Customer loyalty software

Today’s consumer has a wealth of businesses and products to choose from, and it feels as though customer loyalty is fleeting. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2024, more than half of all customers will switch to a competitor after only one unsatisfactory interaction. With stakes that high, businesses need a way to foster long-term customer relationships.

Customer loyalty software can help businesses build those crucial relationships through loyalty programs. This article details the 17 best customer loyalty software options on the market, what features you should be looking for, and how these solutions can contribute to a positive customer experience (CX).

More in this guide:

• What is customer loyalty software?
• Customer loyalty software comparison chart
• The 17 best customer loyalty software
• Features of customer loyalty management software
• Benefits of customer loyalty software
• How to choose a customer loyalty software
• Frequently asked questions

Customer loyalty software is a technology that helps businesses build and maintain long-term relationships with their customers. With this tool, organizations can create and optimize loyalty programs that incentivize consumers to make repeat purchases. The overarching goal is to increase customer retention and drive revenue growth.

Customer loyalty software does its best to entice consumers to stick with your company. Through customer loyalty programs and CX-enhancing features, like omnichannel capabilities, consumers are inclined to make repeat purchases, providing the perfect opportunity to develop relationships and build customer loyalty.

Below is a comparison chart of the top 17 customer loyalty software options. It includes information on each software’s price, free trial length, and features.

Next, let’s jump into an extended overview of each software so you can select the best option for your organization.

1. Zendesk

According to our CX Trends Report, 75 percent of consumers will spend more with businesses that provide a good customer experience, and 60 percent have made a purchase solely based on the service they expect to receive. So, your first step to improving customer loyalty should be a well-executed CX strategy—a concept that we’re experts in at Zendesk.

Our software boasts a wealth of features that can help businesses of all sizes improve the customer experience and, in turn, build customer loyalty at scale. Zendesk customer loyalty features include:

• AI: Our chatbot and automation capabilities give customers instant answers to simple queries and empower agents to solve issues quickly and effectively.
• Customer satisfaction surveys: Collecting feedback directly from your customer base can alert your organization to what’s working well and what needs improvement to boost retention.
• Customer segmentation: When you target specific customer groups, you can build customer loyalty with personalized content, faster support, and engagement opportunities.
• Omnichannel capabilities: You need to support customers on their preferred channel, whether that’s your website, app, or social media page.

Customer loyalty starts with a positive customer experience—something we bring to the table with every consumer interaction. Join the 160,000+ companies we’ve helped to deliver outstanding CX and boost loyalty.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI chatbots and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Customer segmentation
• Self-service capabilities
• Customer chat and messaging

Pricing:

• Suite Team: $55 per agent/month
• Suite Growth: $89 per agent/month
• Suite Professional: $115 per agent/month
• Suite Enterprise: Talk to sales
• Suite Enterprise Plus: Talk to sales
  *Plans are billed annually.

Explore more Zendesk pricing plans.

Free trial:

14 days

Take 30 seconds to start a Zendesk free trial or request a Zendesk demo.

2. Yotpo

Yotpo is a customer loyalty platform specializing in retention and marketing for e-commerce brands. It takes an omnichannel approach so businesses can connect with their customers over text, email, referral systems, reviews, and more.

The platform also provides data insights that track consumer behavior, allowing businesses to analyze different customer segments and offer personalized communication. This data is recorded in a dashboard so organizations can monitor performance and get automated recommendations from Yotpo.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Referral program
• Dedicated rewards
• Rewards sticky bar

Pricing:

• Free: $0 per month (limited features)
• Gold: Starts at $199 per month
• Platinum: Contact Yotpo
• Enterprise: Contact Yotpo

Free trial:

Unavailable

3. Kangaroo

Kangaroo is a customer loyalty platform that helps businesses establish long-term customer relationships. The product has customization options so organizations can create and manage color schemes, logos, and other features of customer-facing notifications.

The software’s reward system helps businesses create loyalty programs and point systems. Kangaroo also has reporting and analytics that can keep track of what’s working for a business and help identify areas of improvement.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Customer segmentation
• Point rewards
• Partner integrations

Pricing:

• Loyalty Essentials: $59 per month
• Engagement Package: $99 per month
• Ultimate: $199 per month
• Ultimate Plus: $299 per month

Free trial:

30 days

4. Talon.One

Talon.One is a platform for promotion campaigns and loyalty programs. It leverages customer data to help businesses create automated incentive campaigns to send personalized discounts and offers to customers.

