BON Loyalty Program & Rewards vs. Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit

Introduction

Choosing the right retention tools for a Shopify store involves more than just picking a set of features. It requires a strategic decision about how to interact with customers after they make their first purchase. Merchants often find themselves choosing between two distinct philosophies: a structured, points-based loyalty program or a flexible store credit and gifting ecosystem. Both paths aim to increase customer lifetime value, yet they function through very different technical and psychological mechanisms.

Short answer: BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is tailored for merchants who want a traditional gamified experience with points, VIP tiers, and referrals. Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit is the better fit for brands looking to leverage store credit for refunds, cashback, and advanced digital gifting. While both excel in their niches, scaling brands often find that choosing a plan built for long-term value involves looking at how these tools integrate with the rest of the marketing stack.

This comparison provides a detailed analysis of BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit. By examining their feature sets, pricing models, and operational requirements, merchants can determine which application aligns with their growth objectives and technical constraints.

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards vs. Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit: At a Glance

Deep Dive Comparison: Functionality and Strategic Focus

The fundamental difference between these two applications lies in how they define "value" for the customer. One treats rewards as a currency for engagement (points), while the other treats rewards as a currency for spending (store credit).

Core Mechanics of BON Loyalty Program & Rewards

BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is built around the concept of traditional loyalty. It uses a points-based system where customers earn rewards for specific actions like making a purchase, following social media accounts, or celebrating a birthday.

Points and VIP Tiers

The app allows for the creation of multiple VIP tiers. This is a critical feature for brands that want to reward their most frequent shoppers with better earning rates or exclusive perks. By providing accelerated points for high-tier customers, merchants can encourage higher spending frequency. The inclusion of B2B loyalty tiers is particularly notable, as it allows wholesale businesses to offer specific rewards to their bulk buyers, a segment often ignored by standard loyalty tools.

Referral Workflows

The referral system includes anti-cheat mechanisms, which are essential for protecting the store’s margins. It automates the process of rewarding both the advocate and the new customer. This creates a self-sustaining acquisition loop that relies on social proof rather than paid advertising.

Omnichannel Integration

A significant advantage for merchants with physical locations is the Shopify POS integration. Customers can earn and redeem points whether they are shopping online or in-store. This creates a unified experience that is essential for modern retail brands.

Core Mechanics of Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit

Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit takes a more financial approach to retention. Instead of points that must be converted into coupons, customers receive store credit that acts like cash within the store environment.

Branded Wallets and Store Credit

Every customer can have a branded wallet where their credit is stored. This credit can come from various sources: a gift card they received, a cashback promotion, or a refund for a returned item. By issuing store credit for refunds, merchants can keep revenue within their ecosystem even when a product doesn't work out for a customer.

Advanced Gifting

The gift card functionality in Rise is significantly more advanced than the native Shopify offering. It allows for digital and physical gift cards, customizable designs, and automated reminder flows to ensure that gift card recipients actually use their credit. This is particularly powerful during peak holiday seasons.

Cashback Campaigns

Instead of simple discounts, Rise enables cashback campaigns. When a customer spends a certain amount, they receive a percentage back in store credit for their next purchase. This incentivizes a return visit more effectively than an immediate discount, as the customer now has "real money" waiting for them in their account.

Customization and User Experience

A retention program is only effective if customers understand it and find it easy to use. Both apps offer customization options, but the scope and implementation differ.

Interface and Branding in BON Loyalty

BON Loyalty emphasizes an effortless setup. The loyalty page can be tailored to match the brand’s aesthetic, ensuring that the widget and reward panels do not look like third-party add-ons. For brands that require more granular control, the Growth plan provides access to custom CSS with developer support. This is a high-value feature for merchants who have specific brand guidelines that must be strictly followed.

Customer Interaction in Rise

Rise focuses on the "Apply Store Credit" experience. One of its standout features is the check balance page and the dedicated button at checkout (on higher plans) that allows customers to apply their credit with a single click. This reduces friction significantly. When the checkout process is smooth, the likelihood of cart abandonment decreases.

Pricing Structure and Value for Money

Pricing models are often the deciding factor for Shopify merchants. One app uses a feature-gated model, while the other uses an order-volume-based model.

Analyzing BON Loyalty Pricing

BON Loyalty offers a tiered structure that allows stores to grow without immediate price jumps based on order counts (until the Growth plan, which offers unlimited orders).

• Free Forever: This plan is surprisingly robust, offering points, rewards, an anti-cheat referral program, and automated emails. It even includes points at checkout for Shopify Plus merchants.
• Basic ($25/mo): Adds the loyalty page, POS rewards, and unlimited integrations. This is suitable for small stores looking to professionalize their program.
• Growth ($99/mo): This plan is the "sweet spot" for scaling brands. It includes VIP tiers, B2B programs, and the Order Booster feature. The 24/7 live chat support is also introduced here.
• Professional ($349/mo): Designed for enterprise-level stores. It includes a Software Development Toolkit (SDK), full API access, and support for headless commerce (Hydrogen).

