Smile.io Review (2023): Pricing, Features, & More
Published March 3, 2023.
Our team tests eCommerce apps and publishes reviews that are unbiased and not influenced by payments we receive from some of the app developers.
E-commerce is a competitive market and an effective tactic to increase your average order value and overall sales is loyalty and rewards programs. These offer different benefits to your customers and incentivize them to stay loyal to your brand. Consider that 71% of customers consider their membership to a loyalty program as integral to their relationship with a brand, meaning your customer retention can jump by 5% and overall sales can increase by 25%.
There is a wide array of apps available to make managing loyalty and rewards programs convenient. Smile.io is a highly-rated Shopify app that aims to help you make first-time customers forever customers by letting you build your own loyalty and rewards programs.
Let's take a closer look.
Pros
- Highly customized
- Provides detailed analytics
- User-friendly
- Offers multiple reward options
Cons
- Can be complex for beginners
- Limitations on free plan
- Requires ongoing maintenance and updates
What Is Smile.io?
Smile.io is a customer loyalty platform that helps businesses create and manage loyalty and rewards programs effectively for their customers. Businesses can customize rewards and points to encourage repeat purchases, set VIP tiers for exclusive benefits, and introduce referral programs.
Best For
Smile.io works best for small to mid-sized businesses, especially if you use Shopify as your e-commerce platform. The app is easy to use and requires no coding skills—you can do everything from the dashboard, saving smaller businesses developer costs. Smile.io's functionalities are also fully customizable, so it's easier for small and mid-sized businesses to establish their brand identities.
Overview of Features
Loyalty Points Program
You can offer your customers loyalty points for various actions, such as joining the program in the first place, making a purchase, referring a friend, or engaging with your business on social media. Your customers can then redeem these points for rewards that include discounts, free products, or free shipping.
An additional feature we really like is the Smile Wallet. Instead of endlessly searching through their emails, your customers can view their available points in the wallet. It also updates automatically, so you and your customers don't have to keep track of points earned and spent manually.
Referral Program
The referral program can help you incentive your customers to recommend your program to their friends and family. We like that this feature has a triple pay-off: your customer, their successful referral, and your business are rewarded. Just like the loyalty program, your customers can use their points to get rewards like discounts, free products, or free shipping.
Additionally, because Smile.io can integrate with different email programs, you can easily keep your new and current customers up to date.
VIP Program
Make your customers feel like stars with Smile.io's VIP program by offering exclusive rewards and benefits. You can create tiers within the program and encourage your customers to keep on climbing the ranks with automatic rewards each time they reach a new tier, including free products, discounts, or the option to earn points faster.
As an added push, you can set milestones for your customers, including time limits, to create a sense of urgency and inspire action.
Plans & Pricing
Smile.io offers four different plans to Shopify sellers so you can choose which one will suit your needs and budget best, including a free plan.
The free plan offers basic functionalities, including basic branding options and a limit of 200 monthly orders. The Starter Plan already gives you access to advanced branding and unlimited orders, but still restricts you to one integration. The Growth Plan introduces pop-up and point expiration features, but access to features like the VIP program and unlimited integrations only comes with the Pro Plan.
Integrations
Smile.io offers integrations over a wide range of platforms to give your business a stable position such as:
- Email & SMS marketing: Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot, SMS Bump.
- Customer reviews: Reviews.io, Judge.me, Stamped.
- Customer service: Gorgias.
- Forms: Privy.
- Business intelligence: Glew.io.
Usability
Smile.io has a user-friendly interface that allows you to easily manage your loyalty programs and track customer engagement. Along with a fast setup time, the app also offers customization options that help you tailor your programs according to your specific needs.
And because Smile.io offers seamless integrations with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Mailchimp, and Klaviyo, it makes it easy to incorporate your programs into existing marketing and sales strategies.
Support
Smile.io's robust support system has a 24/7 available support team. You can also refer to other resources, including e-books, industry guides, and research papers. Additionally, Smile.io regularly publishes and updates blogs and holds Q&A sessions to discuss new trends and new platform functionalities. Plus, a demo video is always available to help beginners. These resources mean you feel confident and that Smile.io has your back.
Give Your Customers a Reason to Smile
In a nutshell, Smile.io simplifies the process of creating and managing a loyalty program by offering features such as point programs, referral programs, and VIP programs, all in one platform. The key benefits you can get from loyalty and rewards program include improved customer engagement, higher average order value, and increased customer lifetime value. Due to its user-friendly dashboard and helpful resources, it is no wonder more than 100,000 businesses rely on Smile.io to keep their customers happy and engaged with a comprehensive loyalty program solution.