Building a successful brand can take years of trial and error. With an abundance of information about strategies for success, we all know very well that there is no fixed formula for a store’s success. Common strategies include effective customer acquisition, strong SEO, or a high-converting landing page. However, one key factor would be to cultivate customer loyalty. This strategy lies in a loyalty program, which helps you turn your one-time buyers into your loyal customers by rewarding them. Let’s explore more about what a loyalty program is from scratch! The Basics of Loyalty Programs Explained Customer loyalty is built on trust, which can be earned through mutual value and recognition. With a loyalty program, customers are motivated to return to your store by rewarding them with points, exclusive discounts, and deals Therefore, merchants should ask themselves about what value they can offer to their customers. A successful loyalty program has three main features: A sense of exclusivity that can’t be earned elsewhere. Clear rules and easy to redeem rewards Personalized rewards tailored according to their customer behavior Ultimately, a successful loyalty program is customer-driven. Hence, it’s important to always know your customers. Of course, when customers are happy, the payoff can be big, including: High repeat purchases High AOV Strong brand advocacy Exploring Different Types of Loyalty Programs A loyalty program focuses on two key aspects: how customers can earn and redeem their points. Let’s explore the different types of a loyalty program: Points-Based Program This is one of the most popular loyalty models that allows customers to accumulate their points after completing a particular action. Here are the many ways a customer can earn points: Purchasing a product Signing up Following or sharing a post at social media Leaving a review In return, customers can redeem their points by: Cashback Discount codes Free shipping Freebies And many more. Popular brands like Starbucks and Sephora implemented this program too! Tiered Loyalty Programs While point-based programs encourage customers to collect more points, tiered loyalty programs encourage customers to spend more. The motivation stems from the sense of exclusivity and status. The higher the tier, the more benefits they will unlock. Ako Tip: For maximum optimization, a loyalty program should have 3 - 5 tier levels Of course, when naming your tier loyalty programs, you would want to avoid generic names like Level 1, 2, or 3. Instead, we want to make it unique, reflecting our brand’s value. Let’s take, Sephora, as an example: Insider: Entry-level tier with access to special promotions and a birthday gift. VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider): Reached after spending $350 annually, offering benefits like seasonal savings and free beauty classes. VIB Rouge: Achieved after spending $1,000 annually, providing perks such as free shipping, exclusive events, and first access to products. Or, we can also learn from Nordstorm’s Nordy Club: Member: Entry-level tier with benefits like earning points on purchases and access to exclusive events. Influencer: Achieved after spending $500 annually, offering perks such as early access to sales. Ambassador: Reached after spending $5,000 annually, providing benefits like priority access to style events. Icon: Achieved after spending $15,000 annually, offering the highest level of benefits, including complimentary alterations and personal styling. Referral Programs A referral program can help you in customer acquisition and building trust. When PayPal first started, they had problems in acquiring new customers organically. Advertisement and BD are both too expensive, so they came up with a new strategy: A referral program. New customers will receive $10, while their existing customers will receive $10 for referrals. Of course, the results are clear: their growth went exponential and PayPal pays $20 for each new customer. The genius of this approach lies in the psychological and financial incentives it creates: Trust through Word of Mouth (People are more likely to trust recommendations from friends and family than from advertisements) Dual Incentives (Both parties are motivated and satisfied since there are rewards for the referrer and referee) Cost-Effectiveness: Although PayPal spent $20 for each new customer ($10 for the existing customer and $10 for the new customer), this cost was far lower than the customer acquisition cost through traditional advertising or BD channels. Tips for Building a Successful Loyalty Program As mentioned above, a successful loyalty program is customer-driven. What value would they see in your loyalty program? Below are some tips that we have learned from our past experiences: 1. Know Your Customer A good business owner knows who their customers are. With data, we can analyze your customers’ purchasing patterns and preferences. For example, frequent buyers may respond well to a points system, while occasional shoppers may prefer exclusive tiered benefits. Once you have identified your customers, you can group them into segments based on behaviors. Ideally, we can group them into 3 groups: high spenders, loyal customers, or those at risk of churning. Each segment can have customized incentives. Example: Offer high-spenders premium rewards, such as priority service. Target at-risk customers with "win-back" offers, like bonus points for their next purchase. Lastly, regularly seek feedback through surveys to understand what they value most in a loyalty program. This can reveal preferences for rewards, tiers, or additional benefits. 2. Align with Your Business Goals There’s no fixed formula for a successful loyalty program. The right approach depends on various factors, such as: Your industry Your daily transactions Your business model For example, if your business has small transactions, such as a coffee shop, then your main goal is to keep customers coming back. Therefore, an ideal solution would be a points-based program. On the other hand, if you are aiming for long-term customer relationships, such as a hotel or luxury brand, you should focus on increasing your AOV and engagement. The ideal solution is a tiered loyalty program as it encourages long-term loyalty by making customers feel invested in the program. 3. Leverage Technology Using technology can make your loyalty program easy and fun for customers to use. One big reason is personalization, which is when you tailor the experience just for them. With data and analytics, you can understand what your customers want and need. Apps like Ako Marketing come with 3 features: a loyalty program, a retargeting feature, and a CRM dashboard. When used correctly, these tools can help you track how your loyalty program is performing and give you insights about your customers. In fact, you can boost your loyalty program by x10 using Retargeting ads! Proven Loyalty Program That Works: Moztech When done correctly, a loyalty program can significantly increase your revenue, enhance customer engagement, and lower your customer churn. Let’s learn from Moztech, which implemented a comprehensive, multi-faceted loyalty and engagement strategy. Their program focuses on 4 key components: Welcome Level: Points-based referral program offering triple-point bonuses for new customers upon sign-up. Discounts for both the referring and referred customers to incentivize participation. Engagement Level: Exclusive loyalty program features such as personalized offers, special updates, and interactive rewards. Incentives for repeat purchases that led to a 23% increase in repeat purchase rates. Sales Growth Level: Cross-sell and upsell strategies powered by Qikify, providing discounts on recommended products to increase average order value (AOV). Bundling options encourage customers to explore and