BON Loyalty Program & Rewards vs. Eber: Loyalty & Gift Card

Introduction

Choosing the right retention tools is a pivotal decision for any merchant looking to move beyond simple customer acquisition and toward sustainable profitability. While the Shopify ecosystem offers a variety of solutions, the differences between a specialized loyalty app and a multi-platform marketing suite can fundamentally change how a business operates. Selecting a tool that aligns with current order volume, technical requirements, and long-term growth objectives ensures that the investment pays off through increased repeat purchase rates and lifetime value.

Short answer: BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is an ideal choice for Shopify-native stores seeking a highly customizable, multi-language loyalty solution with specific support for B2B and headless commerce. Eber: Loyalty & Gift Card positions itself as a broader loyalty marketing platform suitable for omnichannel businesses operating across multiple storefronts like Magento or WooCommerce, offering robust fraud detection and gamification. For brands seeking to minimize technical complexity and operational costs, an integrated platform often provides a more streamlined path to growth by consolidating various retention functions into a single dashboard.

This article provides a feature-by-feature comparison of BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Eber: Loyalty & Gift Card. By analyzing their functional capabilities, technical requirements, and pricing structures, merchants can determine which solution best supports their specific operational model and customer engagement strategy.

Comparison Summary: BON Loyalty vs. Eber

Functional Capability Analysis

Evaluating the core mechanics of each app reveals distinct approaches to customer retention. While both aim to increase repeat purchases, their execution of points, tiers, and referrals caters to different merchant needs.

Loyalty and Point Systems

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards emphasizes an effortless setup that allows merchants to launch a point-based system in minutes. The system is built around the standard logic of earning points through actions—such as purchases or social engagement—and redeeming them for rewards like percentage-off or money-off discounts. A standout feature in the BON ecosystem is the ability to exclude specific collections or products from earning points, providing granular control over profit margins. On Shopify Plus, BON allows points to be managed directly at the checkout, which significantly reduces friction for the customer.

Eber: Loyalty & Gift Card approaches loyalty as a marketing platform rather than just a rewards tool. Their system includes advanced points rules and reward targeting, which suggests a higher degree of segmentation. Beyond standard points, Eber integrates gift card functionality and campaign messaging directly into the loyalty experience. This allows brands to run specific promotions that leverage the loyalty database for targeted outreach. The inclusion of forms and surveys within the Eber platform suggests a focus on gathering first-party data to refine the loyalty experience further.

VIP Tiers and Customer Segmentation

The structure of VIP tiers is where these two apps diverge in terms of target audience. BON Loyalty offers specialized B2B tiers, which is a significant advantage for wholesale businesses. This feature allows merchants to create exclusive rewards and point structures specifically for their professional or bulk-buying clients. For standard B2C customers, BON uses accelerated points and rewards within tiers to incentivize higher spending levels. The tier progression is designed to be visible and engaging, encouraging customers to reach the next milestone.

Eber provides a multi-tier structure even in its entry-level plan. As merchants scale to higher plans, the tier rules become more advanced, including "Paid Membership" options and credit systems. This is particularly useful for F&B or service-based businesses that might want to offer a subscription-style loyalty program or a pre-paid credit model. Eber’s focus on fraud detection and flagging in its higher tiers also indicates a system built for high-volume environments where maintaining program integrity is a priority.

Referral and Growth Mechanics

Referral programs are essential for reducing acquisition costs. BON Loyalty includes an "Anti-Cheat" referral program in its free tier, which is a valuable addition for smaller stores looking to protect their margins while growing their audience. The automated email system for referrals ensures that both the advocate and the new customer are notified immediately, maintaining momentum in the referral loop.

Eber includes member referrals as a core part of its Lite plan. While the provided data does not specify anti-cheat mechanics to the same level as BON, Eber compensates by offering "Campaign Messaging" and "Automated Messaging." This allows the referral program to be part of a larger communication strategy, potentially increasing the conversion rate of referred leads through follow-up sequences and surveys.

Omnichannel and POS Support

Both apps recognize the importance of a unified customer experience across online and physical storefronts. BON Loyalty integrates with Shopify POS, allowing customers to earn and redeem rewards in-store. This is crucial for retailers who want a single view of their customer behavior. BON also supports headless commerce via Hydrogen, making it a viable option for modern, high-tech storefronts that operate outside the standard Shopify liquid framework.

