16 Customer Loyalty Program Software Options for Your Business

A variety of businesses use loyalty programs as part of their marketing strategy. These programs make the customers who already love coming back even more incentivized to do so. Thankfully, customer loyalty program software makes running these types of reward programs easy.

But what is loyalty program software? How can you compare loyalty software to find the best fit for your business? We’ll help you answer these questions in this comprehensive guide to loyalty program software.

What is a loyalty program?

A good way to increase the likelihood of returning customers is to set up a rewards or loyalty program. Customer loyalty programs can also help increase retention and profit.

A loyalty program – not a referral program – is a type of rewards program. Customer loyalty programs reward customers for making frequent purchases, in the hopes of driving customer loyalty. A customer loyalty program offers a discount, a free item, or specific merchandise as a reward. This happens after a customer makes a certain number of qualifying purchases. Many types of businesses use loyalty programs, including airlines, restaurants, and ecommerce retailers.

Most early loyalty programs provided the customer with some sort of reward tracking card. Nowadays, loyalty software is available, so instead of using a physical card to track purchases, tracking can be done within an app.

Here are two examples of popular loyalty programs:

Dunkin’ has a popular loyalty program. If you make purchases through your Dunkin’ Rewards account, you accumulate points, which you can eventually redeem for free beverages. Dunkin’ also sends out a birthday reward and other coupons to Rewards members.

Another well-known loyalty program is Petco’s. Their Pals Reward program offers cardholders discounts throughout the store. They also offer a points system that leads to a $5 off coupon. The program’s discounts change weekly, and Petco runs many limited-time promotions for cardholders. A fairly constant part of this program, though, is the guaranteed $5 for every $100 spent in the store.

Advantages of loyalty program software

Why use software to run a loyalty program? Here is an overview of the main benefits:

Lets customers go cardless: Program members don’t have to worry about remembering a physical card. Instead, all the loyalty program info is stored on their phones, for the maximum convenience and reward.

Reward flexibility: Design your program and rewards to meet the specific needs of your business. Set up multiple rewards, conditions to earn rewards, and reward structures, if that’s what your business desires.

Detailed tracking: Loyalty program software gathers and aggregates data on customer behavior, so you can design and adapt a program that truly motivates customers to keep purchasing from you.

Marketing automation: Automate the distribution of rewards once they are earned to save on time and hassle of performing routine tasks.

Customer loyalty program software: Our evaluation criteria

Want to launch your own loyalty program? To help you get your loyalty program off to a good start, our team has done in-depth research on the leading loyalty program software tools. We used the following criteria to evaluate our loyalty program software list:

Customer loyalty program software: Our comprehensive review

Based on the above criteria, we’ve compiled a list of 16 tools to consider using to run a customer loyalty program (both popular choices and emerging players). We cover their most popular features and advantages, so you can make the right decision for your business.

Please note: The software is not in any particular order of rating or recommendation. Our aim is to put together a complete source of loyalty program software, and give you a clear picture of all the available options.

Now, on to our list of the best customer loyalty program software options.

Giftbit

Giftbit’s loyalty program software makes it easy for you to recognize, reward and incentivize your audience by sending gift cards. With Giftbit, you have access to hundreds of top gift card brands, such as Visa and Amazon. Plus, you can select many gift card brands for your recipient to choose from or donate to. Giftbit’s unique click-to-claim model makes them one of the most cost-effective loyalty software choices. This is especially true for large-scale campaigns.

Companies use Giftbit to get new users, drive more sales and gain growth insights. In 2016, Giftbit expanded to include a second platform, Lightrail. Lightrail provides merchants tools for branded currency. Companies combine Lightrail’s points accumulation system with Giftbit’s automated reward fulfillment. This creates an all-in-one loyalty and rewards solution.

