RuffRuff 予約販売 helps reduce lost sales opportunities caused by out-of-stock items, upcoming product launches, and restock waiting periods.
It lets you launch pre-orders on your own Shopify store with surprising ease, letting you register an unlimited number of pre-order products and accept an unlimited number of pre-orders. It can also restrict customers from ordering pre-order and regular products together, and can send restock notifications when the arrival date is undetermined.
It also includes many unique features not found in other pre-order apps, such as "Pay Later," which lets you collect payment before the product ships.
Introducing a points/loyalty service on your Shopify store can help improve repeat purchase rate and LTV. On the other hand, it also comes with drawbacks, such as the cost and effort required to introduce and operate it, so you need to carefully consider whether a points service is truly necessary for your store.
In this article, we explain the benefits, drawbacks, and points to watch out for when introducing a points service on your Shopify store. We also introduce 6 carefully selected Japanese-made apps that let you add a points service to Shopify. If you're considering introducing a points service, please use this as a reference.
What is a points/loyalty service?
A points/loyalty service is a service that grants points, redeemable on your own Shopify store, based on a customer's purchase amount.
Granting points helps increase how often customers use your store, and also helps build a fanbase around your products and services.
Introducing a points service on your Shopify store has the benefit of making your store more likely to be chosen over competing stores.
It is also sometimes referred to as a "point program" or "point system."
Benefits of introducing a points service
Improves repeat purchase rate
The biggest benefit of introducing a points service is that it helps you acquire repeat customers. Existing customers become more likely to choose your store because they have points saved up.
To run a Shopify store stably, it's important to prevent existing customers from switching to another company's products or services (customer churn). A points service helps retain existing customers and can also be expected to stabilize sales.
Improves average customer spend and LTV
Introducing a points service can be expected to raise LTV in proportion to the increase in repeat purchase rate. In addition, marketing initiatives that leverage points, such as "5x points on purchases over a certain amount" or "5x points on days containing the number 5," can also be expected to increase the average purchase amount.
Differentiates you from competing stores
If you sell products whose price can't be lowered much due to manufacturer policy, or commodity products available anywhere, having a points service lets you differentiate your store from competitors.
Expands your range of marketing options
Another important benefit is being able to run marketing campaigns combined with points. You can plan and run a variety of initiatives that use points as an incentive, such as "points for registering as a member," "points for referrals," "points for entering your birthday," or "5x points on purchases over a certain amount."
Drawbacks of introducing a points service
Introduction and maintenance costs
There are two ways to introduce a points service on your Shopify store: building it yourself, or using a Shopify app.
Building it yourself may incur costs such as outsourcing fees. Using a Shopify app can also incur additional costs based on customer count, not just a monthly fee. In addition, if you introduce a shared point system such as d POINT, multiple costs arise, such as membership fees and point-issuance fees.
Operational effort
A points service doesn't end once it's introduced. After introduction, you'll need to spend effort reversing points when cancellations or returns occur, and customer inquiries related to points will also increase. In addition, point-based payments must be treated as a "point reserve" for accounting purposes, which adds effort to accounting work as well.
Difficult to discontinue once started
Once a points service is started, it's difficult to end it. You'll need to explain the change to customers who already hold points, and you'll also need to decide how to handle existing points when the service ends. In the worst case, this can lead to customer complaints or customer churn.
Results are not guaranteed
Even after introducing a points service, there is no guarantee that sales, repeat purchase rate, or LTV will improve. There are various reasons results may not appear, such as customers not being aware the points exist, the point conditions not being attractive, or the products/services simply not being the type customers repeat-purchase.
Points to watch out for when introducing a points service
Shared points vs. proprietary points
Points can be broadly divided into two types: "shared points" and "proprietary points."
"Shared points" refers to programs like d POINT, T-POINT, and Rakuten Points in Japan. The benefits are being able to leverage the brand power of major point companies, and being able to draw holders of that shared point currency into your own Shopify store.
On the other hand, the drawbacks are high costs such as membership fees and point-issuance fees, limited ability to run your own point-related campaigns, and the need for advanced development knowledge to implement it on a Shopify store.
Our company also has experience introducing d POINT on a Shopify store, and it took an enormous amount of time and effort before it actually launched.
On the other hand, "proprietary points" are points issued independently by the store. The benefits are that the issued points don't leak out to external services, costs are lower compared to shared points, and you can freely run your own point-related campaigns. It's also easy to introduce using a Shopify app. The drawback is that it tends to be less effective than shared points at drawing in customers or boosting order rate.
What should the point award rate be?
When running a points service, you need to decide the award rate relative to the order amount. On Japanese e-commerce sites, it's common to see 1% of the amount actually paid (after points and coupons are applied) awarded as points.
It's important to consider whether the award rate is attractive compared to competing stores, and whether it puts too much pressure on your gross margin.
When should points be awarded?
The timing of point awards is also an important consideration. There are multiple possible timings, such as at order completion or at product shipment.