Talon.One focuses on every stage of the buyer’s journey and provides referral systems and segmentation to help with the customer acquisition and conversion process. To pull back customers who churned, Talon.One offers win-back programs that can help with retention and re-conversion initiatives.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Geofencing
• Digital wallets
• Customer referrals
• Win-back programs

Pricing:

Contact Talon.One

Free trial:

Unavailable

5. Smile.io

Smile can help small businesses create and manage loyalty programs. The platform allows users to customize colors, icons, text descriptions, and more to ensure that every customer-facing interaction fits branding specifications.

Smile.io leans on three areas of customer interactions: points, VIPs, and referrals. Points allow customers to earn and save rewards, VIP features help businesses create tiers that reward their best customers, and referral capabilities incentivize users with rewards to share the product with their friends or colleagues.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• Analytics and dashboards
• Points programs
• VIP features
• Referral programs
• Integrations

Pricing:

• Free: $0 per month (limited features)
• Starter: $49 per month
• Growth: $199 per month
• Plus: $999 per month

Free trial:

Unavailable

6. LoyaltyLion

LoyaltyLion is a customer loyalty platform that assists businesses with growth and retention. Optimized for use with Shopify, LoyaltyLion offers customizability with color schemes, logos, and more.

The points-and-rewards feature lets customers earn points for website activities like purchases, reviews, and referrals. Premium features like in-cart rewards and customer tiers help businesses further customize their loyalty experience. LoyaltyLion also allows users to customize email templates, streamline customer replies, and integrate with products like Mailchimp.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Loyalty program customization
• Customer points
• Email marketing integrations
• SMS integrations

Pricing:

• Classic: Starts at $399 per month
• Advanced: Contact LoyaltyLion
• Plus: Contact LoyaltyLion

Free trial:

14 days

7. Runa

Runa is a customer loyalty product that helps businesses establish payout programs. Through Runa’s application programming interface (API), teams can create a digital infrastructure that supports customer rewards programs, employee incentive capabilities, and other gifting campaigns.

The product has features like customer referrals, sign-up bonuses, loyalty rewards, and new product discounts. Additionally, Runa allows companies and customers to choose which payout type they prefer, be it a gift card, cryptocurrency, or shares.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Multiple payout types
• API integration
• Customizability

Pricing:

• Core: Contact Runa
• Customized: Contact Runa

Free trial:

Unavailable

8. Fivestars

Fivestars is a payments, marketing, and rewards platform focused on customer retention for small businesses. The software helps organizations establish automated rewards and promotions that are accessible and redeemable through point-of-sale (POS) systems or tablet devices.

Fivestars’ tagging and segmentation features allow businesses to separate their customer base into predefined categories—like gender, age, and spending habits—to personalize communication. The platform also has an app so customers can find any business in their area that uses Fivestars and engages in loyalty programs.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Customer segmentation
• Customer database
• Autopilot campaigns

Pricing:

• Essentials: Contact Fivestars
• Pro: Contact Fivestars

Free trial:

30 days

9. Alyce

Alyce is a gifting platform that enables businesses to show appreciation for their customers, helping to drive loyalty, expansion, and retention.

Alyce supports third-party integrations that teams can use to connect their data. For example, businesses can sync their customer relationship management (CRM) platform with Alyce to manage campaigns and track performance from one interface. Plus, the platform offers personalized gift invites alongside a gift research tool so valued customers receive items that match their preferences.

Features:

• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Personal interest research
• Gift recommendations
• Personalized invites
• Branded items

Pricing:

• Contact Alyce

Free trial:

Unavailable

10. BHN Rewards

BHN Rewards specializes in digital e-gift cards, prepaid virtual Visas, and other similar items for gifting campaigns. Marketing and sales teams can use BHN Rewards for customer acquisition and loyalty through a reward system for purchases, social media shares, reviews, referrals, and more.

BHN offers full integration with many CRM platforms so businesses can connect their customer information and gift campaign performance throughout their organization. Features like customer surveys and analytics help companies monitor those campaigns and identify areas for improvement.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer satisfaction surveys
• Multilingual capabilities
• Employee workspaces
• Custom data access

Pricing:

• On-Demand: Pay as you go
• Annual Subscription: Contact BHN Rewards

Free trial:

Unavailable

11. Open Loyalty

Open Loyalty is a loyalty program software that can help businesses create and manage loyalty campaigns. The platform allows users to establish an automated system for customer rewards that tracks customer touchpoints, contact channels, and more.

Open Loyalty’s campaign builder uses a no-code model that lets users define campaign triggers, rules, and conditions. Through this interface, businesses can create automated loyalty and gifting campaigns. For example, a brand can set up this feature to automatically send a $20 coupon to customers who spend over $200 via a mobile device.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Gamification
• Digital wallets

Pricing:

• Contact Open Loyalty

Free trial:

Unavailable

12. Xoxoday Plum

Xoxoday Plum is a customer loyalty platform that seeks to help businesses establish a long-term fan base through customer rewards programs. With Plum’s API, users can create automated workflows that send out rewards to customers based on predefined actions.