purchase complementary products. Social Engagement Level: Real-time Instagram DM Automation, enabling seamless 24/7 interaction with customers. Instant checkout links provided via Instagram Reels and Posts to drive engagement and conversions directly through social media. Additionally, here is how they structure their loyalty program: Diamond Member Benefits: Member points: 5% cashback with no limit 10% off on regular purchases with member discounts Upgrade Gift:$300 discount voucher + 3 free shipping vouchers (valid for 3 months) Birthday Gift:$500 discount voucher + a mystery gift with your birthday spending (valid for 1 month) Black Member Benefits: Member points: 2% cashback with no limit 5% off on regular purchases with member discounts Upgrade Gift:$100 discount voucher + 3 free shipping vouchers (valid for 3 months) Birthday Gift:$300 discount voucher (valid for 1 month) Silver Member Benefits: Member points: 1% cashback with no limit Upgrade Gift:$50 discount voucher + 1 free shipping voucher (valid for 3 months) Birthday Gift:$200 discount voucher (valid for 1 month) We can learn that Moztech uses customer data effectively to create personalized offers and interactive rewards. For instance, their referral program not only attracts new customers but also integrates them into the loyalty ecosystem from the beginning. Additionally, the integration of automated Instagram engagement tools provides a seamless experience for: - Offering instant discounts and checkout links. - Boosting social media interaction and visibility. - Encouraging real-time engagement and conversions. Their loyalty program provides immediate feedback and progress tracking through points and rewards, tapping into the psychology of instant gratification. As a result, Moztech has achieved a notable increase in customer loyalty, engagement, and overall revenue growth. Conclusion Building a successful loyalty program takes time, but it’s worth the effort. The key is to understand your customers, align with your business goals, and create a program that feels fun and rewarding. Whether it’s a points-based system like Starbucks or an exclusive tiered program, the best loyalty programs make customers feel valued. By using data and technology, you can keep customers coming back and turn them into loyal fans of your brand!

When running an online business, one of the most common nightmares for all merchants is the rising cart abandonment rate. With most first-time visitors leaving without completing their purchase, e-commerce stores need effective strategies to bring these potential customers back. This is where retargeting becomes crucial, it's a powerful technique that can help you recover lost sales efficiently and cost-effectively. Let's explore the strategic approaches to retargeting that can maximize your conversion rates. Understanding the Abandoned Cart Dilemma 7 out of 10 potential sales slip through the cracks, contributing to an annual loss of around $4 trillion in revenue for e-commerce worldwide. Understanding why customers leave without purchasing is the first step toward recapturing these lost sales and maximizing your store's revenue potential. Here are 3 key factors to consider when facing high cart abandonment rates: Unexpected shipping costs: Shipping costs can be a real headache for online shoppers in fact, nearly half of customers click away when unexpected fees pop up at checkout. The good news is there are plenty of ways to keep your customers happy and click "buy." Being upfront about shipping costs from the start, offering free shipping on larger orders, and showing clear delivery options can make a huge difference. A smart trick is adding a dynamic free shipping progress bar to your store, when customers see they're just $15 away from free shipping, they're much more likely to add that extra item to their cart!By keeping things transparent and customer-friendly with tools like this, you'll build trust and turn browsers into buyers. Complicated checkout processes: A frustrating checkout process can scare away even the most interested customer, research shows that over half of shoppers will happily hit "buy" when checkout is quick and painless. Nobody wants to fill out endless forms or create yet another account just to make a purchase! Keep things simple by offering guest checkout options, reducing those form fields to just the essentials, and making it a breeze to check out. Smart features like social login ("Sign in with Google") or one-click point redemption can make the whole experience even smoother. Distractions or interruptions: Keep your checkout clean and focused, those pop-ups and marketing messages might be doing more harm than good! When shoppers get distracted or interrupted during checkout, they're likely to abandon their cart and never return. Create a better checkout experience by removing unnecessary links and distractions. If you do use pop-ups, make them count like offering a sweet discount when someone's about to leave or sending a friendly reminder about forgotten items in their cart through abandoned cart notifications. (resource: Pushowl) A clean, focused checkout process with strategic reminders helps turn hesitant shoppers into happy customers. Transform Abandoned Carts into Sales Retargeting has transformed how online stores reconnect with potential customers. Think about the last time you browsed an online clothing store but didn't make a purchase, a few minutes after you saw the same items appearing in your social media feed later. This isn't a coincidence; it's retargeting. When customers visit your store and browse products or create an account, they're demonstrating interest in your products. Without effective retargeting, these potential customers might never return. By implementing retargeting campaigns, you can not only bring these visitors back but also significantly increase your conversion rates. Let's explore the strategies that can transform window shoppers into loyal customers. (resource: Kaggle) 1.Start with Understanding your Customers Before we start generating content to attract visitors, we should research what our audience prefers. Start segmenting your audience according to their visit history and identify how to allocate your marketing resources to the items your customers are most interested in. For example, what are the common characteristics among visitors based on gender, age, or profession? Having a clear view of these details is essential before starting retargeting campaigns. Like choosing the perfect birthday gift, understanding preferences in detail leads to better results. The more personalized content we generate, the higher the chance we drive more views to our online store. (resource: Maxtraffic) Take ASOS as an example, this brand shows how important personalized marketing is and the strategies they leveraged to deal with cart abandonment. They have been one of the biggest online clothing retailers and reported net online sales exceeding $3.5 billion in 2023. Their deep understanding of its target audience is one of the main reasons why it reached such success. They gathered insights by engaging in social media campaigns and influencer collaborations. Through analyzing user behaviors and preferences, ASOS provides tailored product recommendations and style advice ads to visitors who viewed their site or did any kind of engagement. This retargeting strategy provides a higher chance to attract customers back and place some orders, as well as retrieving losing sales from cart abandonment. Tools like the Ako Marketing: Loyalty Retargeting CRM app can help you easily capture insights from visitors and generate effective retargeting campaigns afterward. The app provides a CRM dashboard that helps merchants easily collect insights about potential clients across Facebook, Instagram, and Google who have expressed