To minimize the effort of reversing points when cancellations or returns occur, some stores award points 1–2 weeks after order completion. Consider the timing that best suits your store.
How to integrate your physical store with your Shopify store
If you operate both a physical store and a Shopify store, whether to let points be shared and used across both channels is also something to consider.
How to choose a points app
Does it support Japanese?
Shopify has many points apps available, but if you casually choose an overseas-made app just because it's cheap, you may incur hidden work costs (such as Japanese localization or handling inquiries when issues arise).
Check in advance whether the following areas support Japanese:
- The storefront (the part customers see)
- The app's admin screen
- The help pages
- The support contact
How much cost should you expect?
Some points apps charge only a fixed monthly fee (such as "Poing Pong" and "Kinchaku"), while others charge a fixed monthly fee plus additional fees based on customer count (such as "easyPoints" and "Dokopoi").
It's important to carefully check how much it will cost based on your current and future customer count.
Points app plan comparison
| App Name | Plan Name | Cost | Usage-Based (Additional Cost) | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poing Pong | Basic Plan | $20/month | None | Development stores can try all features for free |
| Kinchaku | BASIC |
$25/month $150/year |
None | - |
| MR.POINT | FREE | Free | None | Usable for only 10 days |
| STANDARD | $26/month | None | Up to 500 orders/month | |
| PREMIUM | $40/month | None | Up to 1,000 orders/month | |
| ENTERPRISE | $60/month | None | Up to 2,600 orders/month | |
| easyPoints | Free | Free |
$0.3/month per person ※ Once over 301 people |
- |
| Basic | $50/month |
$0.22/month per person ※ Once over 501 people |
From this plan onward, you can: ・Set point expiration dates ・Offer birthday and sign-up bonuses |
|
| Pro | $180/month |
$0.18/month per person ※ Once over 2,001 people |
From this plan onward, you can: ・Export CSV ・Use the membership rank system |
|
| Enterprise | $425/month |
$0.10/month per person ※ Once over 5,001 people |
From this plan onward, you can: ・POS integration ・API |
|
| Unlimited | $998/month | None | - | |
| Dokopoi | Light | Free | $0.25/month per person ※ Once over 101 people |
- |
| Basic | $49/month | $0.2/month per person ※ Once over 1,001 people |
- | |
| Pro | $199/month | $0.12/month per person ※ Once over 2,001 people |
From this plan onward: Shopify Flow execution trigger |
|
| Enterprise | $997/month | None | - | |
| VIP | Basic | $3,600/year |
$3,600 per ¥100 million ※ Once membership-program sales exceed ¥300 million ※ At next contract renewal |
- |
| Enterprise | $24,000/year | ※ Negotiable based on the services provided | - |
Can it do what you want it to?
Available features vary by app, such as integration with Shopify Flow, integration with Shopify POS, loyalty programs, and awarding points for member registration or review posting.
Since migrating after adopting an app is very time-consuming, it's important to list out the features you want to achieve before introducing an app, and choose the app that supports them.
6 Japanese-made apps for adding points to Shopify
Here are the Japanese-made apps you can use to add a points system to Shopify:
Let's look at each in detail.
Poing Pong
Poing Pong is a points & review management app for Shopify stores. Customers earn points with every purchase, which they can use as a discount on their next purchase. It comes with a wide range of features, including bonus points for a limited period, sign-up bonus points for new customers, the ability to exclude specific products from earning points, and per-customer point history management.
It integrates with "RuffRuff 予約販売," a popular Japanese pre-order app, so you can also award bonus points to customers who purchase pre-order products.
It also comes with a review feature, so customers can earn additional points for posting a review, which can be expected to boost customer loyalty and sales.
See here for details on Poing Pong's features, setup, and pricing plans
Poing Pong pricing plans
Basic Plan: $20/month
※ 14-day free trial
※ Development stores can use all features for free
See here for the benefits and recommended apps for adding a review feature to Shopify
Kinchaku
Kinchaku is a customer loyalty (membership points) program app for Shopify stores. Membership cards it issues can be easily added to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, offering great convenience.
Points are awarded when the product ships, so customers can accumulate points through their purchasing behavior. Accumulated points can be exchanged for discount codes and used at checkout.
Kinchaku pricing plans
BASIC plan: $25/month, or $150/year (50% off)
※ 7-day free trial
See here for details on Kinchaku's features, recommended functions, and development story
MR.POINT
MR.POINT is an app that lets you easily add a points feature to your Shopify store. You can build a flexible points program, including changing the reward point multiplier per product, changing the reward point award rate per customer, and letting customers pay using points.
It supports Japanese business customs and also supports POS integration, making it well suited to omnichannel strategies.
