Shopify customer metafield, so you can build a customer segment per tier and attach an automatic discount: the perk applies at checkout with no code. Our guide to creating a VIP tier program that drives revenue covers thresholds and perks.
Referrals. Each member gets a unique link; the friend gets a reward on their first order, and the advocate earns theirs once it is placed. Reward advocates in points so acquisition feeds the program. See the best referral program apps for Shopify.
Bonus events. Time-limited point multipliers give members a reason to shop now without a sitewide sale. In Smile's analysis of one to seven day bonus campaigns, top-quartile campaigns drove 50%+ higher daily sales and the median merchant saw 7.5%. Save one for launch week.
Step 3: Put Loyalty Where Customers Shop on Shopify Plus
As of October 2026, Shopify has no points, VIP tier or referral program of its own, so loyalty runs through an app. On Plus, that app can reach checkout too.
| Surface | What loyalty does there | Shopify Plus detail (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Checkout | Shows the points an order earns; members redeem in the checkout | Apps on the information, shipping and payment steps are a Plus feature |
| Customer accounts | A rewards home with balance, rewards and tier progress | Legacy customer accounts deprecated February 26, 2026 |
| Shopify POS | Earn and redeem at the register, one balance everywhere | Plus includes POS Pro for 20 locations, up to 200 with Shopify Payments |
| Shopify Flow and metafields | Custom earning rules and tier-based perks | Flow is a free app; Shopify's own metafield example is a customer "Loyalty tier" |
| Klaviyo | Points, tier and referral link in every flow | Profile properties and events synced from your loyalty app |
| Headless and Hydrogen | Loyalty inside a custom storefront | Built in code, so loyalty comes in through an SDK or API |
Checkout
Shopify's changelog set August 13, 2024 as the date checkout.liquid customizations stopped working on in-checkout pages, so loyalty at checkout runs through app blocks in Shopify's checkout editor. Smile offers two for Shopify Plus, from its Growth plan: one shows the points an order will earn, the other lets signed-in members redeem points.
Customer accounts and Loyalty Hub
Shopify deprecated legacy customer accounts on February 26, 2026, with a final sunset date to be announced later in 2026, so build your rewards home in the current customer accounts. Smile's Loyalty Hub lives there: members track points, claim rewards and see VIP progress, in 20+ languages, from the Growth plan. A branded loyalty landing page on your storefront explains the program to guests.
Shopify POS
If you run stores, launch online and in store on the same day. Smile runs in Shopify POS on every plan as a tile on each location's smart grid. Points earn on any order with an email, name or phone number attached, and each reward can be in store only, online only or both.
Shopify Flow and metafields
Smile adds two Shopify Flow actions, Send Smile activity and Adjust points balance, for rules your earning settings do not cover, such as bonus points on a fifth order. Its VIP tier metafield lets Flow, your theme and Shopify discounts react to a member's tier.
Klaviyo
Connect Klaviyo before launch. Smile syncs five profile properties (points balance, referral URL, VIP tier name, VIP tier ID and program state) and eight events, such as VIP Tier Achieved and Points Expiring, for flow triggers and conditions. Naturium attributes 64% of its loyalty point redemptions to Klaviyo (Q1 2025).
Headless and Hydrogen
On a headless storefront, including Shopify Hydrogen, use Smile's pre-built Smile UI panel or build into your own components with the JavaScript SDK, backed by a REST API with OAuth and webhooks. The SDK and API start on Smile Plus. ROKA, on a headless Shopify storefront, reports a 75% redemption rate among members.
Step 4: Soft Launch and Import Members
Test on your live store. Before announcing, have staff join, earn on a real order, redeem at checkout while signed in, check the customer account, and earn and redeem at one POS location. Trigger each Klaviyo flow once.
Decide what existing customers start with. Smile does not automatically award points for purchases made before it was installed. To give loyal customers credit, adjust balances in bulk with a CSV of email and points, and import VIP tiers so top customers start at the status they earned.
If you are switching, migrate before you announce. Members, point balances and VIP status should move intact, with the old program live until the new one is ready. Freeze the old program's rules, agree when final balances are captured, and spot-check top customers after import. Blue Banana moved from LoyaltyLion to Smile in one week across its online store and 20+ retail locations, and member lifetime value rose 10% in the first 30 days. Our guide to switching from Yotpo to Smile walks through a full cutover.
Step 5: Announce the Program and Run a Launch Campaign
Pick the window. Stay clear of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and your biggest drop, and launch early enough that members have points to spend when peak traffic arrives.
Tell customers everywhere. Email your whole list, with a separate message for customers who start with credit or a tier, and link homepage placements to your loyalty landing page. Switching? Tell members before launch that their points are moving, and at launch where rewards live now.
Give members a reason to act in week one. Run a launch bonus event, such as double points for a limited window. If launch lines up with a drop or sale, Shopify's Launchpad app, available only to Shopify Plus stores, can schedule the theme change, prices and product releases for the same window.
Shopify Plus Loyalty Launch Checklist
Use it as the go or no-go list the week before launch.
