Rivo Loyalty 2025: Increasing Customer Retention by 35%

In today’s fiercely competitive eCommerce world, attracting new customers is only part of the equation. In fact, acquiring a new customer can cost 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one.

Even more compelling, Harvard Business Review reports that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by up to 95%. So if you’re serious about building long-term growth for your Shopify store, you need more than flashy ads—you need a smart, effective loyalty system.

With Rivo Loyalty, creating a meaningful, high-converting rewards program is easier than you think.

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to use Rivo to build a loyalty program tailored to your customers—step by step, with real examples and actionable tips.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve what you already have, this article will walk you through how to turn repeat buyers into your most powerful growth channel.

What is Rivo loyalty system?

At its core, Rivo loyalty system is a structured way to reward customers for meaningful actions over time.

Rather than focusing solely on one-time transactions, it encourages lasting habits—nudging customers to return, engage, and choose your brand again and again.

Here are the main tools Rivo gives you:

• Points Program: Reward customers for actions like purchases or account creation. This is the foundation of your loyalty system.
• Referrals Program: Encourage your existing customers to refer their friends and grow your audience.
• VIP Program: Give special perks to your most engaged customers. It helps build a sense of belonging.
• Accounts: Let customers track their points and progress easily. Works with both Shopify’s classic and new account systems.
• Memberships: Offer a paid or exclusive membership experience that promotes repeat purchases and long-term loyalty.

6 steps to build a custom loyalty program with Rivo

Let’s put this in context: you run a Shopify store selling coffee-related products, whether it’s premium beans, brewing equipment, or accessories.

Your goal is to create a loyalty program that truly connects with your customers and encourages repeat purchases. Throughout next steps, we’ll explore how Rivo Loyalty helps you build a powerful referral programs, VIP tiers, and personalized rewards tailored for your Shopify coffee business.

Let’s get it starded.

Step 1: Connect Rivo to your Shopify store

First, install the Rivo app and go through the setup flow. Then, enable the App Embed:

• Go to Online Store > Themes in your Shopify admin.
• Click Customize on your live theme.
• On the left panel, find and open App Embeds.
• Turn on the Rivo App Embed and Save your changes.
• If the widget doesn’t show up, you might need to sync the app manually.

After installing Rivo, your customers will see a floating widget on your site. This widget is the entry point to your loyalty program — it shows customers their points, rewards, and how to engage with your store.

Set up who can join your program:

• Go to Rivo Admin > Settings > General.
• Choose between Members only or All customers.
• If you use Shopify’s new customer accounts (no password login), it’s best to select All customers.
• Make sure to check the box that allows all customers to earn points, move up VIP tiers, and receive loyalty emails.

Your coffee shop wants every visitor to be part of the loyalty program — whether they have an account or not. By selecting All customers, even guest shoppers using a one-time code can earn points and enjoy rewards. This helps you reach more customers and keeps them engaged.

Step 2. Customize the Ways Customers Earn and Redeem Points

The points system is the heart of your loyalty program. It rewards customers for actions that bring value to your store.

Start by enabling the Points Program from your Rivo dashboard.

Ways to earn points

Go to Programs > Points to set up how customers can earn points. Here are some common options:

• Sign up: Reward new members with, say, 500 points.
• Place an order: Give 5 points per $1 spent, or offer a flat amount per purchase. We recommend using “incremented points” — it’s more motivating for higher spend.
• Social media: Give points for following or sharing your store.
• Birthday: Surprise customers with bonus points on their birthday.
• Product reviews: Integrate with a review app and reward customers for leaving feedback.
• Custom actions: Use Shopify Flows or Rivo API to create unique ways to earn points.

In your coffee store, you decide:

• New members get 500 points when they sign up.
• Every $1 spent earns 5 points.
• Customers can also get points by sharing your brand on social or on their birthday.

Ways to redeem points

Under Points Program, find Ways to Redeem Points. You can set up different types of rewards:

• Discounts: Like $5 off for 500 points. Add minimum spend requirements (e.g., $50) to boost average order value.
• Free shipping coupons.
• Free product rewards.
• POS rewards for in-store redemption.

You can turn these options on or off anytime. And you offer these rewards in your store:

• 500 points = $5 discount (minimum spend $50)
• 800 points = free shipping
• 1200 points = one free pack of coffee beans

Point expiration

You can set points to expire after a certain time — for example, 12 months of no activity. This encourages customers to use their points rather than letting them sit.

You don’t want customers hoarding points forever. So you set them to expire after 12 months of no activity. Rivo will send reminder emails to let customers know their points are about to expire, which nudges them to return and shop again.

Step 3: Launch a Referral Program to Attract New Shoppers

A good referral program makes it easy for happy customers to bring in new ones. With Rivo, you can set up a reward system that benefits both the referrer and the friend they invite. Just go to Programs > Referrals in your Rivo dashboard.

