How to reward product reviews on Shopify with Judge.me or Loox
A review is useful twice. A shopper reads it before buying, and the member who wrote it now has points to spend on a future order. With Crowny, a new review on Judge.me or Loox can turn into points in your loyalty program. Those points bring the reviewer back to your store, and the extra reviews help new shoppers decide.
This guide covers setup, the settings to choose and how to tell shoppers that joining the program is what makes them eligible.
What review rewards add to your store
Most stores already ask buyers for reviews, usually with a request e-mail a few days after delivery. On its own, that e-mail gives the customer nothing back. A review reward adds a reason to reply. Points from a review go into the same balance as points from orders, so the reviewer has a better reason to shop again.
It also brings new people into the program. A buyer who never noticed your loyalty program now has a clear reason to join: the next review they write can earn something.
Connect Judge.me or Loox in the Crowny Portal
Open the Crowny Portal and go to Integrations → Reviews. Choose Judge.me or Loox. You can only connect one review platform per shop, so pick the one you already use.
The connection is available on every Crowny plan. Only reviews written after you connect can earn. Existing and imported reviews don't count, so a large review history won't release a sudden flood of points.
Set up the Product review earning rule
Once the connection is live, add an earning rule called Product review and give it a fixed number of points. Here's how the rule works:
- Who earns: program members only. The reviewer's e-mail has to belong to a member.
- Which reviews count: reviews from verified buyers by default. You can also limit the reward to reviews that include a photo. Video reviews aren't part of it.
- Ratings: every rating earns the same points. Crowny has no star-rating condition, by design, so a two-star review with useful detail counts like a five-star one.
- When points land: when the review is published (the default), or as soon as it's submitted.
- How often: once per member, per product, per rule. Points that have been credited are never taken back.
The timing setting depends on how you moderate. If you read every review before it goes live, keep the default so points only follow reviews you've published. If you publish everything automatically, the two options behave almost the same. "Submitted" just credits the member a little sooner.
The photo-only option is worth trying if your product pages look thin. A photo from a real buyer often says more about fit, color or size than the listing copy. Fewer reviewers will add a photo, though, so turn the option on when photos matter more to you than review count.
Make joining the obvious first step
The detail that trips stores up is the order of events. Judge.me and Loox send review requests to buyers, and many of those buyers aren't members yet. If they review first and join later, that review won't earn.
So say it plainly wherever you promote the reward. A line like this works in a review-request e-mail or on a product page:
"Join our rewards program first, then review a product you bought from us to earn points.
"
The storefront widget does most of the explaining on your own store. Members join with their Shop account, see the review rule listed with the other ways to earn and check their balance without leaving the page. Your hosted loyalty page shows the same earning rules in one place you can link to. Put that link in the review-request e-mail so a buyer can join before they write.
Give the points something to buy
A review reward only works if members want what the points buy. Members redeem points on deals, and Crowny offers four kinds: a free product, a percentage discount, a fixed-amount discount or free shipping on an online order. Free shipping is online only. At the register, members can redeem the other three through the Shopify POS integration.
Set the review points so they mean something next to your order rewards. Members should feel that one review gets them closer to a deal, not a rounding error. The exact value is up to you and your margins.
If you're on the Free plan
The Free plan allows one earning rule and one promotion. Shopify onboarding already uses both. It creates a cashback rule that pays a percentage of each paid order, plus one starter promotion. You can edit those, but you can't add a second rule. On Free, adding a review reward means replacing the cashback rule.
That trade can make sense for a store that needs reviews more than anything else, like a new brand with empty product pages. Most stores will want order rewards and review rewards running side by side. The review rule counts against the earning-rule limit like any other rule, and paid plans raise that limit.
Ways to get more reviews from it
A few things work well once the basic rule is running:
- Run a short boost. Multiplier campaigns raise points on existing earning rules for a scheduled window. A double-points week on reviews after a big product launch can get early feedback onto the page quickly.
- Reward your best members more. On paid plans, tiers can carry bonus earn rates, so your most loyal members get more for the same review.
- Watch the program, not just the reviews. The Crowny Portal shows the share of revenue from members and member versus non-member order value. Check whether those numbers move as more reviewers join.
Start with one clear rule, a join-first message in your review e-mails and deals worth saving for. Install Crowny for free from the Shopify App Store, connect your review platform and add the rule.