interest in products. Find out who has the highest potential to engage with your brand so we can successfully come up with more personalized marketing content. Based on the insight collected from the dashboard, we can move on to launching the retargeting campaign. To get started, the app provides ready-made campaign templates that allow users to set up their ads efficiently. After set-up, it helps automate ad placements based on customer behavior, such as those who visited your site or abandoned their carts. Additionally, the app provides vivid ads allowing merchants to showcase items that customers have previously viewed and create a personalized shopping experience tailored just for them. This makes ads relevant and timely, increasing the chances of converting interest into sales. Let’s have a deeper look at how important it is to create dynamic ads. 2. Create dynamic ads across social media (resource: Celtra) To maximize the effectiveness of retargeting campaigns, we have to make sure the content we show to our audience is attractive enough to capture their attention. When we are scrolling through social media and web pages, the content that drives our attention and makes us pause is always the most eye-catching content or the ones that are most related to our interests. In this case, generating more personalized ads based on previous research could lead to more clicks and a higher conversion rate. Dynamic content allows you to showcase products based on user behaviors. If someone viewed a specific item, make sure your ad highlights that product or similar ones. This tailored approach will significantly improve engagement rates. Let’s review an example from Sunweb and see how they use retargeting ads to grab viewers’ attention. (resource: Bannerwise) It seamlessly integrates its brand logo and color into the design while including the stunning holiday house with an exclusive offer. This approach ensures their brand is present and recognizable without overshadowing the primary message. Sunweb not only enhances brand recognition but also creates a cohesive experience for potential customers. In this case, viewers can become familiar with Sunweb as a trusted name in travel while checking out their holiday house offer, making it more likely that they’ll remember the brand when planning their next getaway. 3. Utilize the Sense of Urgency (resource: Medium ) On the other hand, countdown timer popup ads are another effective way to attract customers while launching retargeting ads across social media. The idea behind this is to induce FOMO( fear of missing out) by instilling a sense of urgency. Numbers never lie, we have seen how effective countdown popups are from the studies: 2.7 times increase in click rate 1.9 times increase in engagement 2.4 times increase in conversions 3.1 times decrease in price per conversion How do countdown ads work with a retargeting strategy? For instance, if customers have previously shown interest in a product but didn’t complete their purchase, showing a limited-time offer can motivate them to return and finalize their transaction. This will not only enhance the likelihood of conversion but also reduce the cost per conversion. By integrating countdown timers into retargeting campaigns, businesses can effectively remind potential customers of what they’re missing out as well as foster them to make that crucial purchase decision. This combination of urgency and personalized marketing creates a compelling reason for customers to engage with your brand and ultimately boosts sales. 4. Email Retargeting Meanwhile while facing cart abandonment, retargeting emails is one of the most common strategies they leveraged to retrieve the sales which have slipped away. These emails typically feature images of the items left behind, a clear call-to-action (CTA), and often include incentives like discounts or free shipping. This strategy has proven to be highly effective, converting three times more than other automated email campaigns. It also helps maintain brand visibility and encourages users to return for further exploration or purchases, enhancing customer satisfaction and boosting conversion rates. How could we effectively set up EDM retargeting campaigns? One of the most compelling reasons for implementing email retargeting is its ability to reach out to individuals who have previously interacted with your brand. These are not just random contacts, they are potential customers who have taken specific actions such as visiting your website, viewing products, or even adding items to their shopping cart without completing the purchase. By sending targeted emails, businesses can gently remind these customers of their interest and encourage them to complete their transactions. Check out the app for email and SMS retargeting: Klaviyo. It provides outstanding retargeting options, allowing you to reach out to customers based on their specific actions. For example, if someone abandons their cart, you can send them a friendly reminder email with a discount code to encourage them back to complete their purchase. This means that if a customer browses a product on your website but does not make a purchase, they can be retargeted with ads featuring that specific product on their social media feeds. This strategy keeps your brand top-of-mind and significantly increases the likelihood of conversion as it targets users who have already expressed interest in your offerings. (resource: Pinterest ) Additionally, Klaviyo's real-time data syncing ensures that your audience segments are always up-to-date. The analytics can help merchants easily track how their campaigns are performing and adjust approaches as needed. This step helps connect with your customers in a meaningful way, leading to better engagement and ultimately driving more sales. By focusing on customers who are likely to convert, businesses can maximize their return on investment (ROI) from both email and paid advertising efforts. 5. Do A/B testing When we launch retargeting campaigns, always remember to do A/B testing on your content to understand more clearly the modification we need and help us come up with better marketing strategies and plans. Continuously checking the ads’ performance and making data-driven adjustments will help us focus on the content that truly helps generate more revenue for stores. Trying out different versions of your ads, such as images, and catchy headlines, or adjusting the call-to-actions. This movement can help you find out what grabs your audience's attention and leads to a higher conversion rate. For example, Sony conducted an A/B testing on their laptops’ ads to see which campaign has the higher shopping cart ads. Eventually, the result was even better than their expectations, with the shopping cart ads increased by 21.3%. At first, the marketers from Sony expected that emphasizing customization in the banners would make customers turn down the offer because it might be seen as a potential obstacle during the purchasing process. However, A/B testing proved the hypotheses to be completely wrong based on relevant data. In this case, we saw the potential that A/B testing could bring to rising sales for businesses. (resource: Auraen) Conclusion Cart abandonment doesn't have to mean lost revenue. With strategic retargeting across social media, personalized email campaigns, and dynamic ads, you can effectively bring customers back to complete their purchases. Tools like Ako Marketing and Klaviyo make it easier than ever to create targeted campaigns that resonate with your audience. Remember to continuously test and optimize your approaches, as Sony's 21.3% increase in shopping cart ads shows, the right retargeting strategy can significantly impact your bottom line. Start implementing these strategies today and watch your abandoned carts transform into completed sales.

