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Smile.io App Review 2024: Is This Loyalty & Rewards App Useful?

Published on Nov 15, 2023

Smile.io - Easy-to-implement customer reward programs for Shopify

What is Smile.io?

Core Value Proposition

Smile.io is designed to handle one crucial part of your Shopify store: customer loyalty. The app lets you set up various reward programs, loyalty points, coupons and other perks, but it's not just point-giving for the sake of it. Instead, it enables you to incentivize actions that matter—purchases, yes, but also birthdays, reviews, and more. All this is geared towards making each customer more than just a transaction.

What Primary Purpose It Serves

So why add Smile.io to your Shopify store? The goal is straightforward: you want people to keep buying from you. The app focuses on turning those one-and-done buyers into regulars by offering them rewards that make sense. You're not just selling products; you're creating a loop that brings people back to your store. The app makes the customers feel like they are getting a good value for money.

Who's it for? Who is it NOT for?

Target Audience

Smile.io shines for mid-sized to large online stores on Shopify. If you're in this category, the app is pretty much a no-brainer. You're likely already dealing with a solid stream of monthly orders, and you want to reward customers to keep them coming back. This is where Smile.io kicks in, giving you all the tools you need to run loyalty and rewards programs. What's more, if you've already got other ecommerce tools in your stack like Klaviyo or Mailchimp, the integration is smooth.

Who is it NOT for?

But here's the catch. If you're just starting out or if you own a small business, this app might not be for you. The pricing can be a bit on the high side if you're not pulling in a lot of monthly orders. And if you're running your store on a less common POS system, you're out of luck—Smile.io won't play nice with it. Got a techie side and looking for API access? Keep in mind that's only on the table with the pricier plans. So, weigh your options and needs carefully.

Features

  • Customization: Personalize every element of your rewards program including the launcher button, the rewards panel, emails, referral links and more to match your brand look and feel
  • Advanced Analytics: Track the effectiveness of your loyalty programs across various parameters like points value over time, points balance, redemption rate over time, and more to drive data-driven business decisions

  • Nudges: Smart popups designed to repeat purchases and engage customers with your programs better at various points of their buyer journey. Remind them about signup benefits, unused points that are about to expire, referral rewards, and more to enhance their customer experience.

  • Powerful Integrations: Connect Smile with your favourite ecommerce tools like Klaviyo, Gorgias, Loox, Yotpo, Mailchimp, Bigcommerce and more. Automate your email marketing, reviews collection, customer support, etc and supercharge your business

Pricing

Smile.io offers a 4-tiered pricing. 

  1. FREE plan

Up to 200 monthly orders

  • Points program
  • Referral program
  • Basic branding
  • Default reward emails
  • Analytics overview

  1. STARTER ($49/month)

Up to 500 monthly orders

Everything in FREE plus:

  • Advanced branding
  • Customizable reward emails
  • Nudges (on-site pop-ups)
  • 2 integrations (e.g. Klaviyo, Okendo)

  1. GROWTH ($199/month)

Up to 2,500 monthly orders, plus $20 per additional 100 orders

Everything in STARTER plan plus:

  • VIP program
  • Points expiry
  • Free product rewards
  • Unlimited integrations
  • Points redemption at checkout (Shopify Plus only)

  1. PLUS ($999/month)

Up to 7,500 monthly orders, plus $5 per additional 100 orders

Everything in GROWTH plan plus:

  • Powerful reporting tools
  • Segmentation & exports
  • Priority support
  • API access
  • Preferred pricing for multiple stores

Rating

4.8 / 5 (Overall rating)

What do real users have to say about it?

