The problem

A recent client runs a rewards programme through Rivo. They wanted the order confirmation email to speak to two groups: members would be reminded they had earned points and pointed to their balance, and everyone else would be invited to join and start earning.

Shopify's notification emails can only use data Shopify holds on the order and customer, and loyalty membership lives in the rewards app. The email had no way of telling the two groups apart, so everyone received the same message.

What we did

We set up and tested two approaches. The first adds an attribute to the cart when a logged-in member moves from cart to checkout; Shopify carries cart attributes through to the order, so the order confirmation can read it. The second runs a Shopify Flow when an order is paid, reads the customer's membership from the metafield the rewards app provides and tags the order, but the tag arrives too late for the order confirmation and only works in shipping emails.

We recommended the cart attribute, because it reaches the order confirmation, the email the client wanted to change. The confirmation now checks the order for the attribute and shows the matching message. Customers who are not logged in see the invitation to join, which the client was happy with.

Results

Every order confirmation now works for the rewards programme. Members are reminded what they have just earned, and customers who are not members are told what they could be earning, in the email customers are most likely to open.

That is why we chose the approach that reaches the confirmation, even though it only recognises members who are logged in. The alternative recognised more members but only appeared in shipping emails, days later, when the purchase is no longer front of mind. For a programme that depends on sign-ups, the minutes after an order are when the offer is most relevant: the customer has just spent money and can see what it would have earned them.

There is a reporting benefit too. Membership is recorded on each order as it is placed, so the client can see how much of the business comes from members without exporting anything from the rewards app.

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