Anyone can set up an online store these days - that's the easy part. The real challenge? Getting customers to stick around. Simply attracting window shoppers isn't enough - you need to turn those one-time buyers into loyal customers who keep coming back for more That's why Akohub partnered with Shopify to host the most anticipated e-commerce event of the year in Taiwan. Bringing together industry leaders, the event was proudly sponsored by GemPages, a leading Shopify solution provider, alongside logistics powerhouses Re-Yi Distribution (FamilyMart), HCT Logistics, and FedEx Express. Their participation reflects Taiwan's growing importance in the global e-commerce landscape. With one of Asia's highest e-commerce adoption rates and annual sales surpassing $9.8 billion, Taiwan has become the perfect testing ground for strategies that work worldwide. When brands succeed here, they succeed everywhere. Global Brands Showing Us What's Possible Let's start with some inspiration. Tony Jiang, Shopify's Partnership Team Lead, kicked off the event by sharing how global brands are revolutionizing customer loyalty: Gym Shark turned a Black Friday nightmare into a success story. After struggling with site crashes, they moved to Shopify and haven't looked back. Hismile hit $300M in revenue, with 80% coming from smart bundle sales strategies. Anker migrated 16 global sites in just three months, cutting their operational team size in half. Sundrug: A Japanese pharmacy chain successfully achieved O2O transformation through Shopify Plus, integrating offline wholesale retail with online sales - a successful case of traditional industry transformation. But here's the exciting part, these aren't just big-brand stories. The same tools and strategies are available to every merchant. The Power Behind These Success Stories What makes these transformations possible? Tony revealed how Shopify has evolved from a simple e-commerce platform into a customer-centric unified commerce system. Unlike traditional platforms that only offer basic store setup, Shopify provides: Comprehensive business growth strategies Marketing assistance that drives results User experience optimization Deep integration capabilities that solve real merchant challenges Tony emphasized that while most existing platforms only provide store setup, few offer complete strategies for business growth, marketing assistance, and user experience optimization. Shopify's powerful functionality can help solve various merchant challenges through deeply integrated solutions, allowing brands to find the most appropriate countermeasures when facing operational challenges and realize their complete business value. The proof is in the numbers: Shopify invested $1.7 billion in product development in 2023 alone. This investment powers a comprehensive App Store ecosystem where merchants can easily access everything they need for growth, from smart layout design and campaign creation to bundle sales, membership systems, and powerful remarketing tools. All these features work seamlessly together, making it simple to scale your business as you grow. Putting These Tools to Work: Logitech's Success These aren't just features, they're tools for transformation. Take Logitech's journey as proof: as a market leader holding 80% of the mouse category, they could have rested on their success. Instead, they leveraged these tools to build an even stronger digital presence, cultivating a loyal customer base of over 300,000 in Taiwan and transforming their entire customer experience The journey wasn't always smooth. Jeff Li, Category Customer Marketing Manager at Logitech, shared their early challenges. Their website was struggling with lengthy product pages, slow loading times, and a complicated discount system that frustrated customers. The turning point came through a strategic partnership. Working with Akohub and implementing PageFly, Logitech transformed their online presence. They streamlined their product pages, dramatically improved loading times (20.65 seconds faster on mobile!), and created a seamless one-stop promotion flow. The automated discount codes and integrated points system turned frustrated customers into happy ones. What makes this transformation particularly interesting is their innovative approach to customer relationships. Through Ako Marketing's membership system, they created a comprehensive CRM strategy that goes beyond basic points and rewards. Their multi-tiered membership program offers a sophisticated blend of benefits: new members receive instant rewards, customers enjoy personal birthday privileges, and higher-tier members unlock exclusive event invitations and early access to new products. "The key was moving beyond traditional single-tier rewards," explains Jeff Li. "We wanted to create a system that grows with our customers." Logitech's approach to cross-category sales is brilliantly simple. When a customer adds a mouse to their cart, they're immediately shown matching keyboards with special bundle pricing. This intuitive approach has achieved a remarkable 40% success rate in cross-category sales. Even more interesting is how they use online insights to enhance their offline experience - their data shows that in-store customers often opt for premium products, leading to higher average order values than online purchases. The results speak for themselves: a 28% increase in customer repurchase rate, 12% sales growth in one quarter, and a transformed shopping experience both online and offline. Maoup: Building a Pet Brand People Love While Logitech shows how global brands can transform their digital presence, Maoup demonstrates how local brands can build passionate communities through authentic connections. "Success in e-commerce isn't just about selling products," says Angela Lu, Maoup's Director. "It's about stepping into the pet community and listening to every 'pet parent's' voice." Starting as a Facebook community in 2015, Maoup took a different approach - they began by sharing valuable pet care knowledge, building trust through genuine interactions, and truly understanding what pet owners needed. This authentic connection has grown their following to over 250,000 passionate pet parents who don't just buy products - they champion the brand. The integration with Shopify marked a turning point in their growth. Instead of random promotional blasts, Maoup's marketing team developed a sophisticated approach to customer engagement. They analyzed shopping patterns and consumer behavior, then synchronized this data across social media platforms to create precisely targeted campaigns. This wasn't just advertising, it was sharing real user experiences matched perfectly to each customer's shopping cycle. The results were remarkable: marketing costs dropped by 38%, while return on ad spend soared to 138%. Most impressively, their conversion rate increased by 430%. With 80% of revenue now coming from online channels, this precise targeting strategy has become crucial for sustainable growth. But Maoup's real innovation comes from their approach to customer retention. When they notice a customer hasn't made a purchase within their expected cycle, they don't just send standard promotional messages. Instead, they implement a carefully designed three-step "wake-up" strategy: Offer thoughtfully planned repurchase incentives Create exclusive, personalized discounts Reach out with surveys to understand their needs if they haven't responded As Angela explains, "When customers feel heard, they don't just come back - they bring their friends." With 80% of revenue now coming from online channels, this precise targeting strategy has become crucial for sustainable growth. From Community Building to Brand Philosophy: MAGEASY's Approach to Customer Connection While Maoup built their success through pet community engagement, MAGEASY demonstrated how deep brand philosophy can create equally powerful customer connections. Tim Chiang, Business Director of MAGEASY (SwitchEasy), begins with a fundamental question: "Why does your brand exist?" Using the Golden Circle model, Tim guided brands to rethink their approach through the "Why-How-What" framework. The brand name "MAGEASY" itself - derived from "Make life easy" - embodies their minimalist philosophy and commitment to simplifying users' lives. "Customer perception of your brand matters more than product features," Tim explains. MAGEASY built its success on three core pillars: Innovation in accessory design Professional expertise Functional user experience This focused approach delivered results: through careful implementation of their marketing funnel and strategic resource allocation, MAGEASY achieved 300% growth in 2024. Their success proves that when brands begin with "why," they create deeper customer connections that drive sustainable growth. Their success proves that when brands begin with "why," they create deeper customer connections that drive sustainable