Analyzing Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit Pricing

Rise uses a pricing model that scales with the store’s activity. This ensures that smaller stores pay less, but successful stores will see their costs rise as they process more orders.

• Starter ($19.99/mo): Includes 100 monthly store orders and basic gift card/referral features.
• Small-Business ($59.99/mo): Includes 400 monthly orders and adds claim page customization.
• Pro ($199.99/mo): Covers up to 2,000 monthly orders and adds the "Apply Store Credit" button, which is a major conversion driver.

When comparing plan fit against retention goals, merchants must calculate their average monthly order volume. If a store has high volume but low margins, the Rise model might become expensive. Conversely, if a store has low volume but high AOV, Rise offers exceptional value.

Integrations and Ecosystem Fit

No app exists in a vacuum. The ability to sync data with email marketing tools and helpdesk software is mandatory for a cohesive strategy.

BON Loyalty Connectivity

BON Loyalty integrates with several key players in the Shopify ecosystem. It works well with review apps like Fera, LAI, and Judge.me. This is important because rewarding customers for leaving reviews is one of the most effective ways to build social proof. It also connects with Klaviyo for email and SMS marketing, ensuring that loyalty data can be used to segment audiences.

Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit Connectivity

Rise has a broad integration list that focuses on the post-purchase and shipping experience. It works with Loop Returns and AfterShip, which makes sense given its focus on store credit as a refund alternative. It also integrates with Recharge for subscription businesses, allowing store credit to be used for recurring orders—a powerful retention tactic for subscription-based brands.

For merchants supporting advanced storefront and checkout requirements, checking how these apps handle API calls and headless setups is vital. BON Loyalty offers more direct support for Hydrogen on its top-tier plan, while Rise focuses on deeply integrating the store credit button into the native Shopify checkout flow.

Support and Reliability Signals

Trust is built through performance data and customer feedback. Verifying compatibility details in the official app listing is a good starting point for any merchant.

BON Loyalty Support

With only one review listed in the provided data (a 5-star rating), BON Loyalty is likely a newer or less reviewed option compared to Rise. However, they offer 24/7 live chat support on their Growth plan and priority support on the Professional plan. This indicates a commitment to customer service, even if the public review volume is currently low.

Rise Support

Rise is a veteran in the space with 743 reviews and a 4.7-star rating. This high volume of feedback suggests a stable product that has been tested across thousands of different store configurations. Merchants who prioritize a proven track record may find this review volume reassuring.

Performance and Operational Overhead

Every app added to a Shopify store introduces a small amount of technical debt and potential performance impact.

• Data Silos: Using BON Loyalty for points and a separate app for reviews can lead to fragmented customer data. If the rewards app doesn't know a customer just left a 5-star review, it can't reward them instantly.
• User Experience: If a customer has to interact with one widget for loyalty and another for gift cards, the storefront can become cluttered.
• Maintenance: Both apps require ongoing management. BON requires setting up tier rules and point values. Rise requires managing the store credit logic and monitoring cashback campaigns.

When scanning reviews to understand real-world adoption, merchants should look for comments regarding site speed and ease of management. A complex app that takes hours to configure every week can quickly become a hidden cost for a small team.

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

As merchants grow, they often encounter a phenomenon known as "app fatigue." This happens when a store is running ten or more different apps to handle loyalty, reviews, wishlist, referrals, and social login. Each app comes with its own subscription fee, its own dashboard, and its own script that slows down the site. This tool sprawl creates fragmented data, making it nearly impossible to get a single, clear view of the customer journey.

The "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy is a strategic response to this complexity. Instead of patching together specialized tools, many brands are moving toward integrated platforms that handle multiple retention functions under one roof. This approach ensures that loyalty points and rewards designed to lift repeat purchases work in perfect harmony with other engagement tools.

Growave provides this integrated alternative by combining loyalty, reviews, wishlist, referrals, and VIP tiers into a single application. This integration solves the data silo problem. For instance, when a customer leaves a review, the system instantly knows to award them loyalty points because the collecting and showcasing authentic customer reviews module is natively connected to the rewards engine. There is no need for complex third-party integrations or API work to make these systems talk to each other.

For stores scaling toward the enterprise level, having capabilities designed for Shopify Plus scaling needs is essential. An integrated platform reduces the number of scripts loading on the storefront, which can improve page load speeds—a critical factor for conversion rates and SEO. Furthermore, selecting plans that reduce stacked tooling costs allows merchants to reallocate their budget toward customer acquisition or product development rather than managing an oversized software stack.

When retention tools are unified, the customer experience becomes much more consistent. A customer doesn't see three different pop-ups for a review request, a loyalty point update, and a referral prompt. Instead, they experience a cohesive brand journey. If consolidating tools is a priority, start by evaluating feature coverage across plans.

