Phase 1: Planning & Strategy
Before you touch any settings, get the strategy right. These foundational decisions determine whether your program drives real retention or just gives away margin.
Decide what success looks like: increase repeat purchase rate? Grow subscription sign-ups? Reduce churn? Pick one primary goal and two secondary goals. Pet supplies stores typically benefit most from focusing on subscription conversion and repeat purchase frequency. Every decision downstream should serve these goals.
Example: A pet food brand set their primary goal as 'increase subscription rate from 15% to 30% in 6 months.' This clarity guided every reward and tier decision — subscription-related actions always earned the most points.
Identify your key segments: single-pet vs. multi-pet households, dog vs. cat vs. exotic owners, subscription vs. one-time buyers, budget vs. premium shoppers. Your loyalty program needs to serve all segments, but reward structures should prioritize your highest-LTV segments.
Example: A pet supplies store analyzed their data and found multi-pet households represent 25% of customers but 52% of revenue. They designed tier thresholds and multi-pet bonuses to specifically reward this segment.
Set a clear, simple ratio (e.g., 1 point per $1 spent, 500 points = $5 reward). The ratio must make the first reward achievable within 2-3 purchases. For pet supplies, where average orders are $40-80, a threshold of 500 points for a free treat bag ($8 value) works well. Avoid complex math that confuses customers.
Example: A pet store set 1 point per $1 spent, 500 points = free treat bag. Average customer earns their first reward in 2.3 orders (about 6 weeks), building the habit before interest fades.
Create 3-4 tiers with clear names and achievable thresholds. For pet supplies: Bronze (free to join), Silver ($200/year), Gold ($500/year), Platinum ($1,000/year). Each tier must offer at least 2 perks the tier below doesn't have. Review our
VIP tier examples for pet supplies for detailed structures.
Example: A pet brand designed 3 tiers: Puppy (join free, 1x points), Pack Leader (5 orders, 1.5x points + free shipping), Alpha ($500 spend, 2x points + free shipping + early access). 28% of members reached Pack Leader within 4 months.
Choose 5-8 rewards across categories: product rewards (free treats, bag upgrades), financial rewards (discounts, free shipping), and experiential rewards (early access, vet consultations). Check our
best rewards for pet supplies customers for proven options. Product rewards typically outperform discounts in pet supplies.
Example: A pet store launched with 6 rewards: free treat bag (500 pts), free shipping (300 pts), $10 off (800 pts), bag upgrade (1,000 pts), early access to new products (Gold tier), vet consultation (2,000 pts).
Define how customers earn points beyond purchases: pet profile completion (200 pts), photo review (150 pts), referral (500 pts), social share (75 pts), birthday registration (100 pts). Non-purchase earning actions drive engagement between orders and collect valuable data.
Example: A pet brand launched with 6 earning actions. Customers who complete 3+ non-purchase earning actions in their first 30 days have a 68% 6-month retention rate vs. 35% for purchase-only earners.
Phase 2: Technical Setup on Shopify
With your strategy defined, it's time to build. These steps cover the technical implementation on Shopify — from app installation to automation setup.
Choose a Shopify loyalty app that supports wallet passes, automated point accrual, tiered rewards, and Klaviyo integration. JeriCommerce offers all of these with Apple/Google Wallet pass support built in. Install and connect to your Shopify store — most setups take under 30 minutes.
Example: A pet supplies store installed JeriCommerce on a Saturday morning and had their loyalty program live by Sunday afternoon, including wallet pass design, tier structure, and 4 reward options.
JeriCommerce setup: install app → connect Shopify → configure wallet pass design → enable Apple/Google Wallet. Live in under 30 minutes.
Set up your point earning rules (purchases, reviews, referrals) and tier thresholds in your loyalty app. Test each rule by placing a test order. Verify that points accrue correctly and tier upgrades trigger automatically. Double-check that tier perks (like free shipping) apply at checkout.
Example: A pet brand configured 8 earning rules and 3 tiers in one session. They caught a free shipping issue during testing — the rule wasn't applying to heavy items. Fixed before launch.