See here for details on MR.POINT's features, recommended functions, and pricing plans
MR.POINT pricing plans
| Plan Name | FREE | STANDARD | PREMIUM | ENTERPRISE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Fee | Free | $26 | $40 | $60 |
| Usage-Based (Additional Cost) | None | None | None | None |
| Details | 10-day free trial plan Point award settings by customer rank Point award settings by product Point award settings for new member sign-up Store-wide flat point award settings Settings to exclude items from point awards Change point award timing POS support |
Up to 500 orders/month Point award settings by customer rank Point award settings by product Point award settings for new member sign-up Store-wide flat point award settings Point migration feature (import) Settings to exclude items from point awards Change point award timing POS support |
Up to 1,000 orders/month Reward point award settings by customer rank Point award settings by product Point award settings for new member sign-up Store-wide flat point award settings Automatic rank adjustment Point migration feature (import) Settings to exclude items from point awards Change point award timing POS support |
Up to 2,500 orders/month Reward point award settings by customer rank Reward point award settings by product Reward point award settings for new member sign-up Store-wide flat reward point award settings Automatic rank adjustment Point expiration Point migration feature (import) Other higher-plan features POS support |
easyPoints
easyPoints is a Japanese-made Shopify app provided by Lunaris, packed with the features needed to run a points program. It can assign membership ranks based on spend amount, and change the point award rate depending on rank. Multiple plans let you choose based on your business's scale.
See here for details on easyPoints' features, recommended functions, and pricing plans
easyPoints pricing plans
| Plan Name | Free | Basic | Pro | Enterprise | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Fee | Free | $50 | $180 | $425 | $998 |
| Usage-Based (Additional Cost) | $0.3/month per person ※ Once over 301 people |
$0.22/month per person ※ Once over 501 people |
$0.18/month per person ※ Once over 2,001 people |
$0.10/month per person ※ Once over 5,001 people |
None |
| Details | Active customer limit: 300 CSV import Klaviyo integration |
Active customer limit: 500 Includes Free plan features Custom setup Birthday bonus New member sign-up bonus Email sign-up bonus Point-boost campaigns Point expiration |
Active customer limit: 2,000 Includes Basic plan features CSV export Earned point history Bonus collections Membership rank system |
Active customer limit: 5,000 Includes Pro plan features POS extension API access Priority support |
Unlimited active customers Includes all additional features Priority support |
Dokopoi
Source: Dokopoi｜Shopify App Store
Dokopoi is an app that lets you easily add your own points system to Shopify. In addition to awarding points based on purchase amount, it offers flexible customization of reward rates by customer or product.
By integrating with Shopify Flow, you can automate point awards at various timings, such as when a review is posted or when a customer's membership rank increases.
See here for details on Dokopoi's features, recommended functions, and pricing plans
Dokopoi pricing plans
| Plan Name | Light | Basic | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Fee | Free | $49 | $199 | $997 |
| Usage-Based (Additional Cost) | $0.25/month per person ※ Once over 101 people |
$0.2/month per person ※ Once over 1,001 people |
$0.12/month per person ※ Once over 2,001 people |
None |
| Details | Users included in base fee: 100 Additional per-user rate above that: $0.25 All Dokopoi features Shopify Flow basic features ※ Development stores will instead see a "Developer Plan" with no additional fees — please use that plan |
Users included in base fee: 1,000 Additional per-user rate above that: $0.2 All Dokopoi features Shopify Flow basic features |
Users included in base fee: 2,000 Additional per-user rate above that: $0.12 All Dokopoi features Shopify Flow basic features Shopify Flow scheduled execution trigger |
Users included in base fee: Unlimited All Dokopoi features Shopify Flow basic features Shopify Flow scheduled execution trigger |
VIP - Membership Program
VIP is a membership program app built exclusively for Shopify. It lets you build a loyalty program with shared points and membership ranks across all your sales channels — physical store, e-commerce, and native app.
Points are awarded based on purchase amount, and can also be used as "action points" based on customer behavior. It's packed with features such as rewards, referral programs, and member-only pricing, and supports flexible customization via integration with Shopify Flow and Functions.
See here for details on VIP's features, recommended functions, and pricing plans
VIP - Membership Program pricing plans
| Plan Name | Basic (Annual Contract) | Enterprise (Annual Contract) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $3,600/year | $24,000/year |
| Usage-Based (Additional Cost) | $3,600 per ¥100 million ※ Once membership-program sales exceed ¥300 million ※ At next contract renewal |
※ Negotiable based on the services provided |
| Details | All features available Accounting-ready point reports provided |
All features available Accounting-ready point reports provided Dedicated support contact assigned |
In Conclusion
A points service is effective for improving repeat purchase rate and LTV, but it comes with the drawbacks of cost, operational effort, and being difficult to discontinue once started.
Rather than casually introducing a points service, carefully consider whether it's truly necessary for your store before deciding to adopt one.
Besides points apps, there are various other Shopify apps that support boosting LTV and expanding sales. Consider a comprehensive set of measures and choose the tools best suited to your store.
The article below introduces various recommended apps by category that support "LTV improvement" and "sales expansion," beyond points apps. Please use it as a reference.