The software features customizable landing pages and emails so businesses can send personalized coupons, gifts, and other rewards. Additionally, Plum includes reporting features so organizations can track the delivery and redemption of rewards.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Rewards scheduler
• Anonymous rewarding
• No-code API

Pricing:

• Contact Xoxoday

Free trial:

Available

13. Loyalzoo

Loyalzoo is customer loyalty software that can assist small businesses with digital and in-store loyalty programs. The product operates through a company’s POS system so it can give points to customers. Customers can keep track of their points through the app.

Push notifications and blast marketing messages let users send special offers directly to their customers via the app, phone number, or email. The product also has built-in staffing tutorials so employees can familiarize themselves with the interface.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• Analytics and dashboards
• Push notifications
• Blast marketing messages
• Built-in trainings

Pricing:

• Digital Loyalty: $47 per store/month

Free trial:

7 days

14. Giftbit

Giftbit is software that helps organizations distribute and track digital gift cards. Users can utilize the Giftbit API to create automated reward processes that send gift cards to customers when they complete a designated action.

Teammate reporting and funding access features help teams manage gift card campaigns and issue additional rewards. Giftbit’s reporting and analytics capabilities can also provide insights into campaign status and monitor success.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Bulk sending
• Auto-funding
• Team accounts

Pricing:

• Contact Giftbit

Free trial:

Unavailable

15. Marsello

Marsello is software that helps with customer loyalty, email marketing, and SMS marketing. It works through a company’s sales channels so a brand can link loyalty programs to its POS systems or e-commerce apps.

With custom alerts, businesses can send personalized notifications to customers. Businesses can also award customers points for predefined actions like leaving a product review or referring a new customer. Additionally, Marsello can provide AI-powered suggestions to help users optimize marketing campaigns.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Points programs
• Tiered customer rewards
• Email and SMS campaigns

Pricing:

• Essential: $125 per month
• Professional: $135 per month
• Plus: Contact Marsello

Free trial:

14 days

16. Zinrelo

Zinrelo is a customer loyalty platform that helps businesses launch and manage rewards programs. It focuses on five different types of loyalty: transactional, social, behavioral, advocacy, and engagement. It also has designated features to appeal to each type of loyalty, like rewarding consumers for completing a transaction or leaving a review on social media.

Zinrelo’s 360-degree customer view allows businesses to segment and target customers based on the most effective loyalty approach. Fully customizable dashboards, color palettes, and text enable organizations to create loyalty campaigns and customer-facing messaging that match their brand.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• AI and automation
• Open and flexible platform
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• Customer tiers
• Customizable messaging
• Role-based access

Pricing:

• Contact Zinrelo

Free trial:

Unavailable

17. iVision Mobile

iVision Mobile is a text marketing and loyalty platform specializing in SMS, MMS, automated business voice, and digital loyalty. With iVision, businesses can send customers mobile coupons and special offers, establish digital kiosks at POS systems, and more.

The product’s messaging features support high-volume campaigns, which can be customized to include QR codes, links, and web forms. Additionally, iVision Mobile supports third-party integrations to help users streamline data collection, engage in email marketing, and sync CRM databases.

Features:

• Omnichannel capabilities
• Analytics and dashboards
• Customer segmentation
• SMS and MMS capabilities
• Business voice
• POS connectability
• Two-way messaging

Pricing:

• Limited: $59 per month (1,000 SMS per month)
• Basic: $99 per month (1,500 SMS per month)
• Standard: $139 per month (2,500 SMS per month)
• Additional plans available

Free trial:

Unavailable

No matter which platform you choose, it needs to have several key capabilities. Let’s dive into the most impactful features of customer loyalty software.

Omnichannel capabilities

Customer loyalty software needs to connect with the channels your customers use most—whether it’s your website, app, or social media channels. Omnichannel capabilities foster this interconnectivity and provide the customer context needed to deliver personalized, convenient experiences, helping to drive customer loyalty.

In our CX Trends Report, 62 percent of consumers said experiences should flow naturally across channels. This means omnichannel capabilities aren’t simply a “nice to have” for most of your customers—they’re a must. Your customers may see them as critical to building long-term relationships.

AI and automation

According to our CX Trends Report, 70 percent of consumers purchase more from companies that offer quick and seamless experiences, and AI and automation enable those speedy responses that build repeat customers. AI-powered chatbots and other forms of automated support can handle repetitive tasks so agents can work more efficiently and customers can get assistance faster.

