Top 4 Loyalty Program Apps in 2024

For small business owners, retaining customers and turning them into repeat buyers is like discovering a hidden treasure trove. Loyalty program apps offer a key to unlocking this treasure.

Loyalty program apps can help you:

• Make repeat purchases more appealing by offering loyalty points or discounts
• Keep customers engaged with personalized rewards and updates
• Understand customer behavior to customize your marketing
• Build stronger relationships with your customers
• Encourage larger purchases through targeted promotions

81% of Generation Z and 79% of baby boomers in the U.S. say loyalty or reward programs influence their decision to continue doing business with a brand. With such significant potential, finding the right customer loyalty program app can transform your customer retention strategy.

Still, out of numerous apps on the market, deciding which features and use cases match your ideas can be hard.

This article explores the top four loyalty program apps in 2024 to help you choose the best loyalty app for your small business. 

4 types of loyalty programs (with examples)

Loyalty programs are structured systems businesses use to reward customers for their repeat purchases and engagement. Different types of loyalty programs offer various benefits and structures to fit unique business goals and customer preferences. Here are four types of loyalty programs with examples:

Point loyalty program

This is one of the most common types of loyalty programs – customers earn loyalty points for purchases, most often using mobile apps. Those points can later be redeemed for rewards.

For example, Starbucks Rewards allows customers to earn points for every purchase. They can use those points to get free drinks or food. Point-based programs are straightforward and encourage customers to return to accumulate more points.

This type is particularly effective for businesses with frequent, smaller purchases, like coffee shops and retail stores, as it keeps customers engaged and motivated to make repeat purchases.

Source: Starbucks Canada

Tiered loyalty program

In a tiered program, customers can unlock different levels of rewards based on their loyalty or spending. As customers progress through the tiers, they unlock more valuable rewards.

Sephora's Beauty Insider program is a great example. Customers can reach different tiers (Insider, VIB and Rouge) based on their annual spending, with each tier offering progressively better perks such as exclusive products, early access to sales and free makeovers.

Tiered programs are effective for businesses looking to reward and retain high-spending customers, as they motivate customers to spend more to achieve higher levels of rewards.

Social media loyalty program

This type of program leverages social media to engage customers and reward them for interacting with the brand online.

For example, clothing retailer ASOS has a customer loyalty program called ASOS Insider, where loyalty members earn points for engaging with the brand on social media, writing reviews and participating in surveys. These points can then be redeemed for discounts and other perks.

Social media loyalty programs are ideal for brands with a strong online presence looking to boost engagement and word-of-mouth marketing through customer interactions on social platforms.

Source: ASOS

Paid loyalty program

Some loyalty programs require customers to pay a fee to join, offering exclusive benefits in return.

Amazon Prime is a prime example (pun intended), where members pay an annual fee for access to free shipping, streaming services, exclusive deals and more. While not free, these programs can effectively drive loyalty and customer engagement.

Paid loyalty programs are well-suited for businesses offering high-value services or frequent benefits, as they attract committed customers who see the value in the membership perks.

Top 4 examples of loyalty program apps in 2024

For this review, I focused on finding the best customer loyalty program apps and comparing them based on their strongest features, user interfaces and pricing. 

As you'll see, all loyalty apps are different, just like their use cases, which fit different needs, customer behaviors, goals and preferences, and with direct comparisons you will find your perfect fit.

1. Youshie

Source: Shopify App Store

Youshie is a user-friendly solution for small business owners seeking to boost customer loyalty and engagement through a branded app. With it, you have full control over your communication with customers, and you don’t depend on external channels or programs. 

A branded app is fully tailored to your brand’s aesthetics and identity and offers a convenient way for customers to engage with your business, access rewards, and make purchases.

With features like real-time promotions, an integrated Engagement Assistant and a mobile commerce interface that boosts conversion rates, Youshie transforms one-time buyers into loyal customers.

Here is an example of a branded app by Youshie:

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Features

Here are its key features:

• Dynamic rewards: Youshie's mobile, dynamic and customizable rewards program keeps your customers engaged and returning. You can create a loyal customer base by promoting limited-time deals, exclusive offers and bonus rewards in real-time from one-time buyers.
• Engagement assistant: The built-in AI-powered Engagement Assistant seamlessly interacts with your customers to increase conversions and customer lifetime value. This tool automates customer interactions throughout the purchase cycle, helping to expand your revenue.
• Shop: Youshie's mobile commerce solutions streamline the shopping and checkout process, leading to fewer abandoned carts and higher conversion rates. The simplified and accelerated shopping experience consistently turns browsers into repeat customers.
• Spotlight: The dedicated mobile content interface helps you keep your customers up-to-date with your business. You can blog, share new offerings and curate product collections directly on their phones, engaging your audience where it matters most.
• Push notifications: You can target the right customers with timely offers, personalized updates and reminders that keep them returning. It’s a great way to stay connected and keep your customers engaged.
• Integrations: Youshie offers integrations with multiple tools, such as Shopify, Mailchimp, Stripe, Square and Moneris, so you can streamline your operations, marketing efforts and payment processing, all within one loyalty platform.