growth. From Brand Philosophy to Action: Akohub’s Formula for Customer Acquisition & Retention Building on these brand-building principles, Ray Kung, CEO of Akohub, brings a data-driven perspective to turning philosophy into practice. With experience serving over thousands of Shopify brands, Akohub's approach starts with deep analysis of market needs and brand feedback, developing customized solutions through their comprehensive services including the Ako Marketing: Retargeting and Loyalty CRM app and a specialized logistics solution tailored for the Taiwanese market. Ray emphasizes two critical phases in any brand's growth journey: Early Stage: Focus on customer acquisition and expanding reach Growth Stage: Shift focus to customer retention and service excellence This journey has become increasingly important as Facebook advertising costs have surged 44% in the past five years. Ray's data shows why retention matters: Loyal customers spend 67% more than new customers Their lifetime value is 3 times higher than regular customers Top 1% of loyal customers deliver 5 times more value These insights have driven success across Akohub's partnerships. Beyond their three-year collaboration with Logitech that we explored earlier, their work with Grassphere showcases the power of strategic membership systems. By allowing customers to unlock benefits through purchases, Grassphere achieved a 120% increase in repurchase rate and a 16% boost in direct purchases from new users. To help brands balance increased repurchase rates with lower acquisition costs, Ray suggests two key strategies: Continuous but targeted acquisition of new customers for growth Focus on specific customer segments for stable growth through product innovation Shopify App Partners: Innovative Tools for Customer Retention To complement these strategies, Akohub invited leading Shopify app partners to share their global perspectives during a special panel discussion. These global partnerships showcase the diverse ecosystem of solutions available to merchants: Crafting the Perfect Customer Journey - PageFly "PageFly is one of the reasons Logitech started with Shopify. It's an honor to be part of their journey," shared Victor, CEO of Shopify's #1 page builder. Their collaboration with Logitech exemplifies how better browsing experiences drive customer retention - from renovating the official website homepage to improving overall browsing fluidity and campaign page design. Victor emphasized that "customer browsing experience is a key factor affecting retention rate," showcasing their platform's high-flexibility page design capabilities. This flexibility extends beyond basic design to include: First-purchase incentives VIP loyalty programs Educational content creation, as demonstrated by brands like Syosaku from Japan "The secret to successful brand building is establishing solid relationships with your first customers, continuously consulting their feedback, and upgrading based on their responses," Victor shared, adding "This has been the most helpful business philosophy since our brand's inception." The Power of Smart Search - BoostCommerce "Our AI-powered search solutions simplify product discovery, making it easier for customers to find exactly what they're looking for," explained Jackie from BoostCommerce, whose platform serves over 14,000 brands including SONY, Ford, and Crocs. Their standout feature, In-Collection Search, as implemented by brands like Club 21, allows customers to narrow their search with precision, improving the ease and satisfaction of shopping. The platform also caters to specific language needs, including Chinese search capabilities, making product discovery seamless across global markets. Jackie emphasized that excellent product search processes can significantly increase both brand conversion and repurchase rates. Their comprehensive solution includes: AI-enhanced search experience Smart cart recommendations Advanced customer behavior analytics Multi-language support These features work together to bring higher efficiency to brands' long-term development and customer retention strategies. Seamless Platform Migration - LitExtension Henry from LitExtension highlighted the growing demand for Shopify migrations, driven by factors such as pricing, lack of customizability, and limited app availability on other platforms. "Shopify offers a robust, scalable solution for merchants seeking flexibility and growth," Henry explained. However, the migration process can be daunting, with 43% of brands reporting negative experiences due to time constraints, technical complexity, and unhelpful platforms. "Migration is challenging, but it shouldn't hold you back," Henry emphasized. LitExtension’s expertise ensures a seamless transition, preserving critical data and minimizing downtime. With a streamlined process and proven results, they help merchants unlock Shopify’s full potential with confidence. Setting Benchmarks for Success - Qikify Qikify, a trusted Shopify Expert with over 5 years of experience, brings valuable insights drawn from real-store testing. With 6 highly-rated apps averaging 4.9 stars, they've helped merchants worldwide optimize their online stores through marketing, conversion optimization, and strategic sales features. Drawing from their extensive experience, Liz from Qikify shared essential benchmarks for new Shopify merchants: Growth Trajectory First Month: Target 500–1,000 unique visitors Third Month: Scale to 2,000 visitors These milestones help establish early brand awareness Performance Metrics Maintain conversion rates between 1-3% (industry-dependent) Keep cart abandonment below 70% Monitor product performance to optimize marketing efforts "Tracking these metrics allows merchants to refine their strategies, better understand customer behavior, and make informed decisions," Liz emphasized. Qikify supports these goals through features like: Upselling and cross-selling tools Advanced conversion optimization extensions Cost-effective marketing solutions Empowering Growth Through Sales Funnels - GemPages Empowering Growth Through Sales Funnels - GemPages "At GemPages, we're dedicated to helping eCommerce businesses grow and succeed in the long run," shared the GemPages team at the event. "We're building an all-in-one platform that makes it easier for merchants to create sales funnels that boost conversion rates (CR) and average order value (AOV)." As a key sponsor of the Shopify Meetup, GemPages showcased how their platform empowers merchants with: High-converting product pages Strategic sales funnels Customer journey optimization Revenue-driving promotions "Events like this are important to us because they focus on improving customer experience and loyalty, which are key to running a sustainable online store," Chris Kho, GemPages founder, explained. "By working together to solve challenges like CRO and customer retention, we can help businesses build stronger, more successful brands. That's why we're proud to sponsor this event." GemPages' presence at the event underscores their commitment to the Asian market and their role in helping merchants scale globally through effective conversion optimization tools. Shopify's Ecosystem: Accelerating E-commerce Growth Together, these partners demonstrate how different aspects of the customer experience, from website design to search functionality, data management, and performance optimization - work together to drive retention. As Akohub's CEO Ray Kung noted earlier, success in today's market requires both acquiring new customers and keeping them engaged through superior experiences. What We Learned: The Future of E-commerce As we wrapped up this incredible Shopify Meetup 2024, one clear message emerged: e-commerce success comes from the right combination of strategy, tools, and partnerships. The insights shared by global partners and local success stories showed us four key principles: Start with Strategy: Whether it's MAGEASY's "why-first" approach or Maoup's community building, successful brands begin with clear purpose. Choose the Right Tools: From PageFly's design solutions to BoostCommerce's AI-powered search, technology should make shopping intuitive for customers. Focus on Customer Retention: As Ray Kung showed us, nurturing existing relationships delivers the highest return on investment. Let Data Guide You: Logitech's success with targeted bundle sales and Maoup's precision marketing demonstrate the power of data-driven decision making. Most importantly, we saw that whether you're a global brand like Logitech or just getting started, these success strategies are accessible to everyone. The opportunities for growth are limitless, it's all about taking that first step and having the right partners by your side. Ready to start your e-commerce transformation? Let Akohub help you implement these winning strategies and join the ranks of successful brands who are shaping the future of online retail.

