Every Shopify brand running a loyalty program eventually faces the same question: Is it worth the cost? Points liability accumulates, subscription fees renew, and the business case often rests on benchmarks drawn from other brands in other categories, not from the store’s own customer data.
This study presents a different kind of answer. Across four Shopify brands: GNC (health and nutrition), Palmonas (jewellery), Libas (ethnic apparel), and Arata (haircare), the same analysis was applied: compare revenue per customer between loyalty program members and non-members over a fixed 90-day window, using their order data.
Across Shopify brands, loyalty programs are often evaluated using broad metrics such as total revenue or average order value. While these indicate overall performance, they do not show whether the program is influencing how individual customers behave.
This makes it difficult to answer a more practical question:
Are enrolled customers contributing more value over time compared to those who are not part of the program?
Without a direct comparison within the same customer base, most evaluations rely on external benchmarks or assumptions, rather than the store’s own data
To address this, a consistent analysis was applied across four Shopify brands using their own order and customer data.
For each brand:
- All customers active within a fixed 90-day window were identified
- Customers were segmented into loyalty members and non-loyalty members
- Total revenue generated by each group was calculated
- Revenue was then divided by the number of customers in each group to arrive at revenue per customer.
In addition to this, supporting behavioral metrics were measured, including:
- Purchase activation (customers who placed at least one order)
- Repeat purchase rate (customers who place two or more orders
- Average order value
This approach allows both groups to be compared within the same timeframe and using the same definitions, making differences in customer behavior and value easier to interpret.
Across all four brands, loyalty members generated higher revenue per customer than non-members within the same 90-day window.
*For Libas, the comparison is limited to customers who placed an order, to avoid distortion from a large number of inactive users.
1. Purchase activation differs significantly
In each brand, a larger share of loyalty members completed at least one purchase within the 90 days. For instance:
GNC: 98.2% of members vs 6.4% of non-members
Arata: 99.8% vs 21.6%
The difference plays a central role in the overall revenue gap
2. Repeat purchase behavior is higher among members
Across all four brands, loyalty members were more likely to place multiple orders within the same window
GNC: 13.2% vs 6.3%
Palmonas: 14.8% vs 6.3%
Libas: 20.4% vs 8.6%
Arata: 16.9% vs 12.2%
This indicates that enrolled customers tend to return more frequently.
3. The revenue gap is driven by behavior, not a single factor
The mechanism behind the revenue difference varies:
At GNC, the gap is largely explained by purchase activatio
At Palmonas, activation, repeat rate, and order value all contribute
At Libas, the average order value plays a more significant role
At Arata, the difference is primarily whether a customer purchases at all
Despite these variations, each brand shows the same directional outcome.
The consistency across categories suggests that the relationship between loyalty enrolment and customer behavior is not limited to a single type of business.
Customers who are part of the loyalty program are more likely to:
- Complete a purchase within the observed period
- Return for additional purchases
- Generate higher revenue on a per-customer basis
The extent of the impact depends on your business, but the pattern remains stable.
Across four Shopify brands with different product categories and customer bases, loyalty members consistently generated more revenue per customer than non-members over the same 90-day window.
The size of the difference varies, and the underlying drivers differ by brand. However, the overall relationship between loyalty enrolment and customer value remains consistent.
Evaluating loyalty programs using revenue per customer, supported by behavioral metrics, provides a clearer understanding of their impact on retention and purchasing patterns.