Eber: Loyalty & Gift Card is built with a broader omnichannel focus. Because it works with Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart, and Prestashop, it is a stronger candidate for brands that might be migrating between platforms or operating multiple stores on different stacks simultaneously. Its integrations with specialized POS systems like Revel and Storehub suggest a deep focus on the F&B and retail sectors where these systems are common.

Technical Infrastructure and Support

The technical requirements and support levels of a loyalty app often determine the long-term success of the program. If a tool is difficult to customize or lacks technical support, it can become a bottleneck for the marketing team.

Platform Compatibility and Integrations

BON Loyalty is deeply embedded in the Shopify ecosystem. It works with Shopify Flow, Checkout, and customer accounts. It also has a wide range of integrations with review apps like Fera, LAI, and Judge.me, as well as landing page builders like PageFly. This makes BON a "team player" in a typical Shopify tech stack, allowing loyalty data to influence other parts of the customer journey.

Eber's integration list is extensive, claiming over 50 integrations across shopping carts, POS, and payment gateways. However, its "Works With" data specifically highlights Magento, WooCommerce, and various third-party POS systems. For a merchant strictly on Shopify, BON might feel more "native," whereas a merchant with a complex, multi-platform setup would likely find Eber’s flexibility more beneficial.

Developer Tools and Customization

For brands with specific brand guidelines, customization is non-negotiable. BON Loyalty offers a branded loyalty page and, at higher levels, unlocks custom CSS with developer support. The Professional plan even includes a Software Development Toolkit (SDK) and full API access, which is essential for brands building custom mobile apps or headless storefronts.

Eber provides a customer portal and campaign messaging tools that allow for a consistent brand voice. In its Standard and Pro plans, Eber offers API access, including Single Sign-On (SSO). SSO is a critical feature for enterprise-level brands that want to ensure a seamless login experience for customers across different web properties or mobile applications. Eber also mentions "Custom Gamification" in its highest plan, suggesting that brands can build unique, non-standard loyalty interactions with their developer teams.

Support Services and Reliability

BON Loyalty emphasizes 24/7 support across its descriptions, with Growth plan users receiving 24/7 live chat and Professional plan users getting priority support. Given the single review on the platform, these support claims are vital for building trust with new users. The inclusion of developer support for CSS and custom packages in the Professional tier shows a commitment to helping merchants execute their specific vision.

Eber focuses on "Support and playbooks," suggesting that they provide strategic guidance alongside technical help. Their Pro plan includes audit logs and role-based access, which are less about "support" and more about "governance"—allowing larger teams to manage the loyalty program safely without risking data integrity or accidental configuration changes.

Financial Investment and Scalability

The cost of a loyalty program must be weighed against the expected increase in customer lifetime value. Both BON and Eber offer tiered pricing, but they target different budget realities.

Entry-Level and Free Tiers

BON Loyalty offers a "Free Forever" plan that is remarkably feature-rich, including points, rewards, anti-cheat referrals, and automated emails. This is an excellent starting point for new merchants who want to test the loyalty waters without a monthly fee. Their Basic plan at $25 per month is also relatively accessible, adding multi-language support and POS rewards.

Eber does not offer a free tier. Its entry-level "Lite Plan" starts at $89 per month. While this is significantly more expensive than BON’s entry options, it includes multi-tier structures, campaign messaging, and surveys from the start. Eber positions itself as a premium platform from the outset, rather than a "plug-and-play" app that grows with a brand.

Mid-Market Growth Plans

The BON Growth plan at $99 per month introduces unlimited orders, B2B tiers, and 24/7 live chat. This plan is designed for established Shopify stores that are seeing consistent volume and need more robust segmentation tools.

Eber’s mid-tier "Standard Plan" jumps to $399 per month. This plan is aimed at much larger operations, offering role-based access, audit logs, and scale API access. At this price point, a merchant is paying for the security and infrastructure needed to manage a large customer base and a complex technical environment.

Enterprise and Custom Solutions

At the high end, BON’s Professional plan is $349 per month, offering custom packages and full API access. This is a competitive price for a Shopify Plus-ready solution that supports headless commerce.