We're excited to announce our new partnership with Toasti Bar. This collaboration brings a suite of powerful eCommerce tools to Shopify merchants, helping you uncover hidden strategies, analyze shop traffic, and discover best-selling products with ease. About ToastiBar: Boost your Shopify store’s success with ToastiBar - Sales Popup! 🚀 Instantly engage and captivate your customers with real-time notifications that drive urgency, build trust, and skyrocket conversions. 💥 Why You'll Love ToastiBar: 🔥 Sales Notifications: Create urgency by showing recent sales. 🛒 Cart Notifications: Display recently added products in the cart. 👥 Online Visitors Notifications: Create urgency by showing the number of visitors online. 👀 Recent Visitors Notifications: Increase interest by displaying recent visitor activity. 📊 Product Visitors Notifications: Show how many visitors have viewed specific products. ⭐ Product Reviews Notifications: Gain trust with recent reviews. 📦 Order Summary Notifications: Showcase real-time order updates. ⚠️ Low Inventory Notifications: Encourage swift action with low stock alerts. 🛍️ Cart Summary Notifications: Motivate purchases by showcasing added cart items. Engage. Convert. Succeed with ToastiBar! 🚀 Take Action Today! Transform your eCommerce strategy with Akohub and elevate your Shopify Plus experience with ToastiBar! Start your free trial today and customize your checkout for higher conversions! About Akohub Akohub is the all-in-one marketing app that empowers Shopify stores with loyalty programs, marketing funnels, and retargeting features. Akohub’s mission is to help businesses thrive by enhancing customer retention, engagement, and sales, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for e-commerce success. Ako Loyalty Retargeting CRM is dedicated to helping e-commerce merchants boost customer repeat purchases and conversions with customizable loyalty retargeting programs. With this partnership, we aim to boost repeat purchases and conversions. For partnerships or further information, please contact: partnerships@akohub.com

Christmas presents a golden opportunity for the e-commerce market, with holiday sales accounting for nearly 19% of annual retail revenue in the U.S. alone. With the right strategies, merchants can not only boost sales but also build stronger customer relationships. A well-designed multi-tier loyalty program plays a key role in forging these connections. Let’s explore how to craft effective Christmas marketing strategies and why multi-tier loyalty programs are vital for enhancing customer relationship management (CRM) for your business. Marketing Strategies to Boost Your E-commerce Business During Christmas Know What Your Audience Wants To craft a successful Christmas campaign, it’s essential to understand the needs of your target customers and tailor content that aligns with their preferences. Tools like Google Analytics and the Ako Marketing CRM dashboard allow businesses to collect customer data across multiple channels, including social media and websites. Using these insights, businesses can group customers and create highly tailored content. Businesses can effectively analyze data and segment their audiences based on the following categories: Demographics: Age-specific promotions, gender marketing, localized advertising Behavior: Past purchases, browsing history Preferences: Interests, lifestyle, and favorite products How Does Segmentation Boost Your Marketing Strategy?By creating promotions tailored to each segment, businesses can enhance customer engagement, improve the shopping experience, and foster long-term loyalty. This personalized approach not only makes your campaigns more memorable but also strengthens customer relationships, driving long-term CLV. Create Memorable Experience When we shop at malls, we're often drawn into stores with elaborate holiday decorations, sometimes buying items we hadn’t initially planned to purchase. Studies show that 82% of shoppers find festive in-store displays helpful when shopping and making purchasing decisions. These experiential marketing elements have a powerful impact on our decision-making. Update Your Store with an Exclusive Holiday Theme Incorporating a holiday-themed design into your online store is an excellent way to boost exfngagement and sales. To set up festive landing pages quickly and efficiently, consider using PageFly, a Shopify app with a variety of templates and tools for themed design. For example, Xmiles, a nutrition supplement brand, experienced significant results after using PageFly to redesign its website. The brand saw a 500% increase in conversion rate and a 750% jump in Google search impressions. If you're looking to improve your website design and conversion rate this holiday season, PageFly could be the perfect tool for you. (Source: PageFly) Integrate with a Multi-Tier Loyalty Program Attracting visitors to your website is essential, but cultivating loyal customers who engage with your brand is what truly drives long-term profitability. Implementing a multi-tier loyalty program can provide numerous benefits for your business. According to Forbes, reward programs are a key reason customers continue shopping with a brand, with 48% of consumers willing to pay more for quality customer service​. Why Integrating a Loyalty Program is Essential During Christmas Christmas intensifies the emotional connection people have with shopping. To differentiate your brand from competitors, offering exclusive discounts and rewards can encourage customers to choose your store. A tiered loyalty program incentivizes higher spending through bonus points and exclusive rewards, enticing customers to increase