Unlike other solutions where you have no visibility as to whether the cards are ever claimed, Giftbit provides comprehensive reporting on the status of every gift card. This way, your company can gain greater insights on your program and easily examine its ROI.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Cost efficiency: You don’t hold any gift card inventory. You also get credit for the gift cards people don’t use, and thus save an average of 7.5%.
• Control of delivery: You control delivery of the gift card via email, text or app. You can also bulk send gift cards to any number of people.
• Tracking, data, and management: Insights on delivery, usage, and recipient behavior.
• Customize branding: You control the branding and messaging associated with the gift card.
• RESTful API: Automate gift card sending with ease through your own system. Giftbit handles the purchasing, activation, and delivery.

Highlighted reviews:

“I would recommend Giftbit to anyone wanting to incentivize or reward people. This is a minimal-hassle platform that takes the pain out of keeping track of hundreds or thousands of gift cards sent.  The Giftbit interface is lightweight and intuitive. I can easily check on the status of Giftbits I’ve sent to recipients, and know who has and who hasn’t activated their rewards yet. I also like the bulk options, for sending hundreds of Giftbits at a time.” –Rob R., review via Capterra

“I love the ease with which we get to send this out to customers. Also, the fact that we could use this service even though we were not in Giftbit’s primary customer location. None of our customers ever complained about problems with claiming their gifts. And for our customers, who can sometimes be very impatient, we have been glad they have had no reason to complain about our incentive program.” –Ibukun O., review via G2

LoyalZoo

LoyalZoo is an easy loyalty program software system. It helps independent businesses create and launch an in-store loyalty program in minutes. The LoyalZoo app knows that points card members spend more and are valuable to businesses. This is because card members typically spend more per visit than non-card members. So, LoyalZoo focuses on providing a customizable digital punch card interface.

LoyalZoo adapts to your business, meaning you have full control. You can sign up customers on your POS system by using their phone number or email address. Then, points or stamps are sent to customers via text or email – meaning they don’t have to download an app if they don’t want to. Of course, the app is available for customers who do wish to use it.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Supports multiple locations: if you have a chain, your customers can earn points across all stores.
• Free organic marketing: when a customer signs up for a LoyalZoo program using Facebook, their check-ins appear in their friend’s Facebook feed.
• Your branded loyalty card: design your digital loyalty card with your logo and coloring.
• Works for all purchase types: Customers can earn points on both physical and digital purchases.

Highlighted reviews:

“I love that it’s so easy to use and simple. You can customize how you want your points to be. Whether it’s a point per dollar, or a point per visit, or a point per item/service, it’s easy. I also love that I can view the history of clients and see when their total visits and last visits were. I also love the search function. Listings come up as you’re typing in the 3rd character. It’s simple for what I need for my business and at the right price. There are other rewards systems out there but way too expensive for what I need.” –Hoang T., via Capterra

“Overall, our experiences with LoyalZoo have been very positive compared to our last loyalty program. I think the only issue we’ve come up with more frequently is monitoring our points from different stores (as our client base is linked with both accounts, sometimes it’s hard to determine where the point is coming from since the purchase history is linked to the accounts). However, on any questions or issues we have, usually  customer service replies and gives us guidance as soon as possible. This is one of the strongest reasons we’ve continued with LoyalZoo: the customer service is simply impeccable.” –Joshua W., via Capterra

Loyalty Gator

Loyalty Gator software is used by merchants all over the world (in 19 countries!). Clients appreciate that the platform is flexible so they can customize their loyalty programs with an easy-to-use system at an affordable rate. Furthermore, businesses can test it out before they buy with the 30-day free trial.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• No transaction fees.
• Merchants own all of their customer/transaction data entered into the system and can export it at any time.
• Clients like that their program is their own. Programs are not within a shared network with hundreds of other participating merchants or competitors.
• They offer a robust API that allows clients to integrate with many third-party systems and create custom solutions.

Highlighted reviews:

“We absolutely love LoyaltyGator! This software has streamlined our process for our internal rewards program. It is easy to use and has all of the features that we were looking for (i.e. multiple users, reporting, custom fields, etc.) In addition, the software doesn’t break the bank.

