Why Consolidate Your Loyalty Program with Reviews and Referrals (And How it Works)

Loyalty programs are designed to reward customers with incentives as a thank you for their loyalty. These programs can work with review and referral programs to amplify customer engagement while creating streamlined processes for your customer marketing strategies. In a typical loyalty program, customers earn points or rewards for each purchase, which they can later redeem for discounts, free items, or exclusive access to promotions. 

When a loyalty program is integrated with a referral program, customers are encouraged to share their positive experiences with friends and family. By offering rewards for successful referrals, such as bonus loyalty points, brands can expand their customer base at low-cost while fostering a strong community of loyal Superfans, or highly engaged brand advocates, among existing customers.

Additionally, encouraging customers to leave reviews can enhance the effectiveness of loyalty programs. Reviews not only serve as testimonials that attract new customers but also incentivize current customers to share their thoughts and experiences. This creates a continuous cycle of loyalty, referrals, and reviews, positioning the brand for sustained, long-term growth and deeper connections with its customer base.

A loyalty program can work seamlessly with your reviews and referral programs when using the right loyalty platform.  In this article, learn the benefits of consolidating your loyalty program with reviews and referrals, and these programs work seamlessly together in Okendo. 

The Benefits of Combining Loyalty with Reviews and Referrals 

There are several advantages to combining your loyalty program with reviews and referrals, including increasing customer engagement and lifetime value. 

Maximize Revenue

Combining the power of these programs increases loyalty further than with a standalone loyalty program, without the integration of reviews and referrals. When you encourage customers to post a review or make a referral for loyalty points, this further shows your appreciation to customers and even makes them feel part of a community with the added benefit of increasing customer lifetime value. 

In addition, reviews provide social proof for your brand and products, maximizing conversions when shoppers land on your store. The incentive to earn points for reviews can help increase review generation, or even the level of quality of reviews on your product pages, with further points incentives for customers when they provide photos or videos in a review. 

Save Time and Money

With your tech stack of Loyalty, Reviews, and Referrals in one place, workflows are streamlined, saving valuable time. And with your customer marketing products in one consolidated platform, you won’t pay more for disparate solutions.

Give Customers Options for Ways to Earn Points 

Not all loyalty program platforms are created equal. The best loyalty programs give customers the option to earn points for more than just purchases, and this includes reviews and referrals. 

Customer Data in One Place

When data is fragmented across various tools and platforms, achieving personalization becomes an almost impossible challenge. Consolidating all customer data into one place in unified customer profiles serves as a definitive single source of truth, and provides teams with a comprehensive view of customer behavior and data. This unified perspective facilitates streamlined personalization of marketing campaigns, a crucial requirement in today’s ecommerce environment. 

Increase Engagement 

When loyal customers share their experiences through reviews, they not only validate the brand’s quality but also inspire trust among potential customers. 

These authentic reviews serve as powerful marketing tools, encouraging new customers to explore your brand and products. Furthermore, loyal customers often become brand advocates, or Superfans of the brand, which not only expands the customer base, but also strengthens existing relationships. This cycle of loyalty, reviews, and referrals creates a robust engagement ecosystem, where customers are motivated to interact more actively with the brand, leading to increased satisfaction and long-term commitment. 

How Okendo Loyalty Works with Okendo Reviews and Referrals 

One way to easily consolidate your Loyalty, Reviews, and Referral programs is with Okendo.

As Nathan Okuley, SVP of Marketing, at D.LUXURY BRANDS, says, “One of the challenges growing DTC brands face is a growing number of partners, tools, and platforms that clutter their web experience and build their technology expenses. We believe in the integration and connectedness of brand and retention programs, including loyalty, reviews, and referral programs.

“Partnering with Okendo allows us to streamline these essential aspects of customer engagement, maximizing their potential to drive growth and foster brand loyalty. We can leverage valuable insights, create data-based decisions, and create clear pathways for growth. Best of all, it can enable a seamless and data-driven customer journey that encourages customers to join the brand community.”