When you run a premium coffee store, you can offer $10 off to both the person who refers and their friend once the friend makes a purchase. It’s a simple win-win that gives customers a reason to share your store.

To help customers spread the word, Rivo lets you add social sharing options. Under Referrals > Social Sharing Settings, you can enable platforms like Email, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

You can even customize the default message customers send on WhatsApp, so it sounds on-brand and inviting.

Here’s how it plays out: Alice loves your coffee. She grabs her unique referral link and sends it to her friend via WhatsApp. Her friend gets $10 off their first order, and Alice earns the same reward—automatically. No need for you to track anything manually.

You can also turn on referral confirmation emails in Programs > Emails.

When a referral is completed, Rivo sends a thank-you email to the customer who shared your store. You control the tone, colors, and layout to match your brand.

For example, Alice gets a warm message right after her friend places an order. The subject line reads, “You did it! Thanks for sharing the love.”

The email reminds her of her earned reward and makes her feel truly appreciated, encouraging her to refer again.

Step 4: Create a VIP Program to Reward Your Best Customers

VIP programs add a fun, gamified layer to customer loyalty. Inside Programs > VIP Program, you can set up different membership levels, each with its own perks and entry rules.

You decide how customers move up: based on points earned, money spent, or number of orders. Most merchants choose three tiers to give customers a sense of progress and achievement.

Let’s go back to your coffee store. You might build a “Coffee Club” with the following structure:

• Bronze: Spend $100, get 5% off
• Silver: Spend $500, get 10% off + early access to new blends
• Gold: Spend $1500, get a free limited edition bag of beans every month + exclusive invites to tasting events

You can also set an expiration period for each tier. For example, with a rolling 12-month window, customers need to keep up their spending to maintain their status. This keeps them coming back.

Each tier can feel more special. The higher customers go, the more they feel like VIPs—not just because of the perks, but because they’ve earned it.

Step 5: Personalize the Loyalty Experience to Match Your Brand

Your loyalty program should feel like a natural part of your brand, not just a plug-in feature. Start by giving it a name that fits your style. If you sell coffee, you might call it “Brew Points” or “Roast Rewards.”

Next, create a dedicated landing page that explains everything: how to earn points, what the VIP tiers are, and how to redeem rewards. This page is public, so both logged-in and new visitors can explore it. Link it in your Shopify main menu, homepage banners, or pop-ups for better visibility.

For example, you can highlight your loyalty page in your main navbar with a call-to-action like “Join Brew Points.” Clear, catchy, and right where customers can see it.

You can also customize the floating launcher widget. Change the color to match your store’s theme—maybe a rich espresso brown—and use a coffee bean icon instead of the default. Add deep links, so when customers click, they jump directly to their points balance or rewards page.

It’s quick, helpful, and branded all the way through.

All emails related to your program—points earned, rewards unlocked, birthday bonuses—can be styled to reflect your brand. Use your logo, fonts, and friendly copy that sounds like you.

Imagine a customer getting an email that says:“Hey Sarah, you just earned 50 Brew Points! Thanks for sticking with us.” It doesn’t just feel transactional. It feels personal.

Step 6: Track Customer Activity and Loyalty Program Performance

A loyalty program works best when you understand what drives your customers. With Rivo, you get powerful segmentation tools and clear analytics to see how your program is performing—and how to improve it.

Start by heading to Customers in your Rivo dashboard. Here, you can filter customers based on behavior: points earned, referrals made, purchases completed, and more.

Want to find top spenders in the last 30 days? Done. Want to identify customers who haven’t used their rewards yet? Easy.

This is especially useful when planning campaigns. For example, say you’re launching a new product. You can send early access invites only to Gold VIPs. Or target customers with 500+ points and remind them to redeem before expiration. It’s smart, relevant, and timely.

Rivo also gives you a clean analytics view inside Analytics. You can see:

• How many rewards have been redeemed
• How much revenue referrals brought in
• What tiers have the most members
• Which reward types get used most

You don’t need to be a data expert. The dashboard breaks it down into visuals you can actually use. If redemptions are low, maybe rewards aren’t exciting enough. If VIP progress stalls, it might be time to refresh the benefits.

Let’s say your “Bronze” tier has hundreds of customers, but very few move up. That’s a signal. Maybe the next tier feels too far away. You could lower the threshold or add a “Fast Track” weekend where purchases count double.

Conclusion

Rivo Loyalty offers your Shopify store a powerful and flexible set of tools to build lasting customer relationships. Whether it’s points, referrals, or VIP tiers, each feature is designed to be user-friendly and help boost engagement and repeat purchases.

That said, every store’s needs are unique.

Other loyalty solutions like Channelwill loyalty app might fit your specific goals or budget better. It’s worth comparing options to find the best fit for your business growth.

Remember, a successful loyalty program takes time to refine. We hope you find the right tool to support your store’s journey to greater success.