“The overall experience has been nothing less than wonderful. Everything has worked out perfectly. It has streamlined our internal program and has lessened the administrative burden that comes with a manual operating program.” –Jessica W., via Capterra

“Overall experience was great. I have to give credit to my representative. He was so helpful, it was honestly above and beyond. The customized support from this guy kept me very confident as the client. The simplicity of the software is great. When I first did research, a lot of software seemed overly complicated. I really enjoy Loyalty Gator’s simple approach to rewards programs.” –Kevin K., via Capterra

FiveStars

FiveStars is a powerful rewards program software that lets businesses create rewards programs as unique as they are. Upgrade from boring punch cards and switch to a digital, flexible rewards program. Businesses can connect with customers by sending them rewards at the right time. This boosts traffic by sending promotions to customers with a few simple clicks.

FiveStars helps businesses in a variety of industries, including restaurants, clothing, health and beauty, and retail. The software helps these businesses send targeted offers and powerful promotions to customers. It’s marketing done automatically and when it counts.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Easy sign-up and check-in: Customers can easily sign-up in-store or via the app with their phone number.
• Easily check how often each enrolled customer has shopped with you.
• Automatic campaigns: The autopilot feature automatically sends customers notifications, to keep them engaged. Target customers who haven’t shopped with you in a while, or send rewards to your best customers.
• Promotions tool: Send one-time promotions to help spike customer visits.

Highlighted reviews:

“FiveStars not only helped create and maintain our loyalty program, but they also monitor customer interactions to turn a one time shopper into a loyal customer. It is very user-friendly. Customers use a tablet to enter their information and once they’re in the system, we can reward them with coupons and incentives to come back to shop.

“FiveStars monitors how long a customer has been away from the store and allowed us to target certain messages to those customers who hadn’t been in the store in a while. We were able to make our customer count stronger and created a sense of urgency with coupons and promotions. It was also beneficial that we could let customers know about upcoming events. I love that FiveStars wants you to be successful. They would call to check in and give useful advice and tips to continue to grow our business through the loyalty program.” –Pam S., via Capterra

“As a family-owned business, we know the importance of customer loyalty. FiveStars allows us to see what motivates our return customers, and to keep track of the customers who are less regular. The set-up was easy. As soon as we received our tablets, a customer service person walked us through step-by-step.

“The software is user-friendly, so we were able to implement FiveStars immediately. Their marketing specialists have helped us establish effective rewards and promotions. Technical support has been great too! In addition to their support phone number, FiveStars also has chat and email contacts, which means we can always get an answer to any question we may run into.” –Amanda R., via Capterra

Clover

Clover is an all-in-one CRM, point of sale and payment system for small and medium-sized businesses. Clover’s loyalty program feature is all about mobile loyalty. It also helps online and brick-and-mortar businesses build better relationships with customers, too, by turning occasional shoppers into regulars. Clover provides businesses with a way to give their customers mobile punch cards at checkout.

The loyalty program part of Clover launched in 2011 as Perka, a standalone loyalty program software. Today, the software is active in 50 states and nine countries under the Clover name. The mobile app lists all Clover businesses in the area for customers as well, making it appealing for customers to become frequent visitors all over the city they live in.

Keep in mind that Clover is an all-in-one POS system in addition to a loyalty program software. So, it’s likely more expensive than most other loyalty management solutions, and it’s not a viable choice if you’ve selected another POS.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Fully integrated into the Clover POS for seamless tracking.
• Local discovery helps new local customers find you… and then frequent you.

Highlighted review:

“My customers really enjoyed the app as it allowed them to earn rewards for spending their money with us. It is a great idea. We had it set that every dollar spent was a point and once you reach a certain amount of points you get money off your next purchase.

“Customers had to download the app and could either manually enter the code that was printed with their receipt or they could connect their phone to our Clover system and points would be applied automatically. My only complaint is that a lot of times we had problems with our customers’ phones connecting.” –Shelby Y., via Capterra

Thanx

The Thanx loyalty program software pairs well with brick-and-mortar businesses and helps them drive revenue. This is because Thanx helps businesses focus on customer relationships rather than discounts by rewarding frequent, high-spending customers.

