Custom Rewards

Overview

Custom Rewards allow you to offer unique, manually-fulfilled rewards that cannot be automated through Shopify's API. These are rewards like social media shoutouts, exclusive memberships, personalized products, or any other benefit that requires manual fulfillment by you or your team.

Unlike coupon rewards, gift cards, and dynamic discount codes that automatically generate Shopify discounts, custom rewards provide the framework for you to manage the entire claim-to-fulfillment process while the app handles point deduction, status tracking, and customer communication.

Key Benefit: Offer any type of reward imaginable while maintaining full control over fulfillment and customer communication.

How It Works

Customer Experience:

1. Customer views available custom rewards
2. Customer claims a reward with sufficient points
3. Customer fills in additional information form (if configured)
4. Points are deducted from customer's balance
5. Customer receives confirmation
6. Customer tracks claim status until fulfillment

Merchant Experience:

1. You receive notification of new claim
2. You view claim details and customer information
3. You update claim status as you work on fulfillment
4. You add notes at each status update
5. You mark claim as fulfilled when complete

Example:

Reward: Personalized Video Message
Points Cost: 5,000 points

Additional Information:
- What would you like me to say? (text field)
- Who should I address? (text field)
- Occasion (dropdown: Birthday, Anniversary, Thank You, Other)

Customer Claims → Fills in form → You receive notification
→ You record video → Update status to "in-progress" with note
→ You send video → Update status to "fulfilled" with delivery note

Configuration

Reward Name

The customer-facing title of your custom reward.

Guidelines:

• Clear and descriptive
• Highlights the value or benefit
• Concise (recommended: under 50 characters)

Examples:

• "Personalized Video Message"
• "VIP Member Status"
• "Social Media Shoutout"
• "Custom Product Design"

Points Cost

The number of points customers must spend to claim this reward.

Configuration:

• Set any point value
• Cannot be changed while active claims exist
• Consider value relative to other rewards

Strategic Considerations:

• Price based on time/effort to fulfill
• Higher value for more exclusive rewards
• Align with your overall reward economy

Reward Description

Rich text description that explains what customers will receive.

What to Include:

• What the reward is
• What customers can expect
• How long fulfillment typically takes
• Any restrictions or conditions

Example:

Get a personalized 30-second video message!

Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or just to say thanks.
I'll create a custom video addressing your special someone with
your personalized message.

Typical delivery: 3-5 business days

Redeem Limit Per Customer

Control how many times each customer can claim this reward.

Configuration:

• Set any number (e.g., 1, 3, unlimited)
• Prevents customers from claiming beyond limit
• Resets only if you change it

Use Cases:

Limit	Use Case
1	One-time exclusive rewards (VIP status, lifetime benefit)
3	Limited special occasions (birthday messages, custom designs)
Unlimited	Repeatable rewards (social shoutouts, small perks)

Global Limit

Set a total cap on how many times this reward can be claimed across all customers.

Configuration:

• Set any number or leave unlimited
• Tracks total claims across all customers
• Reward becomes unavailable when limit reached

Use Cases:

• Limited edition rewards
• Time-limited campaigns
• Capacity-constrained fulfillment

Example:

Reward: Private Q&A Session
Global Limit: 10

After 10 customers claim this reward across your entire customer base,
it becomes unavailable until you increase the limit or create a new reward.

Customer Eligibility

Control who can see and claim this custom reward.

All Customers

Reward is visible and accessible to any customer in your loyalty program.

Use Case: Universal custom rewards available to everyone.

Specific Customers

Select individual customers who can access this reward.

Configuration:

• Search for customers by name or email
• Add multiple customers individually
• Only selected customers see the reward

Use Cases:

• VIP-only rewards
• Personalized offers
• Service recovery rewards

Specific Customer Segment

Target customer segments created in Shopify.

Configuration:

• Select from Shopify customer segments
• Segments are created and managed in Shopify admin

Common Segment Examples:

• Top 10% spenders
• Customers with 10+ orders
• Gold tier members
• Local customers

Shopify Customer Segments

Customer segments are created in Shopify admin > Customers > Segments. Learn more in Shopify's customer segmentation documentation.

Enable/Disable

Toggle to control whether this reward is visible to eligible customers.

When Enabled:

• Eligible customers can view and claim
• Points are deducted on claim

When Disabled:

• Hidden from all customers
• Cannot be claimed
• Existing claims remain active

Additional Information Form

Build custom forms to collect information from customers when they claim your reward. This helps you gather the details needed to fulfill the reward properly.

Form Question Types

Text Answer

Single-line or multi-line text input.

Configuration:

• Question title
• Question description (optional)
• Required or optional

Use Cases:

• "What message would you like included?"
• "What name should appear on the custom product?"
• "Describe your design preferences"

Example:

Question: What would you like me to say in the video?
Type: Text Answer
Required: Yes
Description: Please keep it under 100 words

Multiple Choice (Checkboxes)

Allow customers to select multiple options from a list.