Source: Shopify App Store

The best part is that you can try Youshie completely for free (no credit card required).

UI/UX

Youshie stands out as one of the customer loyalty program apps with a user-friendly and intuitive interface that is suitable both for beginners and professionals. Its clear dashboards and reports effectively present data in a straightforward and easy-to-understand manner.

Source: Shopify App Store

Pros

• Intuitive navigation
• Personalized product recommendations
• Fast checkout
• iOS and Android app
• An app built and tested within 5 business days
• Hands-on support from the Youshie team
• Bug fixes done by the Youshie team
• App customization
• In-store scanning
• Free trial

Pricing

• Core plan: $199 per month (great for businesses that don't want a tailored solution and are just getting started with their mobile strategy)
• Unlimited plan: Get a quote (for businesses that wish to get the most out of their app with customization and/or custom features)

*Whichever plan you choose, you get a 1-month trial.

PassKit

Source: UX-Alex.com

PassKit is a customer loyalty platform businesses use to create digital loyalty cards, mobile membership cards, coupons and digital passes for mobile wallets like Apple and Google Wallet. By offering a modern and contactless shopping experience, you can simplify your customer retention and rewards system.

It covers multiple industries, including retail, travel, hospitality, entertainment, insurance and finance. It’s best for creating everything from event tickets to local business loyalty programs.

In terms of apps you can use PassKit’s PassReader app to check in/out users, check the status of the customer’s cards, redeem coupons, etc, but it is not a full loyalty program app since customers don’t actually download your app.

Features

Here are its key features:

• Multi-industry coverage: It covers multiple industries, including retail, hospitality, travel and entertainment.
• Pass designer: This feature allows you to use various templates that follow Google and Apple guidelines. Its drag-and-drop interface allows you to design loyalty cards that match your brand.
• Automated rewards: PassKit integrates with marketing automation tools, allowing you to set up rules and triggers for automatic rewards. This way, your customers get timely stimulus that encourages them to keep coming back.
• Location-based alerts: With geolocation tech, you can send offers to your customers just as they're near your store. It also allows you to send targeted notifications to drive foot traffic and boost in-store visits.
• Real-time analytics and reporting: Provides real-time data on customer engagement, redemption rates and overall loyalty program performance. This helps you make informed decisions and optimize your strategy for better results.
• Mobile wallet APIs and SDKs: This feature allows you to integrate your loyalty programs with popular mobile wallets like Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. With their APIs and SDKs, you can add digital loyalty cards and rewards to your customers' mobile devices.

UI/UX

PassKit has an intuitive interface and it's easy to use, but I'd like more detailed analytics and reporting.

Pros

• Pay-as-you-go setup
• High reliability
• Free trial

Pricing

PassKit has a pay-as-you-grow pass volume pricing system. That means you pay only what you use, depending on the pass volume (no commitment required). They offer a 45-day free trial.

• From 0 to 250: $39.50 per month (flat fee)
• From 251 to 2,500: $0.0450 (multi-use passes); $0.0945 (single-use passes)
• From 2,501 to 5,000: $0.0340 (multi-use passes); $0.0714 (single-use passes)

*You can calculate your monthly cost using their website's calculator.

Antavo

Source: G2

Antavo is an Enterprise Loyalty Cloud that offers technology to manage loyalty programs, such as experience-based, paid and lifestyle loyalty programs. You can manage them online, in-store and on mobile. It’s best for large companies and enterprises looking to manage various types of loyalty programs.

Its mobile wallet solution (on Iphone and Android phones) can be used for storing loyalty cards, digital coupons or event passes. You can send push notifications to customers and connect in-store and online customer profiles. However, if you want a branded app that fosters a deeper connection with your customers, Antavo isn’t the best option.

Features

Here are its main features:

• No-code, API-centric platform: This feature allows loyalty and marketing teams to run their loyalty programs internally without relying on IT. No coding skills are required, making the loyalty program experience fully customizable.
• CRM: Antavo's CRM system helps you manage and analyze customer interactions throughout their journey, enabling you to personalize offers and improve engagement.
• Customer activity tracking: This feature allows you to track customer behavior and customer engagement. It gives you valuable insights you can use to tailor your strategies.
• Discount management: With Antavo, you can also create and manage discounts for your loyalty program. This feature can help you drive purchases and boost customer retention by rewarding loyal customers.
• Referral tracking: They also have a feature for tracking and managing customer referral programs. This is a great way to reward customers for bringing in new businesses and expanding your loyal customer base.
• Rewards management: Antavo's rewards management feature allows you to create and manage your customer rewards program. That way, you can boost customer engagement and motivate them to participate.

UI/UX

Antavo is one of the easier-to-use loyalty apps. It includes various features, including gamification modules that are also easy to create. However, the app's speed disappointed me. Adding new contest information and uploading files can be a bit slow.