Thanx programs are customizable to fit unique business needs. For example, it can help restaurants sync mobile ordering with their loyalty program. Additionally, Thanx is easy to use for both customers and merchants. Customers won’t have to jump through hoops, and merchants don’t have to install any hardware or work with complicated POS integrations. Best of all, Thanx is automated, so it’s always running in the background to help merchants reach out to customers.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Dashboard with detailed customer profiles: All customer data lives on your Thanx dashboard, which makes responding  to customer feedback easy.
• Mobile app: The mobile platform is great for real-time actions. Actions include notifications, loyalty tracking, and communication.
• Customer feedback and NPS: Thanx gives your business a strategic advantage by helping you identify valuable customers and track satisfaction.

Belly

Belly helps you collect customer information that keeps customers engaged and loyal to your brand. It takes paper punch cards to a new level with a multi-business digital loyalty program. A business builds their customer loyalty program via iPad, and once customers sign up, they can check-in and earn points for rewards. Businesses in all sorts of industries use Belly, including restaurants, retailers, auto repair shops, and health and fitness centers.

Belly makes it easy for customers by enabling them to check rewards and Belly activity via the Belly app. The app tracks all locations that use Belly rewards in one place, making it easy for customers to find participating locations. Of course, since the Belly app showcases many brands in one space, it won’t work for businesses that want to build their own branded and customized loyalty app.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• An out-of-the-box digital loyalty program with easy setup
• Create and control a customer-facing iPad program that represents your branding
• In-store marketing materials: Stickers, signs, and digital collateral helps promote your loyalty program
• Social media exposure: Connect to Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp to get more likes and shares

Highlighted reviews:

“This was an innovative and easy way to create a rewards program at my previous employer. It’s intact with the digital age, and keeps people coming back and no need to remember any tangible item, just keep your phone. However, this program is not necessarily custom to any one particular vendor and by using the same rewards company and logo for any business, then there is nothing visually that sets our store apart from others using the same program.” –Anonymous reviewer, via G2

“As a user of Belly, I love to collect points and gain my rewards. It keeps me a loyal customer. As an administrator of a Belly program at my business, it is excellent for keeping customers coming back in. Once they use their first reward, they are hooked. A lot of customers think it’s a gimmick and there’s a catch to it. There isn’t. It’s an excellent product.” –Anonymous reviewer, via Capterra

Tapmango

Tapmango provides businesses with the tools needed to run their own loyalty program. Setup only takes 30 minutes, and businesses have the ability to customize their programs from top to bottom. Rewards, specials, and information collected from the customer can be customized.

Tapmango lets businesses connect with customers by SMS, mobile push, and email. Businesses can create customer ‘happy hours’ by putting specific items on sale. Businesses can even offer instant deals, allow customers to prepay for items via text, or integrate their mobile ordering system and loyalty program in one interface. Tapmango integrates with all the major POS systems including Vend, Square, Lightspeed Retail and Restaurant, Mindbody, Checkfront,  and more. Tapmango can work side-by-side with any other POS, and be up and running within minutes.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Automate rewards for birthdays, events, or when a customer hasn’t visited in a given time frame
• Multiple tablets with different configurations at a single location
• App supports both single locations and franchises with multiple stores
• Complete customization: Businesses can customize almost everything to fit their branding

Highlighted reviews:

“I love how it is tailored to my company. If I want to make a change, add a feature, or if I am just having trouble figuring something out, there is someone there to help me all the time. I have never had an unanswered question!

“There are so many different ways to reward your customers, from automatic texts when they haven’t been in for a certain amount of time, to sending out specific promos and vouchers to get them back in sooner. The birthday gift is a huge hit as well! We just give out something small. But customers love it! There are so many different things that you can do on a regular basis to keep customers coming back.” –Christina S., via Capterra

“We’re able to effectively communicate to our customers when we are running sales. The auto campaign keeps customers engaged and reminded about our store without being intrusive. This program allows our customers an exciting and interesting way to earn discounts.

“We have tried several of the popular rewards programs for our business, but none of them compare to TapMango. Our customers absolutely love the program, and the program is very easy to use. When we send out a custom campaign for a sale, our sales numbers spike significantly. This program easily pays for its monthly fee inside of the first few days of each month. I highly recommend TapMango.” –Jimmy W., via Capterra

Kangaroo Rewards

Kangaroo Rewards makes setting up a loyalty program easy for any business, so your business can get started in a matter of minutes. This loyalty program software lets you fully customize your program to fit your brand, including personalizing each customer’s experience for increased customer engagement.