Zendesk chatbots, for example, deliver customer support around the clock. They can handle simple requests like password resets, or they can step in to provide timely product information when a customer is ready to buy. And if a request is too complex, the bot can transfer the customer—and the full context of the situation—to the right support agent. These capabilities allow businesses to offer the type of experiences customers expect, helping to drive loyalty.

Integrations

Customer loyalty software should be able to integrate seamlessly with your current tools and systems, like marketing tools, e-commerce platforms, customer service software, and anything else you use consistently. Compatible integration with other tools in your tech stack ensures a smooth data flow between employees and teams, providing staff with the information they need to track performance and deliver positive customer experiences.

Analytics and dashboards

Concrete data and analytics should drive business goals, and dashboards are crucial in making informed decisions. With this feature, businesses can monitor customer pain points and loyalty campaign performance, uncover patterns, and use that data to shape future initiatives.

Our out-of-the-box reporting and analytics dashboards at Zendesk, for example, make it easy for businesses to access every important data point in one place. From here, you can assess performance and identify areas of improvement.

Customer satisfaction surveys

Customer loyalty is all about keeping consumers satisfied and engaged long term—and you can’t do that successfully without getting their opinion. Customer satisfaction software needs easy access to surveys and data like customer satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter ScoresⓇ (NPS) to get a better view of your customer base.

Satisfaction surveys allow businesses to identify the current success of their loyalty programs, collect feedback to understand consumer preferences, and fine-tune their operations to ensure customers remain happy. Additionally, businesses can consider utilizing customer feedback software to amplify their efforts in collecting crucial feedback.

Customer segmentation

While it’s recommended you use a customer profile as your guiding point for outreach, not all customers are the same. Every individual has their own ideas, needs, and requirements. Customer loyalty programs need to be able to segment customers to examine data more effectively and provide more personalized interactions.

Customer segmentation enables businesses to categorize customers based on factors like purchase history, demographics, behavior, and more. This valuable insight can help businesses optimize their loyalty programs to ensure every individual receives the exact care they need.

Customer loyalty software brings many benefits to businesses. Here are a few of the most impactful ones.

Enhanced customer experience

One of the primary benefits of customer loyalty software is its enhancement to the overall customer experience. When businesses embrace features like omnichannel capabilities, automation, and even customer messaging services that promote conversational interactions, they can create a more tailored, responsive, and comprehensive experience.

Improved long-term customer retention

Customer retention is pivotal for a successful business. Businesses can boost customer retention rates by providing rewards, incentives, and other features that increase the CX. Customers who are engaged with businesses and feel their needs are being taken care of will likely make repeat purchases and stick around long-term.

Increased customer engagement

Customer engagement builds a connection between businesses and consumers, and customer loyalty software fosters this connection by providing a platform for ongoing communication and support. Organizations can keep customers engaged and interested in their brand through personalized offers and exclusive content.

Additionally, empowering support agents with the right tools can make them more effective. For example, the Zendesk Agent Workspace provides agents with key customer context, such as a customer’s order history, web activity, and loyalty status. Agents can use these details to personalize customer interactions, which can increase engagement.

Stronger competitive advantage in the marketplace

Businesses are constantly looking for ways to stand out in the marketplace, and customer loyalty software can be the thing that helps your brand really shine. These products provide a competitive advantage by enhancing a company’s CX, driving individuals to make repeat purchases, and promoting customer retention—all of which can help build a loyal customer base.

Finally, we will cover how to choose a customer loyalty software that fits your business needs. Here are a few things to consider before making your decision.

Opt for an easy-to-use solution

Customer loyalty software won’t be effective if your employees or customers have trouble using it. Look for a solution with an intuitive interface that helps users get up and running quickly. When you prioritize ease of use, customers are more likely to adopt your solution and engage with your brand, and employees can provide expert customer support more efficiently.

Consider your ROI

While investing in customer loyalty software is crucial for building long-term relationships, businesses should also consider the product's return on investment (ROI). Select a solution offering clear and measurable ROI to ensure you truly benefit rather than fighting a losing customer acquisition battle.

Prioritize customizability and TTV

Businesses should ensure that their chosen customer loyalty software can adapt to their brand’s needs and messaging. Look for solutions that offer customizability in color schemes, logos, and fonts to match your branding, as well as custom reports so you can keep track of the metrics that matter.

Additionally, the time to value (TTV)—or, how quickly you can implement and experience benefits from the software—should be a top concern. The faster you can get up and running, the faster you can realize the value of your investment.

Think about scalability

When businesses grow, their tools and software should grow alongside them. Choose software that can scale with you to ensure your loyalty program and CX efforts remain effective and relevant, even with an increase in your customer base.

Constantly switching platforms and processes to accommodate growth results in perennial change, which can hurt your customers and employees. Whether it’s customer loyalty software or customer experience software, prioritize consistency in your operations.