Where every click counts and every customer is a potential lifelong partner, loyalty is crucial to long-term success.

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Without a rewards program, you’ll miss out on activating your customers, increasing your CLV, and turning one-time buyers into repeat superfans.

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There’s only one snag.

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With so many options on the market, how do you choose the perfect ecommerce loyalty program for your business?

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Welcome to the showdown between three of the biggest loyalty programs: Loyalty Lion vs. Yotpo vs. Smile.io.

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Loyalty Lion vs. Yotpo vs. Smile.io: Overview 

Short on time? Here’s a quick overview to help you out:

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Loyalty Lion 

LoyaltyLion is a loyalty program for merchants focusing solely on online sales. It comes with almost everything you’ll need to reward your customers and encourage repeat purchases.

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That said, it does have significant drawbacks for some businesses. 

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With no omnichannel support, it’s not a good option for ecommerce brands that need a seamless in-store and online experience.

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It’s also not the most affordable engagement platform on the market when you compare Loyalty Lion vs. Smile.io vs. Yotco pricing. With the entry-level plan starting at $399 per month, it’s better suited to more established merchants who can afford a more expensive platform. 

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Features

• Points-based loyalty program
• Rewards for off-site and on-site actions
• Personalized email and SMS notifications
• Analytics dashboard
• White-label branding
• Integrations with tools like Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce

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Pros

• Tier-based loyalty programs
• Uninterrupted checkout experience with In-cart rewards
• Reward points for brand hashtag mentions on social media
• Members can refer friends with unique URLs via email, social or mobile
• Comprehensive analysis of buying behaviors
• Automated, personalized, and customizable loyalty emails
• On-site messages to drive engagement

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Cons

• The high price point makes LoyaltyLion inaccessible to smaller ecommerce businesses.
• The steep learning curve and the design interface can feel counterintuitive.
• The pricing is usage, not feature-based.
• There is no paid membership feature.
• Loyalty tiers are only available on the advanced plan.
• Unable to incentivize customers to share pictures and videos using products.
• Unable to incentivize zero-party data collection and integrate it with your CRM.
• No Google or Apple Wallet integration for referrals.
• The rewards page is only available on the Enterprise Plan.
• Point and credit spending at checkout is only available for Enterprise users.

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Loyalty Lion Pricing

Loyalty Lion’s tailored and tiered packages are designed to elevate your business experience.

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Classic

• Starting at $399 per month
• Customer referral program
• A dedicated onboarding manager
• Points for basic and additional on-site activities
• Vouchers for free products, shipping, and discounts
• Reward referrer and referee
• Mobile referrals
• Email marketing, SMS, and helpdesk integrations
• Built-in analytics dashboard
• Live chat and email support

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Advanced 

• Price available on request
• Bi-annual program review
• Customer success manager
• Loyalty and conditional tiers
• Standalone referral widget
• Subscription platform integrations

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Plus

• Dedicated senior onboarding manager
• Enhanced email marketing flows
• In-cart rewards
• Access to instant points feature
• Priority support
• Program review every three months

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Smile.io

Smile.io is one of the most well-known loyalty management software brands on the market. Founded in 2012, it has more than 100,000 active rewards programs.

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The reason for its popularity?

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Compared to Yotpo and Loyalty Lion, Smile.io is more stripped back. It gives you all the basic loyalty features within a highly intuitive UX interface.  

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It’s one of the easiest loyalty programs to implement, and coupled with its affordable pricing plan, Smile.io is a good option for new ecommerce brands running a tight ship.

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Features

• Loyalty points program
• VIP program (tiered rewards)
• Referrals

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Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Tier-based loyalty program
• Rewards panel to tailor your customer experience to fit your brand
• Unified Smile wallet 
• Ability to earn points through a variety of actions and events
• Customers can redeem points for the rewards they want
• Affordable pricing plans

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Cons

• It only offers basic ecommerce loyalty program features.
• Unable to reward customers for purchases with a value per dollar spent, structured value, or limit to only specific products.
• Tiered loyalty functionality is only available on the Growth and Plus plans.
• Unable to offer store credit or cashback rewards.
• No co-creation features.
• Limited social media platform for social rewards.
• There are no gamified features like challenges and quests.
• No point or credit spending at checkout.
• A small number of integrations

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Smile.io Pricing

Smile.io pricing tiers for Shopify, Woo-Commerce, and Wix users:

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Free

• 200 orders per month
• Points program
• Referral program
• Live chat customer support

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Starter

• Starting at $49 per month
• 500 orders per month
• 2 Smile.io integrations
• Customizable email rewards
• On-site reminders
• Advanced branding
• Live chat customer support

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Growth

• Starting at $199 per month
• 2,500 orders per month
• $20 per additional 100 orders
• Unlimited integrations
• VIP (reward tiers) program
• Advanced analytics
• Gift card rewards
• Points redemption at checkout
• Points and rewards expiration
• Free product rewards
• Live chat customer support

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Plus

• Starting at $999 per month
• 7,500 monthly orders
• $5 per additional 100 orders
• On-demand access to loyalty data
• Priority customer support
• API access
• Curated reports

Yotpo 

Yotpo is a retention marketing platform designed to help you build long-lasting relationships with your shoppers.

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Its major selling point (and core difference between Smile.io and Loyalty Lion) is Yotpo’s ability to incentivize, collect, and display customer reviews across your website and its user-generated content (UGC) functionality.

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If those two features are a core part of your marketing strategy, Yotpo is an excellent choice for driving sales via social proof.