It offers a myriad of program structure options for your brand to choose, including a points-per-dollar structure and a tier system. Reward customers for visiting your store, for spending a certain amount in one purchase or purchasing a specific product, and more. Automatic time-based rewards are also available, which let you reward customers on their birthday, or entice them to come back if they haven’t purchased from you in a given time frame. And there’s no limit to the reward rules you can set up.

Customers can access your program through a Kangaroo app, so there’s no need for them to worry about forgetting a loyalty card. Plus, a business dashboard gives you the all-important insights on customers’ behavior, empowering you to change up your program based on what customers find most engaging. And a customer success team helps you every step of the way.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Fully customizable: Structures and rewards to fit your brand
• Dedicated program specialist: A customer success manager will assist you with every step of setting up and running your program.
• Multi-lingual: Set up your loyalty program in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese.
• Integration with Lightspeed: If you have the Lightspeed POS platform, Kangaroo Rewards integrates seamlessly.
• App-based: Free Kangaroo app means no missing out on rewards because of a forgotten card

Highlighted reviews:

“I run a small scale business but we have fantastic profits and a lot of repeat customers, and Kangaroo was able to help me develop my own rewards program for my loyal and dedicated customers/clients. Kangaroo was very easy to learn and navigate, which reduced the time it took to be able to achieve the rewards system that I wanted to. When you’re running a business with a close-knit team but have high production demands, time is very important, and I praise Kangaroo for helping me develop my rewards system without forcing me into spending too much time trying to learn how to navigate the software.” –Amanda Josalene W., via Capterra

“Kangaroo Rewards replaced several pieces of software for us. We were able to do away with email newsletter software and text message software, and we were able to update our paper rewards system. We saved a little money and a lot of monthly effort putting all of these things into one place. The biggest way we saved was removing the labor cost of maintaining our manual rewards card system. Customers are loving redeeming things with their points. We can choose all manner of things for them to redeem, and they love the choices.” –Sharni V., via Capterra

LoyaltyLion

LoyaltyLion’s loyalty program software is specifically designed for ecommerce stores, rather than brick-and-mortars. It lets you reward any number of actions customers take on your site, at any point in their customer journey, so you can reward loyal customers and entice customers at risk for churn. This includes giving customer rewards for social media shares and reviews, so you can reward that valuable word-of-mouth marketing.

Its integrations with Shopify and Magento stores, as well as a myriad of apps, stand out. And, if you’re running your own ecommerce store, independent from one of these platforms, LoyaltyLion will work with your store as well. LoyaltyLion allows for full customization of your program, so it feels like another seamless part of your brand.

Easy-to-interpret data shows just how much of your customer base can be considered loyal, and how much revenue they’re generating, as well as which customers are considered at-risk. And performance insights help you optimize your loyalty program for the best results.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Enticing loyalty emails: Points statements let customers know exactly how much they’ve earned in a given period, as well as how many total points are available. Event emails drive traffic to your site by letting customers know about new point-earning opportunities.
• Plenty of integrations: Seamlessly meshes with top ecommerce, POS, CRM, email marketing, and other software you use to run your online store.
• Customer insights: See loyal and at-risk customers and their impact at a glance

Highlighted reviews:

“Loyalty Lion is a great company to work with. They like to keep things simple, as do we, and the approach is working nicely. Once set up, this requires very little attention. The integrations are great and admin dashboard is easy to navigate and use. The customer service team are always fast to respond if you ever need them. The emails that are sent out from Loyalty Lion out of the box can be basic in appearance, but with the ability to integrate with MailChimp and Bronto etc. for sending, this hasn’t held us back.” –Ben S., via Capterra

“Overall I’ve been happy with Loyalty Lion. For the price compared to other solutions out there, it can’t be beat. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a loyalty program for their store. It’s quite easy to use and integrate with BigCommerce.