their average order value (AOV). The holiday season is an ideal time to convert one-time buyers into loyal customers. Those who enjoy a memorable shopping experience during Christmas are more likely to return for future purchases. A well-structured loyalty program is crucial for retaining customer attention and encouraging repeat business. By establishing a loyalty program, businesses can gather valuable data on customer preferences and shopping behaviors. This information allows for the creation of tailored promotions and more effective retargeting campaigns, ultimately enhancing the overall shopping experience and boosting retention rates. Unique Features of Multi-Tier Programs Unlike traditional loyalty programs that offer equal benefits to all customers, multi-tier programs provide different levels of engagement. This structure enables customers to earn rewards in various ways, creating a clear pathway for them to unlock exclusive benefits through increased spending. For example, H&M's loyalty program offers: Double points events, allowing customers to earn twice as many rewards during the holidays. Early access to holiday sales for members. Exclusive discounts on Christmas-themed clothing and gifts. (Source:H&M) These strategies have successfully driven larger transactions, enhanced customer engagement, and significantly boosted sales during the holiday season. Reports indicate a 15% increase in sales compared to the previous year and a 20% rise in the repeat purchase rate due to the effective use of their multi-tier loyalty program​. Ako Marketing is an excellent choice to establish a multi-tier loyalty program for your store. This tool enables businesses to segment customers based on engagement and spending. By integrating with Ako Marketing, companies can implement a multi-tier system that offers escalating rewards, motivating customers to achieve higher tiers for exclusive benefits. Multi-tier programs facilitate personalized marketing and promotions by segmenting customers according to their spending habits. The Ako Marketing app syncs customer loyalty data with messaging platforms like Klaviyo, allowing businesses to automatically send personalized EDMs, increasing the likelihood of repeat purchases. Increase Your Sales with Cross-Selling and Upselling When customers make purchases based on shopping habits gathered from loyalty programs, businesses can enhance their marketing strategies by incorporating cross-sell and upsell tools. This approach allows e-commerce stores to effectively leverage insights gained from loyalty programs, ultimately leading to higher retention rates. For upselling and promotional events, integrating with Qikify enables businesses to easily set up campaigns that maximize revenue during the holiday season. Qikify offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including the ability to create bundle discounts, upgrade offers, and multi-goal incentives that encourage customers to unlock higher discounts. Upselling can increase revenue by as much as 30%, while effective cross-selling can lead to a 10-30% increase in sales​. Implementing these strategies not only enhances the customer experience but also encourages customers to explore additional products they may find valuable. By understanding customer preferences through loyalty program data, businesses can tailor their cross-selling and upselling efforts, ensuring that recommendations align with customers' interests and needs. This targeted approach not only boosts sales but also strengthens customer relationships, leading to long-term loyalty. Maximizing Customer Loyalty Through Exceptional Service In addition to retargeting and marketing campaigns, maintaining customer loyalty is crucial for generating long-term profits. A case study by Zip chat demonstrates that customers are more likely to return and make additional purchases when brands provide immediate assistance with order-related issues or product inquiries. Therefore, integrating an effective customer service system is essential, allowing customers to contact your brand seamlessly whenever they need help. For instance, Korendy, a skincare and beauty brand, saw significant growth after integrating with Zipchat, achieving the following results: Over 9,300 orders are processed through their AI chatbot. A 23% conversion rate from chat interactions to sales. More than 100,000 replies are handled by the chatbot. So, how does the app benefit businesses? By integrating Zipchat, stores can offer 24/7 AI-supported customer service, ensuring that customers receive timely assistance regardless of the hour. The AI-powered chatbot can handle a wide array of inquiries, providing immediate support and generating personalized interactions based on customer data. This seamless integration significantly enhances customer satisfaction and supports the long-term growth of your loyalty program. Conclusion Establishing a well-structured multi-tier loyalty program is essential for e-commerce businesses during the Christmas season. By leveraging data analytics to understand customer needs, businesses can create tailored content for marketing events and foster memorable experiences for their audience. Additionally, integrating holiday themes and exclusive offers will attract more customers while encouraging long-term engagement through multi-tier loyalty programs. Tools like the Akohub loyalty app and Qikify can help implement these strategies effectively. Moreover, providing a reliable customer service system through AI-powered tools like Zipchat ensures customer satisfaction and promotes long-term loyalty, driving higher sales and retention rates even beyond the festive season.