Eber’s Pro plan reaches $1,199 per month. This plan is clearly built for enterprise brands, offering multi-brand support, multi-currency capabilities, fraud detection, and external Business Intelligence (BI) integrations. This level of investment is only justifiable for brands with significant revenue where a small percentage increase in retention translates to millions of dollars in additional sales.

The Alternative: Solving App Fatigue with an All-in-One Platform

While comparing individual apps like BON and Eber is helpful, it often highlights a larger problem in the Shopify ecosystem: tool sprawl. Merchants frequently find themselves installing one app for loyalty, another for reviews, a third for wishlists, and a fourth for referrals. This "stacking" of apps leads to higher costs, slower site speeds, and fragmented customer data. Each new app adds another script to the storefront and another dashboard for the team to manage.

This is where the concept of "More Growth, Less Stack" becomes relevant. By consolidating these functions, merchants can ensure a more consistent customer experience. When your loyalty program knows exactly which products a customer has reviewed or added to their wishlist, it can trigger much more effective rewards. For example, loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases are more impactful when they are integrated with social proof. Instead of managing five different subscriptions, comparing plan fit against retention goals across an integrated platform often reveals a lower total cost of ownership.

The complexity of modern retail requires a unified approach to customer data. If a brand is checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals for various tools, they might notice that integrated solutions often have higher satisfaction rates because they eliminate integration headaches. Using VIP tiers and incentives for high-intent customers alongside collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews creates a virtuous cycle of engagement that single-function apps struggle to replicate.

Operational overhead is the silent killer of growing e-commerce brands. Every hour spent syncing data between a loyalty app and a review app is an hour not spent on marketing or product development. Opting for review automation that builds trust at purchase time within the same ecosystem as your rewards program simplifies the workflow for your team. To see how this looks in practice, merchants often benefit from a tailored walkthrough based on store goals and constraints or a guided evaluation of an integrated retention stack to visualize the efficiency gains.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Eber: Loyalty & Gift Card, the decision comes down to the specific technical environment and the breadth of the business operations. BON Loyalty is a powerful, Shopify-centric tool that excels in multi-language support and headless commerce, making it a strong fit for modern Shopify Plus stores and B2B wholesalers. Eber: Loyalty & Gift Card is a more expansive, platform-agnostic marketing suite that offers high-level enterprise features like fraud detection and multi-platform support, though at a significantly higher price point.

However, as a store grows, the challenge often shifts from finding the "best" individual app to managing a complex web of disconnected tools. Selecting an integrated retention platform can significantly reduce this friction by bringing loyalty, reviews, and referrals under one roof. When evaluating feature coverage across plans, merchants often find that a unified approach offers a pricing structure that scales as order volume grows without the hidden costs of managing multiple integrations. Furthermore, verifying compatibility details in the official app listing can give store owners peace of mind regarding site performance and stability.

To reduce app fatigue and run retention from one place, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

Which app is better for a small business on a budget?

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is generally better for smaller businesses due to its "Free Forever" plan and its $25 "Basic" plan. It provides essential loyalty features like points and referrals without a significant upfront investment. Eber’s starting price of $89 per month may be difficult for very small stores to justify unless they require specific multi-platform or omnichannel features immediately.

Can both BON Loyalty and Eber handle in-store rewards?

Yes, both apps offer POS integration. BON Loyalty integrates natively with Shopify POS, allowing for a seamless experience for Shopify-first retailers. Eber integrates with a wider variety of third-party POS systems like Revel and Storehub, making it a more versatile choice for businesses that use specialized hardware or software for their physical locations.

Is BON Loyalty or Eber better for high-volume enterprise stores?

Eber is built with an enterprise-first mindset, offering fraud detection, role-based access, and audit logs in its $1,199 per month plan. These features are critical for very large teams managing massive customer databases. However, BON Loyalty’s Professional plan at $349 per month offers full API access and Hydrogen support, which may be more than sufficient for many Shopify Plus merchants who prioritize a modern tech stack over broad platform compatibility.

How does an all-in-one platform compare to specialized apps?

Specialized apps often provide very deep, niche features for one specific task, such as gift cards or B2B tiers. However, an all-in-one platform focuses on the synergy between different retention tools. By combining loyalty, reviews, and wishlists, an integrated platform ensures that data flows seamlessly between these functions, reducing the need for manual integrations, lowering the total subscription cost, and providing a more cohesive experience for the end customer.