Loyalty Program Examples for Ecommerce Brands

Real-world loyalty program examples offer a source of inspiration and practical direction for ecommerce businesses looking to encourage repeat purchases and strengthen customer relationships. Looking at how other brands structure and reward loyalty can help you identify strategies that support your own efforts.

There’s good reason to research well-designed loyalty programs. In a 2025 EY study, 41% of consumers said loyalty programs were the primary reason for their loyalty to a brand, outranking product and service quality (33%). The same study found that brands view increased customer lifetime value (CLV) as the top reason for offering loyalty programs, with retention ranking second.

This guide highlights real-world loyalty program examples and explains why they work. It also outlines core program types and the mechanics behind them, helping you evaluate which approach best fits your customers, products, and goals. 

What is a loyalty program?

A loyalty program is a structured system that rewards customers for purchases, referrals, reviews, or other actions that signal ongoing interest and participation. Rewards can take many forms, including points, discounts, free products, exclusive perks, and early access to new products.

Unlike one-time promotions, customer loyalty programs are designed to build long-term relationships. By offering incentives tied to continued interaction, they encourage customers to return and deepen their connection with the brand over time. 

Types of loyalty programs

Loyalty programs come in several core structures:

• Points-based programs. Customers earn points for purchases or actions, which they can redeem for discounts, products, or perks. This structure works well for encouraging frequent, incremental engagement.

• Tiered programs. With tiered programs, customers unlock access to new levels based on spending or activity. Higher tiers offer better rewards designed to motivate loyalty program members to increase their purchase volume to reach the next level.

• Subscription-based loyalty programs. Existing customers pay a recurring fee in exchange for ongoing benefits. Subscription-based or paid loyalty programs offer exclusive discounts, free shipping, or early access to products.

• Cashback or rewards programs. These programs return a percentage of spending to the customer, either as store credit or financial rewards. 

• Community-driven programs. Community-focused loyalty programs focus less on transaction rewards and more on belonging. They might offer exclusive access to groups, events, or content, helping build emotional loyalty.

Ecommerce businesses may combine multiple customer loyalty structures rather than relying on a single approach. For example, a brand might pair points with subscription perks or use tiered benefits within one of the other program types. 

Loyalty tools available through Shopify and the Shopify App Store can help your business manage these more complex programs through built-in automations, rewards tracking, and referral features. Apps such as LoyaltyLion, Smile, and Yotpo help you manage points, referrals, tiers, and rewards, while Shopify Flow can automate loyalty workflows like granting points to customers and tracking discount codes.

Loyalty program examples

• Jaxon Lane: Points-based loyalty program
• Ouai: Community-driven loyalty program
• Manscaped: Tiered loyalty program

The examples below show how different ecommerce brands structure loyalty programs around the behaviors and relationships they want to encourage. Some focus on repeat purchases through points and discounts, while others emphasize exclusivity, personalization, and community engagement.

Jaxon Lane: Points-based loyalty program

Men’s skin care brand Jaxon Lane uses a point-based loyalty program that rewards both purchases and customer engagement. Members earn points for actions like creating an account, making purchases, referring friends, leaving reviews, and following the brand on social media. Points can then be redeemed for discounts, free products, and branded merchandise. 

Jaxon Lane launched the program as part of a broader focus on retention and customer loyalty. On an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast, cofounder Jen Yu explains that the brand began “hyper focusing” on loyalty and retention because “acquisition costs for ad spend to get new customers have just risen exponentially over the last few years.”

The loyalty program supports Jaxon Lane’s broader customer experience strategy. Alongside loyalty points, the company emphasizes fast shipping, surprise gifts, handwritten notes, and personalized service to help customers “enjoy shopping with us,” Jen says. The brand also offers subscriptions with automatic discounts, milestone gifts, and subscriber credits, creating another incentive for long-term purchasing and retention.

Ouai: Community-driven loyalty program

Ouai’s “Ouai Obsessed” program focuses on community participation and customer engagement. The company hosts its program through the TYB platform and encourages members to connect with other fans of the hair care brand, participate in challenges, provide feedback, and engage with Ouai across multiple touchpoints.

Members can earn coins and rewards through participation, while also gaining access to perks such as exclusive benefits and content, early product access, community events, and special offers. Ouai positions the program as a way for customers to “connect with others who love Ouai” and engage with the brand beyond purchases. 

Ouai’s former CEO, Hannah Beals, says on Shopify Masters that the brand is interested in “finding different ways to reward customers for their interactions.” Through Ouai Obsessed, the company expands loyalty beyond traditional transaction-based rewards by encouraging participation through community experiences and gamification. Members complete gamified challenges, such as leaving reviews or participating in community moments, to earn coins and rewards. 

The program also supports more personalized engagement. Hannah describes how the company identifies customers connected to specific products and rewards them with exclusive previews and high-touch experiences tailored to their interests. 

Manscaped: Tiered loyalty program

Men’s grooming brand Manscaped uses a tiered loyalty program that combines rewards points, subscriptions, discounts, and membership perks into a multilevel experience. Customers progress through levels such as Guest List, A-List, and VIP based on purchases and participation, unlocking increasingly valuable benefits at each stage. 

Perks include points earned for every dollar spent, rewards cash, birthday gifts, early product access, member pricing, extended warranties, and exclusive loyalty gifts. The program also incorporates subscription features, allowing subscribers to build customized recurring product packages while earning reward points on ongoing purchases.

The tiered structure gives customers a clear incentive to continue engaging with the brand over time. Manscaped intentionally built several layers of value into the program rather than relying on a single approach or type of incentive. “Having choice is a big portion of the program,” founder and CEO Paul Tran says on Shopify Masters.

The program also aligns with Manscaped’s product lineup, which includes both replenishable grooming products and longer-term hardware purchases. Combining subscriptions with tiered rewards helps create ongoing value in both types of purchases. 

Paul described the layering of the membership program as a distinct advantage that creates a stronger overall customer experience. “The components all kind of play together,” he says.