“They also have a lot of great features such as points for following on social media, writing reviews, etc in addition to points for purchase. They also have a great email platform that sends our emails to customers when they sign up, when they have enough points to redeem a voucher, as well as a monthly reminder to use their points. –Alex J., via Capterra

Zinrelo

Zinrelo’s enterprise loyalty program software aims to stand out by offering maximum personalization for many business types, including ecommerce, brick-and-mortar, combined online and physical stores, and even B2B businesses. Reward any number of 100+ loyal actions, tier your program if you choose, and pick the actions that best motivate your customers.

Plus, activate points multipliers for certain products, or bonus points on larger orders, if you want. And see each customer’s value, by points history and purchase history, at a glance.

Before you launch your program, Zinrelo has their data science team analyze your customers’ purchasing histories, to help you design a program structure that really motivates your customers. Then, once the program is running, Zinrelo’s algorithms divide users into categories and suggest specific rewards strategies that will resonate with each group, which you can implement individually with a reward segmentation feature.

Each Zinrelo plan comes with a dedicated customer success team to assist you with the launch and maintenance of your program. And the “API-first” design means it’s ready to integrate with your other software – including future software.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• White-glove service: Team of six dedicated customer success managers, and data science team, help you design the most effective program for your business
• Detailed customer dashboard: Check each individual customer’s purchase and points-earning history.
• Win-back bonus option: Optional double points feature for customers who haven’t purchased from you in several months.
• Intuitive and clean customer interface: Customers will know exactly what to do to earn rewards.

Highlighted reviews:

“This is one of the most user-friendly and flexible apps we could find! It comes ready to go active right out of the box, but it also provides a very customizable platform. The staff is super friendly and available right away, and with fast and real results (hard to find with these types of services). The pricing is also very friendly and can accommodate any company’s gradual growth. We are very impressed so far, and we will use Zinrelo with our 2 other websites very soon!” –anonymous reviewer, via G2

“We are quite happy with our Zinrelo Loyalty program, and we are particularly happy with how the Zinrelo team reaches out to us to suggest new features that we could be using, to drive more traffic to the website. While the platform itself is easy to use, we did have some difficulty with integration, and getting all of the web orders to track. We were eventually able to resolve that issue though.

“Currently, it is only tracking orders for web purchases. In order to track in store purchases, we would need to have an API integration built into the backend of our system, which will be an additional cost. It is something that we would like to do, however, because it will really make the Zinrelo program work seamlessly.” –Kathy S., via Capterra

Marsello

Marsello is more than just a loyalty program software: it’s a loyalty and CRM software, plus more marketing tools, combined into one package. So, if you’re looking for a comprehensive solution, Marsello might be your best bet. On the loyalty end, Marsello lets you create an app-based program so your customers don’t have to worry about bringing a physical card to your store.

You can customize your loyalty points and rewards structure, and add new rewards as you go based on customer feedback and preferences. Then, as customers accumulate enough points to earn rewards, Marsello automatically sends them an email that details the rewards they can redeem. And Marsello makes running a connected loyalty program across multiple physical stores simple and seamless, with no friction. You can also send limited coupons to further incentivize purchasing, with rules that prevent coupon abuse.

Most importantly, you’ll get comprehensive data about customers’ purchases, points earned, and loyalty levels, so you can see if they’re VIPs, regular customers, customers at risk of churn, or lapsed – and use the right strategies to either keep them loyal or bring them back.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Customers don’t have to worry about forgetting a physical card. With the app on their phone, they’re good to go.
• Marsello combines a loyalty program software with a CRM, so your data stays in one place. (Or if it’s lost, there are some good data recovery software that can help you get back up and running.)
• Built-in NPS: Collect feedback from customers, measure your NPS score and identify your biggest advocates, so you can mobilize them to promote your business. This also helps you identify your at-risk customers and take action to retain them.
• Current and upcoming integrations: Marsello integrates with Shopify, Woocommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and more ecommerce platforms.