Features

• Custom-tailored loyalty and referral program
• Reward tiers
• SMS push notifications
• Collect and display customer reviews 
• Showcase UGC content across your website
• Subscription management
• Hyper-personalized email marketing platform
• ROI dashboard and advanced analytics

Pros

• Integrations for various ecommerce apps like Shopify, Klayvio, Mailchimp, and Zendesk.
• Ability to display user-generated content in galleries to increase product discoverability and boost brand engagement.
• Incentivize high-converting customer reviews with Smart Review Prompts.
• Create targeted SMS campaigns and hyper-target customer segments.
• Build a customized tiered loyalty program with out-of-the-box campaigns.

Cons

• Yotpo doesn’t reward product-specific purchases.
• Rewards a limited number of social media platform actions.
• The pricing is not affordable for smaller ecommerce brands.
• Unable to offer store credit and cashback as rewards.
• No paid memberships functionality.
• No zero-party data or experiential rewards.
• There is no reward for joining a referral program, only purchases.

Yotpo Pricing

You can sign up for specific products with Yotco, select bundles, or pay for the entire platform.

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For the loyalty & referrals product, the following pricing plans are available:

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Free

• Points for purchases
• Referral program 
• Rewards sticky bar

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Gold 

• Starting at $199 per month 
• 500 orders
• Dedicated rewards page
• Birthday and anniversary rewards
• Additional ways to earn points
• Goal spend
• Points expiration
• Reward redemption at checkout

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Platinum

• Pricing on request
• Custom monthly order amount
• Custom overage fee
• Everything in Gold
• VIP tiers
• Targetted campaign segmentation
• Scheduled earning rules
• Advanced dashboards and reports

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Enterprise

• Price is available on request.
• Everything in Platinum
• Dedicated security and compliance
• Unlimited scalability
• Advanced customization features
• Enterprise customer success manager

Introducing Toki: An Even Better Option for Your Ecommerce Loyalty Program 

Here’s the deal.

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Yotpo vs. Smile.io vs. Loyalty Lion aren’t your only options.

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If you’re looking for an affordable loyalty program that does more than reward points for likes and creates memorable experiences throughout the customer journey, TOKI is the rewards app you’re looking for.

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Throwing out the traditional loyalty game plan, TOKI focuses on giving shippers flexibility, transparency, and rewards that matter.

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Instead of chasing endless points, give your customers cashback, in-store credit, or experiential rewards that set your brand apart from the competition.

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As a fully customizable white-label loyalty program, your monthly fee is feature-based. For only $49 per month, you’ll have access to paid and earned loyalty programs, omnichannel activation features, and subscription incentives to boost your recurring revenue.

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But that’s not all.

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One of TOKI’s standout features is its Loyalty Alliances. Single-player loyalty programs are a thing of the past. TOKI pairs you with like-minded brands to create loyalty partnerships that grow your membership base, give your customers access to even more rewards, and offer a unique edge over your competition. 

Features

• Paid and earned loyalty programs
• Offer diverse and flexible rewards
• Zero-party data collection incentives
• Apple Wallet branded referral card support
• Create subscription incentives to drive recurring revenue
• Form brand alliances to offer unique perks
• Blockchain security
• Analytics dashboard and audience segmentation
• Omnichannel support for seamless in-store and online activation
• SMS and email notifications
• Push notifications without an app download
• Integrations with Klaviyo, Shopify, Recharge, Snowflake, social media
• White-label loyalty program functionality

TOKI Pricing

Unlock seamless scalability and efficiency with TOKI’s Growth package, tailored for businesses on the rise.

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Growth

• 14-day free trial
• Starting at $149 per month
• Includes up to 700 orders per month
• $0.15 per additional order
• All TOKI features
• 1:1 onboarding with a retention specialist
• 30+ integrations with various marketing tools
• White-label design customization
• Open APIs
• 24/7 customer support

How To Choose the Best Loyalty Program for Your Business

Choosing the best loyalty program for your business is crucial. The right one can significantly impact your customer retention and growth.

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Here are key factors you should consider when comparing Loyalty Lion vs. Yotpo vs. Smile.io:

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1. Business size and scalability: Your loyalty program should align with your long-term growth plans. Smaller businesses may benefit from simple, cost-effective programs, while larger enterprises may require scalable solutions to handle a growing customer base.
   
   
2. Budget and pricing structure: Evaluate what you can afford and the features your rewards program needs to thrive. Select the one that aligns with your financial resources and your revenue expectations.
   
   
3. Integrations: The right loyalty program will seamlessly integrate with your current tech stack and offer an exceptional customer experience for you and the end user. Check to see if it can integrate with your existing POS, CRM, and e-commerce systems to track customer behavior and deliver personalized rewards.
   
   
4. Features: Different loyalty programs offer a range of features, from point-based systems to tiered memberships. Assess which features are essential for your business and seek customization options to tailor the program to your brand identity and customer preferences.

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By carefully considering these factors, you can implement an ecommerce loyalty program that retains existing customers and attracts new ones, driving sustainable growth for your business.

The New Era of Customer Retention and Acquisition

We are in a new era of customer retention and acquisition where “points” for likes no longer resonate.

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To ensure your business is adopting the modern loyalty playbook, you need a program that isn’t stuck in the dark ages. It's the linchpin that can either cement customer loyalty and drive exponential growth or leave your business struggling in obscurity.

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Loyalty Lion vs. Smile.io vs. Yotpo are not one-size-fits-all solutions. Each one caters to a specific budget and type of ecommerce business. Do your due diligence and figure out which one is the right fit for you, or if you need something more flexible like TOKI that offers unique features and rewards, the other three don’t.

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Ready to come over to the new world order with 1000x better activation rates?

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Grab your free 14-day trial with TOKI.

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