sales-loyalty

What this skill does

# Customer Loyalty Programs

Help the user design and manage loyalty programs — from strategy and structure through points/tiers/rewards mechanics, member engagement, and ROI measurement. This skill is tool-agnostic but includes platform-specific guidance for Brevo Loyalty, Smile.io, LoyaltyLion, Yotpo, Stamp.me, and custom-built solutions.

## Step 1 — Gather context


If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What do you need help with?**
   - A) Program design — creating a new loyalty program from scratch
   - B) Tool selection — choosing loyalty program software
   - C) Points & rewards — setting up earning rules and reward catalog
   - D) Tiers / VIP — designing tier levels and progression
   - E) Member engagement — increasing participation and redemption
   - F) Analytics & ROI — measuring program effectiveness
   - G) Integration — connecting loyalty to e-commerce, CRM, or POS
   - H) Migration — switching loyalty platforms
   - I) Something else — describe it

2. **What type of business?**
   - A) E-commerce / DTC
   - B) Retail (physical stores)
   - C) SaaS / subscription
   - D) Hospitality / restaurants
   - E) B2B
   - F) Multi-location / franchise
   - G) Other

3. **Current loyalty setup?**
   - A) No program yet — starting from scratch
   - B) Using Brevo Loyalty
   - C) Using Smile.io
   - D) Using LoyaltyLion
   - E) Using Yotpo
   - F) Using a custom-built solution
   - G) Using another platform
   - H) Have a basic program (punch card, discount codes) but want to upgrade

**If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end.

## Step 2 — Strategy and approach

### Loyalty program types

| Type | How it works | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Points** | Earn points on purchases, redeem for rewards | E-commerce, retail | 1 point per $1 spent, 100 points = $5 off |
| **Tiered** | Higher tiers unlock better perks | Brands wanting aspirational status | Silver → Gold → Platinum with increasing benefits |
| **Paid / VIP** | Pay for membership with exclusive benefits | Premium brands, Amazon Prime model | $99/year for free shipping + early access |
| **Cashback** | Earn store credit on purchases | Price-sensitive customers | 5% back on every purchase |
| **Punch card** | Buy X, get 1 free | Cafes, salons, simple retail | Buy 10 coffees, get 1 free |
| **Experiential** | Rewards are experiences, not discounts | Luxury brands | Early access, exclusive events, personal styling |

### Program design framework

1. **Define the objective** — retention, AOV increase, purchase frequency, referrals, data collection?
2. **Choose the model** — points, tiers, paid, hybrid?
3. **Set earning rules** — how do customers earn? (purchases, reviews, referrals, social shares, birthdays)
4. **Design rewards** — what can they redeem? (discounts, free products, free shipping, exclusive access, charity donations)
5. **Create tiers** (optional) — 2-4 tiers with clear progression and meaningful benefits at each level
6. **Plan communication** — welcome email, points reminders, tier upgrade notifications, expiry warnings
7. **Measure** — enrollment rate, active rate, redemption rate, incremental revenue

### Points economy design

**Earning rules (typical):**
- Purchase: 1 point per $1 spent (or 10 points per $1 for psychological effect)
- Account creation: 50-100 points (one-time)
- Birthday: 50-200 points (annual)
- Product review: 25-50 points
- Social share/follow: 10-25 points
- Referral: 100-500 points

**Redemption value:**
- Target 5-10% effective discount rate (e.g., 100 points = $5 on a program where you earn 1 point/$1)
- Don't make rewards too hard to reach — first reward should be achievable in 2-3 purchases
- Offer a mix of reward values ($5, $10, $25, free product, free shipping)

### Tier design

- **2-3 tiers is ideal** — more than 4 creates confusion
- **Name tiers** — use brand-relevant names, not just Bronze/Silver/Gold
- **Clear progression** — spend $X/year or earn X points to reach next tier
- **Meaningful benefits** — each tier must feel noticeably better (not just 1% more discount)
- **Maintain status** — require annual re-qualification to maintain tier (prevents dormant high-tier members)

## Step 3 — Platform-specific guidance

### In Brevo
- **Product**: Brevo Loyalty — full loyalty engine with points, tiers, rewards, vouchers, mobile wallet
- **Key concepts**: Programs, Subscriptions (enrolled members), Balances (points), Tiers, Rewards, Vouchers
- **API**: Comprehensive REST API for all loyalty operations — program management, subscription enrollment, balance transactions, tier assignment, voucher creation/redemption
- **Mobile wallet**: Digital loyalty cards on Apple Wallet / Google Pay (Enterprise only)
- **Strength**: Integrated with Brevo's email/SMS/WhatsApp — loyalty events can trigger marketing automation (e.g., tier upgrade → congratulations email, points expiring → reminder SMS)
- **Limitation**: Enterprise plan only — not available on Starter/Standard/Professional
- **Best for**: Teams already using Brevo for marketing who want integrated loyalty without a separate tool
- **Platform skill**: `/sales-brevo`

### In Smile.io
- **Product**: Popular loyalty platform for Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix
- **Programs**: Points, VIP tiers, referrals — all in one
- **Free tier**: Up to 200 monthly orders
- **Strength**: Best Shopify integration. Easy setup, good-looking widget. Strong referral program built in.
- **Limitation**: Limited customization on lower plans. Advanced analytics on higher tiers only.
- **Best for**: Shopify stores wanting a quick, attractive loyalty program

### In LoyaltyLion
- **Product**: E-commerce loyalty platform with deep analytics, AI recommendations, and headless API
- **Programs**: Points, tiers, custom rewards, referrals, loyalty pages, receipt upload (omnichannel)
- **Pricing**: Classic $199/mo (500 orders), Advanced (custom, 4k orders), Plus (custom, 10k+ orders). Free tier via Shopify App Store (very limited).
- **Klaviyo**: Elite Master Partner — syncs loyalty data to profiles on Classic, real-time Klaviyo Events (reward claimed, tier upgrade, points expiring) on Advanced add-on or Plus
- **API**: Admin API (token/secret auth, 20 req/sec) + Headless API (TypeScript client for custom UIs, Hydrogen reference store)
- **Strength**: Advanced analytics and segmentation. Branded loyalty pages built for you. Klaviyo Events for advanced email flows. Headless API for custom storefronts. 100+ integrations including Shopify POS.
- **Limitation**: Higher starting price ($199/mo). VIP tiers require Advanced plan. Klaviyo Events require Advanced add-on or Plus. Multi-currency stores may need separate setups.
- **Best for**: Mid-market DTC/e-commerce brands on Shopify wanting data-driven loyalty with deep Klaviyo integration
- **Platform skill**: `/sales-loyaltylion`

### In Yotpo
- **Product**: Part of Yotpo's retention marketing suite (loyalty + reviews + SMS + email)
- **Programs**: Points, tiers, referrals, VIP
- **Strength**: Combines loyalty with reviews and UGC — customers earn points for reviews, which generates social proof. Unified retention platform.
- **Limitation**: Most powerful as a suite — loyalty alone may be expensive. Complex pricing.
- **Best for**: E-commerce brands wanting loyalty + reviews + SMS in one platform

### In Stamp.me
- **Product**: Digital loyalty card and stamp program
- **Programs**: Digital punch cards, points, tiered rewards
- **Strength**: Simple and affordable. Mobile-first with digital stamp cards. Good for brick-and-mortar.
- **Limitation**: Less sophisticated than full loyalty platforms. Limited e-commerce integrations.
- **Best for**: Cafes, restaurants, salons, and small retail with simple loyalty needs

###