Highlighted review:

“Marsello [formerly Goody] has been great in the feedback forms of finding out what clients truly feel about your business and what you can improve on. The time I would spend following up on clients, whether it was birthdays, follow ups, ratings, etc., it has now taken over for me now saving me time! I no longer have to worry about that. The point system has become fair for my clients and they are loving earning and redeeming rewards!” –Carine W., via Capterra

Antavo

Antavo bills itself as “the leading customer retention technology for retail and fashion,” and helps over 30,000 businesses run loyalty programs with over 19 million active members. As a modern loyalty program, Antavo is app-based, and uses NFC technology to scan customers’ phones as digital loyalty cards. This opens up the opportunity to set up self-service loyalty kiosks with engaging interactive experiences.

Gamification is a major part of Antavo – set up a tiered program, create branded “challenges,” let customers spin a thrilling prize wheel when they visit your store, or even stage an interactive treasure hunt in-store! It hasn’t forgotten about customer personalization, either. Antavo has integrated ways to encourage customers to share the information needed to personalize, without feeling intrusive.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Easily integrates with your existing suite of ecommerce, POS, and CRM software.
• Hyper-gamification: Antavo’s a master of turning your loyalty program into an engaging game (perfect for the mobile-centric world).
• Detailed dashboard with KPIs: See exactly how customers engage with your program, and how the program helps you increase your bottom line.
• Resource library: Ebooks and videos help you get your loyalty program up and running.

Highlighted reviews:

“There are many features that we can activate inside the Antavo customer loyalty platform, but if I think about the ones that have had a direct impact on our business, I would definitely choose the following. We can create dedicated events to track and reward special initiatives (like surveys, games, in-store purchases).

“We can create different kinds of rewards to make them more attractive to the customers. We can handle double points campaigns on certain categories to incentive purchases. I like the fact that Antavo software is very user-friendly and that we can customize it according to our needs, adding new features and new modules every time the strategy requires it.” –Francesca M., via Capterra

“We were searching for a loyalty program in order to differentiate ourselves from the competition. Antavo fills the bill to a tee. It can be customized and fits with the aesthetic of our website too. Antavo is a great loyalty program. It is extremely user-friendly and includes various features.

“Antavo’s customer service goes above and beyond and contributes advice and help consistently. Antavo is vested in the success of their app and offers feedback and assistance in order to optimize campaigns and conversions. We love it all and highly recommend it to businesses of all sizes.” –Shana I., via Capterra

Loopy Loyalty

Simple yet effective, Loopy Loyalty’s digital loyalty card program is a great choice for small businesses. This loyalty program software is centered around the virtual punch card model, where a purchase or dollar amount spent earns a “punch” on a digital card; after a certain amount of “punches,” a reward is unlocked.

You’ll design a unique card to fit your business, with the look and reward rules you prefer. How many “punches” are needed to receive the reward, and what will that reward be? Will there be multiple rewards available, each with a different number of “punches” needed to earn? It’s your call.

Each digital loyalty card is distributed via a unique URL or QR code, in person at your store, or using email, text, or social media. Once it’s opened, the card gets stored in a customer’s mobile wallet (Apple Wallet or Google Pay), so that customer has their card whenever they have their phone. Also included is the ability to send personalized notifications to your customers, including an automatic message when a customer is near your location.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Easy setup: Simple digital punchcard model means you’ll be ready to go in minutes.
• Integration with online payment platforms: Including Apple Wallet and Google Pay
• Unlimited users on all plans: However many customers you have, they can all sign up at no additional cost to you.

Highlighted review:

“I think it’s definitely boosted my sales. It’s also increased customer retention. In my business, customer loyalty requires work. This tool has definitely helped with that.  I was looking for a loyalty card program that was easy to use and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. This fit the bill perfectly. It’s very easy to use (on both the owner and customer side), and it’s quite reasonably priced, in my opinion. Their customer service people are readily available, if you need them, and they’re super helpful. All in all, this is a good service for anyone looking for a simple, easy-to-use loyalty program.