Pros & Cons

PRO

Even allows guest shoppers to earn reward points; not just VIP tiers

Earn points for non-purchase related stuff also like birthdays, account creation, social shares, product reviews, and more

Create and manage an effective rewards program without the need for any coding skills. Extremely plug-and-play

Super helpful customer support. Easy-to-use and intuitive Admin Dashboard UI

CONS

Limited to very few POS systems.For example, it is not compatible with Lightspeed (a popular option)

Smaller businesses might struggle to afford it because of expensive pricing plans

No API access unless you’re on the expensive Enterprise plan. This means 2 widgets (chat and Smile.io) floating on your website, which can be potentially confusing for customers

Our Review

Getting Started with Smile.io

We began our experience with Smile.io just like any other Shopify store owner: a bit skeptical but hopeful for a tool that could genuinely make a difference in customer retention. The installation was smooth, no hitches there. Once installed, we were greeted with an interface that anyone could navigate, even without a tech background.

Customization - The Real Deal or Just Hype?

The word 'customization' gets tossed around a lot in the e-commerce space. But here, Smile.io delivers. We had a field day tailoring every nook and cranny of the rewards program. From the button your customer first clicks, to the email they receive when they earn a new reward, it's all up for grabs to change. And change we did, making the whole experience harmonize with our existing brand image. It felt like Smile.io became an extension of our business rather than a third-party add-on.

Analytics - More than Just Numbers

Numbers matter, but understanding them matters even more. Smile.io’s analytics feature gave us a well-rounded view of how our rewards program was performing. We’re talking about metrics like how points are being used over time and how often they're redeemed. This wasn't just a vanity dashboard; we could make actual business decisions based on these insights.

Integration - Playing Well with Others

We can't talk about Smile.io without mentioning its ability to play nice with our existing set of tools. Be it Klaviyo for email marketing or Mailchimp for customer management, integrating these services was a walk in the park. It's not just about adding another tool to the stack; it's about adding one that enhances the rest.

Pricing - A Double-Edged Sword

Smile.io isn't cheap, especially for smaller businesses. The app offers a tiered pricing model, and while that's great for scalability, it's not always wallet-friendly for a small operation. We found that the features in the 'FREE' and 'STARTER' plans might leave you wanting more, pushing you towards the pricier options sooner than you’d planned.

Customer Support - A Responsive Team

We had a couple of hiccups along the way, nothing major, but enough to reach out to customer support. Their response was prompt, and the team knew their stuff. They weren't just there to solve the problem; they were there to make sure we knew how to avoid it in the future.

Limitations - Not All Sunshine and Roses

As thorough as our review was, we couldn't overlook a few bumps. For one, if you’re reliant on specific POS systems like Lightspeed, you're out of luck. And let's talk about API access. It's there, but only if you're willing to shell out for one of the pricier plans. This could mean having multiple widgets floating on your site, and trust us, it can get messy.

Final Thoughts

We've put Smile.io through its paces, and here's the bottom line. If you've got a Shopify store that's moved beyond the startup phase and you're seriously looking into boosting customer retention, Smile.io could be a great fit. The app's customization options are robust, and the analytics give you actionable insights—not just a bunch of numbers.

But let's not sugarcoat it; the app has its drawbacks. If you're using a less common POS system, you might hit a wall. And let's talk pricing. If you're just starting out or running a small operation, the cost could be a deal-breaker.

So, is Smile.io worth your time and money? If its limitations aren't a roadblock for you, or even better, if they don't apply to your situation, then our answer is yes. You should have all the info you need now to decide if it's right for you.

FAQs

Is the app available in other languages than English?

Currently the language options available in Smile are English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Simplified Chinese.

Is it only available on ecommerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce?

No, you can also use Smile.io on Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone.

Julien Mamalian

CEO, Bloggle

After an exciting 5 years of designing and optimizing Shopify sites for well-known French startups, I launched Bloggle. Our mission? To assist merchants worldwide in crafting compelling articles that rank high in SEO and truly engage their audience. In just 3 years, over 2,000 clients have trusted us, publishing more than 55,000 articles through Bloggle. Thanks to them, I’ve learned the keys to success and the pitfalls to avoid

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Julien Mamalian

After an exciting 5 years of designing and optimizing Shopify sites for well-known French startups, I launched Bloggle.

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