Source: G2

Pros

• Experience-based features
• Maximum customization
• Different loyalty programs
• Digital loyalty card

Pricing

Antavo loyalty program app pricing plans are not available on their website. To get a quote, you have to provide details about you and your business.

Stamp Me

Source: Capterra.com

Stamp Me is a loyalty marketing platform used to drive repeat business and increase customer retention. It is available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, Swedish and Portuguese. It's good for retail loyalty programs, cafes, restaurants and hair and beauty salons.

Features

Here are its key features:

• Customer data & loyalty activity: You get full access to customer data and program activity. It allows you to export the data (name, email and phone number if provided) from your loyalty console.
• Push notifications and SMS: This mobile loyalty app allows you to communicate directly with your loyalty members through push notifications and SMS.
• Birthday rewards program: This feature increases customer satisfaction tremendously. I don't know a person who doesn't like to get birthday gifts. With Birthday Club, you can automatically send a message and/or reward to your members on their birthday.
• Scratch & win games: Gamification is always a good option. With this feature, you can create a buzz around your loyalty program and increase customer engagement.
• Lapsed customer re-engagement: For a successful loyalty program, you need loyal customers. Even loyal customers lapse, though. This feature sends automated messages or rewards to loyalty members who haven't stamped in a while.
• Integrations: Stamp Me offers integrations with multiple tools via Zapier. Those tools include Slack, Google Sheets, Mailchimp, MailerLite, HubSpot and Constant Contact.

UI/UX

Setting up with this mobile loyalty program app is quick and hassle-free. You can launch a digital loyalty program in minutes. It would be great if this loyalty mobile app offered instant access to local loyalty programs without requiring a scan or code entry.

Pros

• Easy to integrate and use
• Interim rewards
• Customization
• Free trial

Pricing

Stamp Me offers three pricing plans:

• Lite: $29 or €29 per month (basic loyalty program features)
• Pro: $49 or €49 per month (access to all loyalty program features)
• Elite: $169 or €169 per month (all features + personalized support)

How to have your own branded app?

Creating your own branded loyalty app may sound more complicated than it is. With Youshie, the process is smooth and straightforward. You get a high-quality app, built and tested within five business days. Here’s how Youshie makes it happen:

1. Click here and get started for free (no credit card required).
   

1. Then check your email to find your temporary dashboard login password.
   

1. Copy the password, then navigate to Youshie's login page and sign in using your email and the password you got.
   

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4. After setting the new password and dashboard, you should complete our onboarding process. To begin building your loyalty app, you need to add at least one product to your Youshie dashboard. The platform supports real-time updates, so you can continue adding or modifying product data even after the app is live.

5. Youshie provides tools to customize your app to match your branding. This includes options for your app icon, name and listing description. The App Options tab in your dashboard makes it easy to make these adjustments.

6. And there you go! Once you have imported all the product data, you simply need to let the development team build the app. If any customization is needed, you can contact our team and we will gladly help you.

The development process is quick, with most mobile apps being built and tested within 5 business days. Before the app goes live, it undergoes rigorous testing to ensure it functions smoothly and meets quality standards.

We also handle the publishing process, using our own Apple and Google Play developer accounts. This simplifies the process and ensures your app is listed on both major app stores without you needing to set up separate developer accounts.

Once the app is ready and all details are finalized, we push it live to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You will be notified through your Youshie dashboard and by your account specialist when the app goes live.

Conclusion

In wrapping up, finding the right loyalty program app can be a game-changer for your business. Each of the top apps we've explored—Youshie, PassKit, Antavo and Stamp Me—brings its own strengths to the table. From dynamic rewards to seamless integrations and comprehensive CRM capabilities.

Among these, Youshie stands out for its easy-to-use interface and great customization options. It's perfect for businesses wanting to create unique loyalty programs for their customers. 

With Youshie, you can have your app ready in just five business days, and you'll have full team support to help you every step of the way. This makes it ideal for small—to medium-sized businesses looking to boost customer engagement and keep them coming back.

Try Youshie today and see the difference it can make for your business. Sign up for a free trial!

FAQs

What are the best loyalty programs?

The best loyalty programs vary based on your business needs. Youshie, PassKit, Antavo and Stamp Me are among the top loyalty program apps in 2024, offering features like dynamic rewards, CRM integration traditional loyalty cards and mobile commerce interfaces.

What is a mobile loyalty program?

A mobile loyalty program is a rewards program offered by businesses through mobile apps. It allows customers to earn points or redeem rewards only for repeat purchases, engage with the brand through personalized updates and access exclusive offers through their mobile devices.

How do you gamify loyalty programs?

To gamify loyalty programs, you can add elements like points, badges, leaderboards and challenges to make earning rewards more engaging. For example, you can award points for completing specific actions, offer bonus rewards for achieving milestones and create competitions to encourage participation.

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