“However, you have to check to be sure it’s asking for all the customer data. As an example, I didn’t notice it was only asking for customer first names. So my first 25 customers have only their first names inputted. That makes it a little awkward when you’re trying to figure out which Amy’s card you’re about to punch. Couple this with the fact you can’t add to their data once entered (or at least I haven’t figured out how yet).” –Stephanie F., via Capterra

Points and Rewards for WooCommerce

Points And Rewards For WooCommerce, by WP Swings, is a customer retention solution that aims to engage customers by offering them rewards points for activities they perform on your online storefront, like signup, purchase, and sharing. Customers can redeem points with on-purchase discounts and participate in the membership program.

Using this solution in your WooCommerce store can improve your sales, return on investment (ROI), conversion rate, and customer lifetime value (CLV).

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Engages customers with points and rewards with every action they perform.
• Builds a strong customer base by providing loyalty rewards to your regular and top shoppers, integrated into your WooCommerce store
• Affordable price point

Spark Loyalty

Spark Loyalty is an affordable loyalty and customer engagement solution designed for retailers. Built by a small, independent local business for local businesses, Spark Loyalty is easy to use and highly customizable. You don’t need a tablet to use the Spark Loyalty app – you can run it right from your phone. And unlike other loyalty suite solutions, you won’t have to purchase a point-of-sale platform or pay more for other features you don’t need.

Some advantages of this loyalty program software:

• Fully loyalty-focused with no upselling: You don’t have to pay more for other features, like a POS platform, to access Spark Loyalty’s loyalty program
• Stellar customer service from a small business that understands local businesses
• Unlimited push notifications and email campaigns for customer engagement, plus unlimited text messaging campaigns with the Pro plan
• Affordable price point

Highlighted review:

“Overall, my experience with Spark Loyalty has been really positive. It’s helping my business keep existing customers and prompt customers who haven’t visited in a while to come back. It’s fostered great relationships with my community and made a business transaction feel more personal. My favorite features of this product is the ease for customers to have an electronic punch card that keeps them coming back and offers incentive to get a reward. My other favorite feature is the dashboard where I can control any campaigns, see my customer stats, and easily manage the program.” –Ni F., via Capterra

Who is loyalty software best for?

Despite all the benefits of loyalty programs, loyalty program software isn’t always the best choice for every business. This is because certain businesses stand to reap the benefits of loyalty programs much more strongly than others.

A loyalty program (and loyalty program software) will best fit your business if you meet one or more of the following:

• You sell relatively inexpensive products
• Customers purchase from you frequently  (approx. once per month, at least)
• It’s easy to make purchasing from you a habit, for another reason. (For example, if you offer recurring services, that happen on a regular basis: annually, monthly, weekly, etc.)

And some industries where loyalty programs fit especially well are:

• Food services (restaurants, cafes, etc.)
• Beauty
• Apparel
• Nearly all ecommerce
• Recurring services (salons, dentists, pest control, gyms, etc.)

If a loyalty program software isn’t the best fit for your business, consider referral program software as an alternative software type. In the next section, we’ll cover the differences between the two software types to help you make the best decision.

What makes referral software a great alternative?

Referral program software is sometimes confused with loyalty program software, but they are distinctly different software types. Here’s a brief overview of the differences, to help clear up the confusion.

Referral program software is not the same as loyalty program software.

Loyalty program software rewards people for sticking with your business and making repeat purchases. Meanwhile, referral program software rewards customers for sharing your business with friends, and also rewards the referred friend when they make their first purchase from you.

In a nutshell, loyalty program software works towards customer retention, but referral marketing platforms work towards both customer acquisition and customer retention. And referral program software has a customer advocacy element, but loyalty program software does not. Loyalty program software can reward many brand-building actions. Referral marketing software focuses solely on rewarding the action of referring friends.

Wrapping things up: Loyalty software, referral software, or both?

Even with all these differences, both referral software and loyalty software share an important similarity – they encourage and reward loyal customers, and help build a customer base that’s more likely to stick with you.

Loyalty program software encourages existing customers to stick with your business by offering them rewards for brand-building actions.

Meanwhile, referral program software rewards loyal customers for sharing your brand with friends and build new loyal customers because people trust their friend’s word.

Still trying to decide? Our guide to referral vs. loyalty programs may help.