- Economics: baseline metrics recorded; reward rate and redemption scenarios signed off by finance; expiry policy in your program terms
- Program: ways to earn, rewards and VIP thresholds final; two-sided referral reward set; launch bonus scheduled
- Checkout: redeem points and show points blocks live in the checkout editor
- Accounts and storefront: Loyalty Hub in the customer account menu; loyalty landing page in your main navigation
- Stores: loyalty tile on every POS location's smart grid
- Data: VIP tier metafield syncing, tier segments and automatic discounts in place; Klaviyo connected and every flow tested
- Launch: staff soft launch done; balances and tiers imported or adjusted; announcement and site placements ready; support team briefed
Step 6: Watch and Adjust in the First 90 Days
| Window | Watch | Adjust if |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 30 | Membership rate, order earning rate, checkout and POS redemption | Few customers join: show the program at checkout and in post-purchase email |
| Days 31 to 60 | Redemption rate and reward usage rate | Points pile up unspent: lower the first reward's cost or add balance reminders |
| Days 61 to 90 | Members vs non-members on repeat purchase rate, frequency and CLV; tier spread; outstanding points | Tiers bunch at the bottom: revisit thresholds. Balance outgrows redemption: review expiry |
Smile's loyalty benchmarks, from the Growth plan, compare your redemption, order earning, reward usage and membership rates with similar merchants on Smile. Applied Nutrition, a UK sports nutrition brand on Shopify Plus, earns points on 94% of orders and runs a 19% redemption rate, above the Smile benchmark for comparable merchants. Change one lever at a time so you know what moved the number.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- No points budget. A generous earn rate with no redemption model becomes a surprise liability.
- A hidden program. A floating button alone is easy to forget. Use checkout, the account and your navigation.
- Treating launch as the finish line. The first 90 days decide whether the program pays back.
Shopify Plus Brands That Launched on Smile
Fiesta Tableware launched Plate Pal Perks in February 2024 with four VIP tiers named for its dinnerware: Coaster, Salad Plate, Luncheon Plate and Dinner Plate. Fiesta reports a 30% conversion lift since launch, and one email to top point earners sold out surplus inventory in 10 minutes.
Great Garden Plants launched its first loyalty program on Smile in March 2026, ahead of its spring peak, with points and VIP tiers first and referrals staged for the off-season. Members show 50% higher CLV than non-members, and 52% of the active customer base enrolled in the first peak season.
Where Smile Stands Out for Shopify Plus Brands
Most loyalty apps built for Plus cover Shopify's main surfaces: in October 2026, Smile, Yotpo, LoyaltyLion and Rivo all list Checkout, Customer accounts, Shopify POS and Shopify Flow on their Shopify App Store listings. Where Smile stands out for a Plus launch:
- Two Shopify certifications. Smile holds Built for Shopify, is a Certified Technology Partner and a 2026 Shopify Build Award winner, and holds SOC 2 Type II (May 2026). See Smile for enterprise.
- Every Plus surface in one program. Checkout redemption, Loyalty Hub in customer accounts, a loyalty landing page published in one click, Shopify POS on every plan with one balance, and headless and Hydrogen support.
- Data where you use it. Benchmarks against similar stores inside Smile, and five profile properties and eight events on every profile in Klaviyo.
- A launch run with you. On Smile Plus, Smile's team builds your migration and launch plan and runs the switch, with named launch support through the first 90 days, quarterly program monitoring and priority support. More in Smile for Shopify Plus and Smile for Shopify Plus: everything you need to know.
Javier Millan, Loyalty Lead at Blue Banana: "The Smile success team has been incredible to work with. They're always available, proactive, and genuinely invested in helping us get the most out of the platform."
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Shopify Plus have a built-in loyalty program? No. As of October 2026, Shopify has no points, VIP tier or referral program on any plan. Loyalty runs on Shopify App Store apps, which on Plus can add redemption to checkout, a rewards page to customer accounts and earning at Shopify POS.
How do I launch a loyalty program on Shopify Plus? Set goals and a points budget, design the program, then set up checkout, customer accounts, Shopify POS, Flow and Klaviyo. Soft launch to staff, import members if switching, announce with a launch bonus, and review at 30, 60 and 90 days.
How long does it take to launch a loyalty program on Shopify Plus? It depends on how much you migrate and how many surfaces you set up. Smile does not publish a standard timeline: on Smile Plus, your launch team maps it up front against your rewards, tiers and launch date.
Can customers redeem loyalty points at checkout on Shopify Plus? Yes. Plus stores can add app blocks to the information, shipping and payment steps of checkout. Smile's redeem points block lets signed-in members spend points there, and a second block shows the points the order will earn, both from Smile's Growth plan.
How should we budget for loyalty points? Treat points as a liability. Multiply your reward rate (5% if 100 points, earned on $100, buy $5 off) by the share of points you expect members to redeem, and agree with finance how outstanding points are booked.
What is the best loyalty app for Shopify Plus? It depends on your stack and how much launch help you want. Smile holds Built for Shopify and Certified Technology Partner status, and on Smile Plus, Smile's team runs your launch. See the best loyalty apps for Shopify Plus for the main options, and customer loyalty software for ecommerce if you are weighing an API-first loyalty engine too.
