Increase repeat purchases by 80%* with Smile.io

At Underwaterpistol, we strongly believe that customer loyalty should be the backbone of every business. To all the merchants and entrepreneurs reading this, I am sure you fully appreciate the power of returning customers. What better way to reward (and grow) your loyal customer base, than through the gift of giving. It’s true what they say, to receive you have to give first. It’s easier than you think to incorporate the spirit of giving into your business and/or marketing strategy.
A great way to do this is by offering a customer loyalty program, which not only helps to increase repeat customers and reduce customer churn but also reward them for their loyalty. We want to put a spotlight on Shopify partners Smile.io! Their app is focused on making sure your customers have the best shopping experience, and receive prompt follow-up of offers and rewards according to their exact interaction on your website.
Smile.io has launched over 15,000 successful programs over the period of 5 years across 7,000 LIVE stores. The results speak volumes, with almost 3000 5* ratings on Shopify’s App store, they are Shopify’s most popular reward app. Formerly known as “Sweet Tooth”, a program based on point accumulation system, they rebranded in 2017 and changed their name to Smile.io.

Their recent change of name encompasses what many companies want to give to their customers - a smile. Customers can be rewarded for performing certain actions like creating an account, sharing your products on their social media platforms, placing an order and much more.
In a case study with inkbox, they manage to increase their repeat purchase rate by 80% after adopting Smile.io.
In a bid to stay up-to-date with growing eCommerce trends, the app was upgraded from a point based loyalty solution to more of a reward system… and Smile.io was born. The new upgrade still includes points but also has some cool features like VIP rewards schemes, referrals, birthday rewards and custom configurations.
Benefits of Using Smile.io
1. Customer Retention
Online shoppers are inundated with lots of choices when it comes to buying online, which means more competition for you as a merchant. Consider the fact that most online shoppers are actively searching for a bargain, whether that be a discount coupon or free shopping, they are looking for an incentive to part with their hard-earned cash.
What you need is something special that sets you apart from all of your competitors. Smile.io makes you stand out from your competition by rewarding your customers whenever they buy your products. Once customer know they can be rewarded for spending their money with you, they will happily come back for more.
2. Higher Conversions
Building trust with your customers is a sure way to sell more products. When customers trust you, they will be more inclined to make more frequent purchases with you. Loyal customers spend more than first-time shoppers for this same reason.
Using Smile.io to reward customers creates a chain reaction by ensuring customers remain loyal, which will have a positive effect on your conversion rate. You will not only start to see soaring sales level, but you will also be keeping a Smile on your customers face ;).
3. Cheaper Marketing
There are no paid marketing methods that are sweeter than organic traffic. Smile.io creates repeat shopping, by encouraging customers to return to your store in exchange for rewards. This inadvertently helps reduce your overall marketing cost that might have been spent retargeting and marketing to previous buyers and browsers.
Not only that, loyal customers will be happy to spread the word to their family, friends, work colleagues (especially when they are incentivised). All these factors reduce your overall marketing cost and ultimately increase your customer base.
4. Shopping Experience
Smile.io is fully integrated with most site layouts, and covers multiple functions using modern UX designs. This functionality allows merchants to create a reward system that fits their specific requirements, a solution that can be tailored for particular occasions or actions. You can easily customise how many points are allocated for specific purchases, account registration, discounts and other incentives for customers, partners or general clients.

5. Customer Engagement
In addition to giving shoppers points for making purchases, Smile.io allows you to give points to customers who engage with your social media posts. This has been proven to increase the engagement level on merchant social media accounts and can turn casual followers into long-time customers. By using this customer engagement strategy, you provide customers the added incentive to shop with you and keep coming back for more!