Create your Apple/Google Wallet pass with your brand colors, logo, pet-friendly imagery, and dynamic fields (points balance, tier name, pet's name). The pass should feel premium and personal. Include your store URL and referral link on the back of the pass.
Example: A pet brand designed their wallet pass with their green/brown color scheme and a paw print pattern. Members consistently comment on how 'cute' the pass is — it becomes part of their identity as a pet parent.
Wallet pass design: front shows logo + pet name + points + tier. Back shows referral link, tier progress, and nearest store location.
Connect your loyalty app to Klaviyo for automated email flows: welcome series with wallet pass link, points earned notifications, tier upgrade celebrations, reward reminders, and win-back sequences. Map loyalty events (point earned, tier changed, reward redeemed) to Klaviyo triggers.
Example: A pet store connected their loyalty app to Klaviyo and built 5 automated flows. The post-purchase wallet pass email alone drives 34% wallet adoption rate among first-time buyers.
Create Shopify Flow automations for key loyalty events: auto-award points on order completion, trigger wallet pass delivery after first purchase, send tier upgrade notifications, flag at-risk customers when overdue for purchase. These automations run your program on autopilot.
Example: A pet brand set up 6 Shopify Flow automations. The 'at-risk customer' flow alone recovered 22% of customers who would have churned, generating $4,200/month in retained revenue.
Phase 3: Launch & Enrollment
Your program is built — now it's time to launch it to your customers. These steps maximize enrollment and first-week engagement.
Import your existing customer list into your loyalty program with starting points based on their purchase history. Customers who've already spent $200+ should start at Silver tier, not zero. This rewards past loyalty and gives immediate value. Send a personalized announcement email.
Example: A pet store launched their program and pre-loaded points for 2,800 existing customers. 41% installed their wallet pass within the first week, and 28% redeemed a reward within 14 days.
Existing customer email: 'You already have 1,200 points! Install your wallet pass to see your rewards.' Pre-loaded passes drive immediate engagement.
Add loyalty program callouts to key pages: homepage banner, product pages (show points earned per product), cart page (show points this order will earn), and post-purchase confirmation. Every touchpoint should remind customers that buying earns rewards.
Example: A pet brand added 'Earn 45 points with this purchase' to product pages. Conversion rate on products showing point values increased 12% vs. products without.
Send a dedicated email + social media announcement. Include a limited-time launch bonus (double points for the first week) to drive early enrollment. Use urgency: 'Join this week for 2x points on your first order.' Follow up with a reminder 3 days later.
Example: A pet store ran a 7-day launch campaign with 2x points. 35% of their email list joined in the first week, and launch-week revenue was 28% above their monthly average.
Launch email with one-tap wallet pass install: 'Tap to add your loyalty card to Apple/Google Wallet and start earning today.'
If you have a physical store, train staff to mention the loyalty program at checkout, help customers install wallet passes, and explain tier benefits. Staff enthusiasm directly correlates with enrollment rates. Create a simple one-page cheat sheet for reference.
Example: A pet store chain trained staff with a 15-minute session and one-page cheat sheet. In-store enrollment went from 12% of transactions to 48% after training.
Offer a launch-specific referral bonus — 2x the normal referral points for the first 30 days. Your most excited early members will spread the word if the incentive is strong enough. Provide easy sharing tools via wallet pass and email. See our
referral ideas for pet supplies brands for more tactics.
Example: A pet brand offered 2x referral points during launch month. Early members referred 340 new customers in 30 days — 3x their normal monthly acquisition rate.
Phase 4: Optimization & Growth
Your program is live — now make it better. These ongoing optimization steps turn a good loyalty program into a retention engine.
Monitor 5 metrics weekly: enrollment rate, point redemption rate, repeat purchase rate (members vs. non-members), tier distribution, and churn rate. Set up a simple dashboard in your analytics tool. If redemption rate drops below 30%, your rewards aren't compelling enough.
Example: A pet store tracks KPIs weekly in a Google Sheet. They noticed redemption rate dropping in month 3, added a new treat reward, and redemption bounced back from 24% to 52% within 2 weeks.