Have you been struggling to boost the growth of your online store? We have some effective strategies to help you overcome obstacles and reach long-term expansion. Based on studies, nearly 98% of visitors do not make a purchase during their first visit to a website, and only 5.2% of traffic is converted. When it comes to raising revenue for an e-commerce business, customer lifetime value is always one of the main factors that businesses should focus on. It is a crucial factor for every merchant who has been seeking long-term expansion since CLV represents the total value that a business can expect from a single customer throughout their entire relationship with the company. To ensure long-term customer engagement, two of the most effective strategies to maximize the retention rate are loyalty programs and retargeting campaigns. Why Focusing on Customer Lifetime Value is Important? Let’s explore the importance of focusing on customer lifetime value (CLTV): 1. Measures Marketing Effectiveness Measuring CLV helps elevate the effectiveness of your marketing strategies by allowing you to allocate your budget efficiently. You can focus on the campaigns that drive the most traffic to your store, which in turn reduces acquisition costs and ensures you’re spending on the tools that generate the highest profit. 2. Improves Customer Retention A higher CLV indicates stronger loyalty to your business. Focusing on strategies that enhance customers satisfaction, such as implementing loyalty programs and improving customer service systems, will ultimately boost retention rates and generate long-term profit. 3. Identifies Profitable Customer Segments Analyzing CLV helps you segment your target audience and create more effective retargeting campaigns and upsell strategies, which in turn lead to a higher repurchase rate. Customers are more likely to add products closely aligned with their shopping preferences to their cart. As a result, careful customer segmentation becomes essential for boosting long-term CLV. How to Set Up an Ideal Loyalty Program: A well-designed loyalty program can greatly enhance the shopping experience, especially when it offers a membership plan with extra benefits as customers make more purchases. Establishing a comprehensive loyalty program with multiple tiers and clear criteria can help customers stay engaged with your brand in the long term. These programs allow customers to earn points, discounts, and benefits such as free products, exclusive perks, or early access to sales, increasing their engagement with your brand and boosting the likelihood of repeat purchases, ultimately supporting your business's growth. Compared to regular loyalty programs, multi-tier programs offer a wider range of benefits, such as: Better structure: Customers are segmented into different tiers (bronze, silver, gold, platinum), allowing for more targeted retargeting campaigns. Various rewards: Customers receive exclusive rewards based on their tier level. Let's look at the example of the well-known electronics brand Logitech. To encourage repeat purchases and boost retention for long-term growth, Logitech ensures that customers not only receive the best products but also excellent after-sales service. Their goal is to maintain a loyal customer base and strengthen customer loyalty. As a result, establishing a multi-tier loyalty program became their primary strategy to achieve this. What kind of progress have they made after implementing the loyalty program? According to data collected from an interview with Logitech's marketing manager, they successfully generated approximately 30% more revenue, along with a significant increase in new membership sign-ups. This example demonstrates the substantial growth that a well-structured loyalty program can bring to a business. Another example comes from Smoosy, a premier online store in Taiwan that sells frozen fruit packages. Initially, they aimed to increase repeat purchase rates and customer retention. To achieve this, they launched a comprehensive loyalty program through the Ako Loyalty app, featuring personalized recommendations, diverse point-earning opportunities, and automated systems. They also established clear tiers based on the number of purchases customers made, offering exclusive benefits at each tier. After implementing the loyalty program, Smoosy saw a significant improvement in customer retention rates and overall customer satisfaction. How to Set Up an Ideal Retargeting Campaign An effective retargeting campaign can help bring back visitors who have recently engaged with your store, whether by clicking on products or abandoning items in their shopping cart. Have you ever felt like someone is watching your browsing history because you keep seeing ads for products you left in your cart? That’s the power of retargeting campaigns. These campaigns "follow" your audience and re-engage them, turning one-time viewers into long-term customers. When combined with loyalty programs, retargeting campaigns can significantly boost customer lifetime value (CLV). Here’s how to effectively set up a retargeting campaign for your store: Identify Your Target Audience First, determine who you are targeting and what kind of relationship they already have with your brand. If you're targeting customers who abandoned their carts, providing enticing information about those products can be highly effective. On the other hand, if you're targeting visitors who browsed your website without placing an order, offering a discount through an email (EDM) can help capture their attention. It’s crucial to align your targeting with the message so that you’re providing the right information to guide your audience to the next step of their buyer's journey. Klaviyo allows stores to automatically send marketing messages to their target audience and show them the latest news of the products, marketing campaigns, and exclusive discounts. With its help, businesses could easily help businesses easily retain customer attention and generate higher chances for repeat purchases. Design Eye-Catching Content to Attract Customers Creating eye-catching content is key to attracting more customers to your business. Make sure to highlight your brand story and develop engaging concepts around your products. When running retargeting ads, continuously test different styles and analyze which ones resonate most with your audience. This way, you can ensure that your budget is allocated to the campaigns that deliver the highest efficiency. Refine Your Ads with A/B Testing Insights Finally, optimize your content after launching a few ads. One of the most efficient ways to test your creatives and different variables is by using Facebook's A/B testing feature. By continuously monitoring your ads' performance and making data-driven adjustments, you can turn off the low-performing ads and focus on what works best among the top performers. To maximize long-term CLTV for your business, effectively combining data from loyalty programs and using it strategically is essential. Let’s explore the following aspects of how it works: Generate Personalized Retargeting: Use data collected from loyalty programs to create personalized retargeting campaigns. For example, if a customer frequently purchases a specific product, retarget them with ads for similar products or related accessories to maintain their interest in your brand. Exclusive Offers: Reward your loyal customers with exclusive offers through retargeting ads, such as special discounts, early access to sales, or free shipping. Re-engagement: Target customers who haven’t made a purchase in a while by sending personalized messages and offers to remind them about your brand. Cross-Selling and Upselling: Use retargeting campaigns to promote complementary products or higher-value items to your loyalty program members, encouraging them to place more orders. The Shopify app such as UpPromote could help businesses easily set up upselling events to landing pages, boosting the general conversion rate. Cart Abandonment: Cart abandonment is one of the most common challenges for e-commerce businesses. However, it can be overcome with retargeting strategies. For instance, global fashion retailer ASOS significantly reduced its cart abandonment rate and increased conversions by sending emails and retargeting ads featuring abandoned items across social media channels. By leveraging these retargeting tactics, businesses can encourage their target audience to complete purchases, ultimately enhancing CLTV and boosting long-term conversion rates. Establish an Ideal Customer Service System To keep customers engaged with your brand, ensure they sign up for a membership first. Offering a promo code for an exclusive discount on their first purchase can significantly increase sign-up rates. Additionally, sending SMS and email marketing messages can help maintain members' interest in the brand and encourage further engagement. For example, the famous designer shoe brand Steve Madden successfully improved its retention rate by interacting with the customer service app Gorgias. Let’s take a look at the following aspects of how it works: Automated responses: The integration of an AI chatbot, allows the customer service team to focus on more complex issues and reduce the responding time. Personalized support: The platform allows agents access through customer purchase history and their preferences, which helps them generate more tailored support for customers. Real-world impact: By offering instant engagement to help with customers’ issues and personalized content, Steve Madden has seen a 19% increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2024. Conclusion Combining loyalty programs and retargeting campaigns is an efficient way to boost your store’s customer lifetime value (CLV). This strategy leverages data-driven insights from loyalty members to make marketing campaigns more cost-effective and efficient, while also targeting one-time users and encouraging their return. By implementing these tactics, businesses can foster deeper relationships with customers, leading to sustained growth and long-term profitability in the e-commerce space.