Here’s how Okendo Loyalty, Reviews, and Referrals work within the customer marketing platform.

How Loyalty Works with Reviews 

A loyalty program offering points in exchange for reviews is an excellent way to generate high-quality reviews for your store while building strong customer relationships. With Okendo Loyalty, you can incentivize loyalty members to earn points for leaving a review. One benefit of using Okendo Loyalty as your loyalty program solution is having the option to reward extra points to customers who provide user-generated content, such as photos or video content in the review. 

According to research by Okendo on loyalty programs, rewards for engagement, such as reviews or social media actions, were important to 42% of respondents. Reviews can not only strengthen the quality of social proof, but also further engage customers to participate in activities with your brand. This may even motivate customers who may have opted out of posting a review in the past to write a review for loyalty points. 

Outwork Nutrition consolidated their reviews and loyalty programs into one easy-to-use customer marketing platform with Okendo. Customers have the option to earn points for leaving reviews within Outwork Nutrition’s loyalty program. Within 30 days of launching their program, Outwork Nutrition saw a 19% AOV uplift. 

Because Outwork Nutrition consolidated Okendo Reviews and Loyalty, they’ve streamlined their operations, making day-to-day work more efficient. 

Similarly, Jordan Craig, an elite streetwear brand, provides the option to leave a review as part of their loyalty program. The option to leave a review helped the brand see an immediate spike in customer engagement. Since implementing the program, Jordan Craig saw 55% of their reviews come from loyalty program members. 

Rob Varon, Director of Marketing at Jordan Craig said, “I’ve had a positive experience using all of Okendo’s five products together. The tech just works. It’s easy to streamline workflows with Okendo’s connected suite of products. Ecommerce is a puzzle, and Okendo contributes many pieces to that puzzle.”

In Okendo Loyalty, writing a review for your products is an Earning Rules option. Here’s how to set it up:

• Specify the amount of points earned from submitting a review and the bonus points that can be earned for social login and adding photo and video to the review. 
• Set the maximum number of points awarded per order.

How Loyalty Works with Referrals 

With Okendo Loyalty, loyalty members can earn points for each referral made with Okendo Referrals. With Okendo Referrals only, customers who make a referral get rewarded with a discount. The option to earn loyalty program points for a referral provides customers with flexible options for the way in which they earn points, and gives an additional incentive for referring a friend or family member.

A great example of a brand that rewards points to its loyalty program members for completing a referral is Midori Bikinis. The team gives 100 points for every customer that completes a referral through the loyalty program. 

Rachel Midori, Owner & Founder of Midori Bikinis said, “Setting up Okendo Loyalty was so fast and simple! Managing customer loyalty alongside reviews, referrals, and quizzes from one platform has been a huge time and cost savings for our team.”

In Okendo Referrals, here’s how to set up the Refer a Friend Earnings Rule option with Loyalty: 

• Specify the points awarded for each successful referral. 
• If referrals have already been configured to issue coupons, when saving the earn rule, a message will be displayed that reads “Rewards already configured.” Select Save. This will then start rewarding loyalty program members with Loyalty Points instead of coupons. It will not impact any coupons that the member already has. 
• Add the referrals module on your onsite displays for the floating widget and/or your loyalty landing page. 

The connection between Okendo Loyalty, Referrals, and Reviews creates a powerful framework for long-term brand success. Loyal customers not only provide consistent business but also become advocates who share their positive experiences, generating authentic referrals that can influence potential clients. On the other hand, reviews amplify this effect by serving as trustworthy social proof that validates your brand’s credibility. 

Together, these elements foster a self-sustaining cycle that enhances customer engagement, deepens relationships, and drives long-term growth. By prioritizing and nurturing this interconnected system, brands can build a loyal community of Superfans for their brand, ultimately leading to sustained success and a thriving customer base.