Strategic Considerations for High-Growth Stores

As a store moves from its first few hundred orders to thousands per month, the operational requirements shift. It is no longer just about having a feature; it is about how that feature scales.

Managing Global Complexity

For brands selling internationally, multi-language and multi-currency support are non-negotiable. BON Loyalty offers multi-language display on its Basic plan, which is a significant advantage for stores with a global footprint. Rise also supports advanced gifting flows that can be adapted for different markets. However, managing these across separate apps can lead to inconsistencies in translation or currency conversion logic.

Governance and Team Access

Larger teams require better governance. This means having clear permissions for who can issue store credit or modify loyalty tiers. Readiness for multi-team workflows and complexity is a hallmark of more mature platforms. While BON Loyalty offers API access on its Professional plan for custom workflows, an integrated platform often provides these controls natively across all its modules.

The Impact of Social Proof

Retention is not just about points; it is about trust. Incentives that pair well with lifecycle email flows are most effective when they are backed by social proof. By integrating reviews that reduce uncertainty for new buyers directly with the loyalty program, a merchant can create a powerful feedback loop. A customer buys, leaves a review, earns points, and is then prompted to use those points on their next purchase—all tracked within a single system.

Choosing the Right Path for Your Store

Deciding between BON Loyalty and Rise depends on your specific business model and what you value most in your customer relationships.

When to Choose BON Loyalty Program & Rewards

This app is the ideal choice for merchants who want a classic, gamified loyalty experience. If your goal is to build a community through VIP tiers and you have a significant B2B component, BON Loyalty’s feature set is highly specialized for these needs. It is also a strong contender for those on a tight budget, as its free plan is quite generous.

• Best for stores with a heavy focus on gamification.
• Ideal for wholesale/B2B merchants needing tiered rewards.
• Great for those who want a simple, points-based system that works with Shopify POS.

When to Choose Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit

Rise is the superior choice if your strategy revolves around store credit, gifting, and financial flexibility. For brands with high return rates or those that sell products frequently given as gifts (like apparel or home goods), the ability to issue store credit instead of cash refunds can save thousands in lost revenue.

• Best for brands that want to optimize their gift card strategy.
• Ideal for merchants looking to reduce revenue loss from returns.
• Great for high-AOV stores that can benefit from cashback-style rewards.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between BON Loyalty Program & Rewards and Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit, the decision comes down to the specific mechanism of retention you wish to prioritize: the engagement-driven points system of BON or the currency-driven credit ecosystem of Rise. BON Loyalty provides a structured path for rewarding customer actions and building VIP status, making it excellent for community building. Rise, on the other hand, offers a powerful financial toolset that treats rewards as actual buying power, which is often more intuitive for certain customer demographics.

While both apps are excellent at their specific functions, the challenge for many growing Shopify stores is the complexity that comes with managing separate tools for every marketing need. As you planning retention spend without app sprawl surprises, consider how much time your team spends jumping between different dashboards and how those separate apps might be affecting your site performance.

Choosing an integrated platform can streamline your operations by bringing loyalty, referrals, and reviews into a single, unified workflow. This not only reduces your total cost of ownership but also provides a more seamless experience for your customers. Before making a final decision, it is worth verifying fit by reading merchant review patterns to see how other brands have navigated these same choices.

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 brand-new Shopify store?

For a brand-new store with a limited budget, BON Loyalty Program & Rewards is often the more accessible starting point due to its robust "Free Forever" plan. It allows you to start collecting subscribers and building a loyalty base without any upfront monthly costs. Rise Gift Cards & Store Credit starts at $19.99/month, which may be a consideration for very small operations.

Can I use both BON Loyalty and Rise together?

Technically, yes, you can install both. However, this is generally not recommended as it can confuse customers. Having both "points" and "store credit" as two different types of currency on the same store often leads to a poor user experience. It is usually better to pick one philosophy and execute it well.

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

Specialized apps often have deeper features in one specific area, such as Rise’s advanced gift card flows. However, an all-in-one platform provides better data integration and lower operational overhead. Instead of having your loyalty data in one app and your product reviews in another, an all-in-one platform keeps everything in one place, allowing for more sophisticated automation and a faster storefront.

Does BON Loyalty support Shopify Plus features?

Yes, BON Loyalty includes specific features for Shopify Plus merchants, such as the ability to show points directly at the checkout. This is a high-conversion feature that is typically restricted to Plus-level stores due to Shopify's checkout requirements.

Is store credit more effective than discount codes?

Store credit is often seen as more valuable by customers because it feels like "real money" in a digital wallet. Unlike discount codes, which can sometimes feel like a marketing gimmick and often cannot be combined, store credit is straightforward and easy to apply. This can lead to higher average order values and better retention than simple percentage-off coupons.