Every quarter, test one new reward type against your existing options. Try product rewards vs. discounts, experiential perks vs. financial ones. Pet supplies customers consistently surprise brands with what they actually value — test rather than assume.
Example: A pet brand tested a $10-off coupon vs. a free premium treat bag (same point cost). The treat bag had 78% higher redemption and customers who redeemed it ordered again 9 days sooner.
Use pet profile data to personalize the loyalty experience: breed-specific product recommendations, life-stage-appropriate rewards, and allergy-filtered suggestions. The more personalized the program feels, the higher the engagement and the harder it is for competitors to replicate.
Example: A pet store personalized reward recommendations by pet type (dog vs. cat) and size. Personalized members redeem 44% more rewards and have 31% higher annual spend.
Align loyalty promotions with pet care seasons: flea/tick season (spring), travel/outdoor (summer), back-to-routine (fall), holiday gifting (winter). Double points events, limited-edition rewards, and seasonal bonus tiers keep the program feeling fresh year-round.
Example: A pet brand runs 4 seasonal campaigns annually. These campaigns drive 40% of total loyalty program engagement and are their highest-AOV ordering periods.
Seasonal wallet push: 'Spring Flea Season! Earn 3x points on flea prevention products this week. Gold members get free shipping too.'
Send a short survey (5 questions max) to loyalty members once per year asking what they value most and what's missing. Offer 500 bonus points for completion. The insights from actual members are worth more than any industry benchmark. Act on the top 2 requests within 30 days.
Example: A pet store's annual survey revealed that 62% of members wanted a charity donation reward — which they hadn't considered. Adding it increased top-tier engagement by 35%.
💡 Pro Tips for Pet Supplies
1
Launch with fewer rewards (4-6) and add more based on data, rather than launching with 15 options that overwhelm customers. Pet parents prefer simplicity — they want to know the fastest path to the next reward for their pet.
2
Make wallet pass installation part of the post-purchase flow, not a separate ask. A one-tap install link in the order confirmation email converts 30-40% of first-time buyers into loyalty members automatically.
3
Set up your loyalty program before you invest heavily in paid acquisition. Every new customer acquired through ads should immediately enter your loyalty funnel — otherwise you're paying to acquire customers who churn in 90 days.
4
Use pet names, not customer names, in all loyalty communications. 'Luna has 500 points!' is more engaging than 'You have 500 points!' Pet parents respond to messaging about their pets, not about themselves.
5
Don't wait for a perfect program — launch with your best 80% and iterate. A live program generating data is infinitely more valuable than a perfect plan sitting in a spreadsheet. You can adjust point ratios, add tiers, and test rewards once you have real customer behavior to analyze.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Over-engineering the program before launch. Too many tiers, too many rewards, complex earning rules — all of this delays launch and confuses customers. Start simple: 3 tiers, 4-6 rewards, clear point ratio. You can always add complexity later based on real data.
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Forgetting to promote the program after launch. A loyalty program isn't 'set and forget.' Without ongoing promotion — in emails, on site, at checkout, via wallet notifications — enrollment plateaus after the initial spike. Allocate 10 minutes per week to loyalty program promotion.
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Not pre-loading points for existing customers. If a customer has been buying from you for 2 years and your loyalty program starts them at zero, it feels like a slap in the face. Import purchase history and award retroactive points — it costs nothing and creates instant program value.
35-50% (pet supplies average; well-executed loyalty programs push this to 55-65%)
Avg. Repeat Purchase Rate
$450-$800 over 24 months for online pet supplies retailers with active loyalty programs
Avg. Customer Lifetime Value
30-45% enrollment rate within the first 90 days is typical for pet supplies stores that actively promote their program
Loyalty Program Adoption
Launch Your Pet Store's Loyalty Program This Weekend
Wallet passes, tiered rewards, Klaviyo integration, and Shopify Flow — everything on this checklist, ready in an afternoon.
Start Free — No Credit CardReady to check off every item on this list? JeriCommerce makes launching a pet supplies loyalty program on Shopify fast and simple. Wallet passes, tiered rewards, Klaviyo integration, and Shopify Flow automations — all set up in an afternoon. Start with the free plan at jericommerce.com and follow this checklist step by step.
