Last updated: 2024-12-21
Estimated reading time: 20 minutes
Introduction
Store credit is a powerful new way to enhance your loyalty program and improve the shopping experience. By offering store credit as a reward or refund option, you can retain revenue, build stronger customer relationships, and drive repeat purchases. Customers can easily use store credit at checkout, turning their engagement into lasting loyalty.
Understanding the Difference Between Points and Store Credit
Points
Points are designed to encourage customer engagement and interaction, such as writing reviews or completing their profile. They are great for gamifying the shopping experience and building long-term customer loyalty.
Store Credit
Store credit is a direct monetary reward, ideal for encouraging repeat purchases or managing refunds efficiently. Customers can apply store credit immediately at checkout, making it a fast and effective tool to boost retention.
Before you start
✅ This feature is available on the Gold plan($29/month) and above.
✅ An active points program is required. Click here to learn how to enable your points program.
✅ If you haven't installed Ako Marketing yet, click here to install it and start your 14-day free trial.
Step 1: Enable Store Credits from Shopify Admin
Log in to your Shopify admin and go to Settings > Customer accounts.
Switch to the Customer accounts (Recommended) version if you're using the legacy version.
Toggle on the Store credit feature under the customer account settings.
Step 2: Set Up Store Credit Rewards for Orders
Go to Ako Marketing > Loyalty Program > Store Credit.
Click Edit in reward, and you'll be directed to set up the rules for earning store credit when customers place an order.
Click + Add new and select Store credit.
Click Edit value to define the store credit percentage customers can earn based on their order amount (e.g., setting 1% awards $1 for every $100 spent).
If you have a VIP program (available on the Platinum plan), check Different point values based on VIP tiers. You can customize tier-based percentages to motivate customers to reach higher tiers.
In the Reward condition, choose whether to calculate store credits based on Product total, Include shipping, or Include taxes. Then, select when credits are issued: Immediately or after a set period (e.g., 14 days after the order is paid).
Click Save to confirm the settings. A pop-up will appear directing you to the next step. Simply click Go to Store Credit, and then click Activate to officially launch the store credit feature.
Step 3: Notify Customers when Store Credit is Issued
In Ako Marketing, go to Loyalty Program > Settings > Email Notifications > Store Credit Earned.
Customize the email template by editing the Subject, Title, Content, and Button wording.
Preview the email and send a test email if needed.
Save your changes and toggle the Email Notifications Status to On.
Step 4: Customer Experience with Store Credit
Checking Store Credit Balance:
When customers log in, they can check their store credit balance on their account page. Alternatively, they can click the Store credit button on the loyalty widget, which will direct them to the balance section.
Redeeming Store Credit at Checkout:
At checkout, the available store credit amount is displayed as a payment method. Customers can follow these steps to redeem it:
Select Apply store credit.
The full store credit amount will be applied to the order.
If the store credit covers the entire order, the total will be reduced to $0:
If the store credit doesn’t cover the full order, customers can choose another payment method to pay the rest:
Common Questions
Q: How can I change the currency for store credit?
A: Store credits are issued in your store’s default currency. Once store credit has been issued in a specific currency, it cannot be changed.
If your store supports multiple currencies, you can issue new store credit in a different currency by selecting it from the Currency drop-down menu during issuance. For more details, refer to Shopify’s documentation here.
Q: Can I enable points and store credits at the same time?
A: Yes, both features can be used together, depending on your marketing strategy and business goal.
👋 For further assistance, feel free to reach out to us:
📧 service@akohub.com
📅 Schedule a 20-minute free consultation online