What’s better than getting a large discount on your cart during BFCM? Added rewards, of course! Many Shopify stores have set up loyalty programs to successfully retain customers. During Black Friday, these merchants use their rewards program— either with store credits or loyalty points— to bring back past customers and make the BFCM deal even sweeter for new ones.
But, how do additional rewards help if shoppers already have Black Friday deals they can use when purchasing? We’ll explain!
How Do Store Credits Increase Repeat Purchases During BFCM?
A well-planned rewards program can help you achieve 3 goals during BFCM—
1. Make potential shoppers feel special and make them choose you over your competitors
For many Shopify stores, BFCM customers are a one-purchase kind of shoppers. This customer segment rarely comes back to shop from that store again. That is, unless you give them a reason to stick around.
By activating your rewards program along with your Black Friday discounts, you can show new customers that your discounts and deals aren’t just exclusive to this holiday season. New customers won’t just shop for your 50% or 70% discount. They’ll also be excited by the idea of earning rewards through their purchases. This will help you build loyalty among these Black Friday shoppers, giving you a chance to make them repeat buyers.
Also read: How to Capture More Customer Information During the BFCM Upsurge
2. Give existing customers a reason to shop again by leveraging this “double deal”
You can lure back your existing customers to shop during your Black Friday sale by promoting your sale as a “double deal”, letting them know they can use their existing store credits with the Black Friday discounts. With the right messaging at the right time, you can increase repeat purchases during the sale.
3. Build social proof and increase brand discoverability during the BFCM sale
Lastly, setting up and leveraging your regards program during Black Friday can help you increase buzz around your sale. Shoppers would refer your store to their friends, share pictures of them using your products, and get involved in other social proof activities just to earn points.
This will help you get noticed by other shoppers just like them, successfully helping you capture new purchases and boosting brand awareness organically.
You can set up your loyalty program and enable store credits as your rewards currency with Flits. The Shopify app is built to help you put customer experience first, allowing you to customize your rewards program and provide more personalized experiences.
Once you’ve set up your rewards program, you can make it even more effective for Black Friday by customizing your rewards and communicating with your customers more efficiently.
We’ve listed 5 tactics you can use to promote your store credits on your Shopify store and convince past customers to buy during this holiday season.
5 Ways to Use Rewards to Increase Repeat Purchases
1. Double rewards for all activities done during BFCM
Customize your rewards in such a way that customers who take an action during your Black Friday sale (like leave a review or share a picture on Instagram) get double the store credits. This way, customers who haven’t earned any rewards yet will still be able to take advantage of your “double deal”.
For instance, with this strategy, your new shoppers can unlock your BFCM discount the BFCM discount on their order as well as earn twice as many credits just for placing the order.
Here are a few activities that you can set up double rewards for—
- Registering as a customer
- Placing an order
- Sharing a picture of them using your product on Instagram or Pinterest
- Leaving a review
- Referring a new customer
- Tweeting about your store
By incentivizing activities, especially ones that boost social proof, you can increase engagement and create more buzz around your Black Friday sale.
2. Set up emails to build urgency among existing customers to redeem their rewards
One of the best ways to bring back your customers is by creating urgency around your unmissable offer. Set up an email to be sent to existing customers, informing them about their store credits and letting them know they can use these credits along with your massive BFCM discounts.
You can use phrases like “Once in a lifetime deal!” and “Double the rewards” to create exclusivity around your offer. Urgency words like “Only for 48 hours” and “Unlock rewards now!” are sure to do the trick.
With such an email, you can successfully bring back customers who did not engage with your BFCM emails.
3. Send emails to loyal and VIP shoppers about rewards
You need to send a customized email for your loyal and VIP shoppers specifically, letting them know about all the offers you have in-store. Since these shoppers would have earned a lot of rewards from your Shopify store through their past purchases, your email needs to make them feel special and celebrate how they have so many credits they can redeem.
To send targeted emails to these loyal and VIP shoppers, you can tap into your customer segments from your Shopify analytics app. RevTap is an analytics app that helps Shopify merchants understand their customers better and use segments to send personalized emails.
Use these customer segments to send a targeted email to your VIP and loyal shoppers. Here is a checklist of everything you need to include:
- Ensure that your subject line hypes the double deal offer. A subject line like “Black Friday + rewards? We’re jealous of you! 😍” is a great way to compel visitors to open the email.
- Include your discount in the email and let these customers know how much of their existing credits they can redeem on an order.
- Don’t forget to add that they can also earn credits and include how many credits they earn for different activities.
- Show a few of your featured or popular products within the email to nudge them to start shopping.
4. Display messages across your Shopify store to let new visitors know about your rewards
You need to inform new visitors who land on your Shopify store about the rewards you are offering on top of your big discounts. Display messages about your double deal within the header on your storefront as well as within the announcement bar.
Here’s an example:
If you have set up a rewards page that explains your credits system, don’t forget to edit the page to include the Black Friday-special credits they would earn.
5. Customize your cart abandonment messages to include the BFCM sale and the rewards
Increase cart recovery during Black Friday by reminding your cart abandoners about the double deal you are offering. You can customize your cart abandonment reminders to let shoppers know that the item in their cart is eligible for the BFCM discount that is running on your store and will earn rewards on top of it.
Ensure that all your cart abandonment reminders across different channels— email, SMS, web push, Facebook Messenger— include this double deal message too!
Here’s an example:
| We’ve saved your cart for you! 🛒 Get 50% off on the Navy Blue Chinos AND earn double the store credits for placing an order during the special sale! 🤑 |
Increase purchases during BFCM with store credits
During Black Friday, stores just like you are sure to run discounts. So, what makes customers choose your Shopify store is how you position yourself. While running a Black Friday sale, you need to find a way to win the customer over, not just for that one purchase they plan to make but also as a loyal shopper.
With store credits, you can acquire new customers as well as give your existing customers more reasons to shop from you.
Flits is a Shopify app that has all the features you need to set up a rewards program. With the app, you can set up rewards for different activities taken by your customers and even automate communication via email and web push. This way, customers who earn or redeem credits are instantly informed.
Install Flits to set up a rewards program and win Black Friday!