Configuration:

• Question title
• Question description (optional)
• Up to 10 options
• "Other" option (provides text field)
• Required or optional

Use Cases:

• "Which social platforms should we mention you on?" (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
• "What features do you want?" (multiple selections allowed)

Example:

Question: Which platforms should we feature you on?
Type: Checkboxes
Options:
  ☐ Instagram
  ☐ Facebook
  ☐ Twitter/X
  ☐ TikTok
  ☐ Other (text field)
Required: Yes

Radio Button (Single Choice)

Allow customers to select one option from a list.

Configuration:

• Question title
• Question description (optional)
• Up to 10 options
• "Other" option (provides text field)
• Required or optional

Use Cases:

• "What occasion is this for?" (Birthday, Anniversary, Thank You)
• "What size?" (Small, Medium, Large)

Example:

Question: What's the occasion?
Type: Radio Button
Options:
  ○ Birthday
  ○ Anniversary
  ○ Graduation
  ○ Thank You
  ○ Other (text field)
Required: Yes

Dropdown

Compact single-selection from a list.

Configuration:

• Question title
• Question description (optional)
• Up to 10 options
• "Other" option (provides text field)
• Required or optional

Use Cases:

• Long lists of options
• Category selection
• Standard choices

Example:

Question: Preferred delivery timeframe
Type: Dropdown
Options:
  - ASAP
  - Within 1 week
  - Within 2 weeks
  - Within 1 month
  - Other (text field)
Required: Yes

Form Management

You can manage your additional information form:

Create Questions:

• Add new questions of any type
• Set title and description
• Configure options and validation

Update Questions:

• Edit existing questions
• Change question type
• Modify options or requirements

Delete Questions:

• Remove questions no longer needed
• Cannot delete if active claims reference it

Reorder Questions:

• Drag and drop to reorder
• Changes apply to new claims only
• Existing claims show original order

Best Practice

Keep forms short and focused. Only ask for information truly needed to fulfill the reward. Long forms decrease claim rates.

Setup Process

Step 1: Navigate to Custom Rewards

1. Open Keystone Loyalty Rewards app
2. Navigate to Loyalty Program > Rewards > Customer rewards
3. Click Create Reward
4. Select Custom Reward

Step 2: Configure Basic Details

Field	Description
Reward Name	Customer-facing title (e.g., "Personalized Video Message")
Points Cost	Points required to claim (e.g., 5,000)
Reward Description	Rich text explaining what customers receive

Step 3: Set Limits

Field	Description
Redeem Limit Per Customer	How many times each customer can claim
Global Limit	Total claims allowed across all customers

Step 4: Set Customer Eligibility

Choose one:

• All customers
• Specific customers (search and select)
• Specific customer segment (choose segment)

Step 5: Build Additional Information Form (Optional)

1. Click Add Question
2. Select question type (Text, Multiple Choice, Radio, Dropdown)
3. Enter question title and description
4. Configure options (if applicable)
5. Set as required or optional
6. Repeat for additional questions
7. Drag to reorder questions

Step 6: Enable and Save

1. Toggle Enable Reward to ON
2. Review all settings
3. Click Save Reward
4. Reward is now visible to eligible customers

Managing Claims

Viewing Claims

Manage Custom Reward Claims Page:

Shows all claims with:

• Customer name and email
• Reward name
• Points spent
• Claim timestamp
• Current status
• Additional information submitted
• Status history and notes

Filtering and Sorting:

• Filter by status (pending, in-progress, on-hold, fulfilled)
• Filter by reward
• Sort by date, customer, or status

Claim Statuses

Status	Description	When to Use
Pending	Newly claimed, awaiting action	Automatically set when customer claims
In-Progress	Actively working on fulfillment	You've started working on the reward
On-Hold	Paused, waiting for something	Need more info, waiting on supplier, etc.
Fulfilled	Completed and delivered	Reward has been delivered to customer

Updating Claim Status

Single Claim Update:

1. Navigate to the desired claim
2. Select new status
3. Add optional note (recommended)
4. Click Update Status

Example Notes:

Status: In-Progress
Note: "Video recorded, currently editing. Will be ready by Friday."

Status: Fulfilled
Note: "Video sent via email to customer@example.com. Enjoy!"

Bulk Status Update:

1. Navigate to Manage Custom Reward Claims
2. Select multiple claims (checkboxes)
3. Click Update Status
4. Select new status
5. Add optional note (applied to all)
6. Confirm bulk update

Communication Best Practice

Always add notes when updating status. These notes help you track progress and can be referenced if customer inquiries arise.

Refunds

Manual Refunds

You can manually refund custom reward claims to return points to customers.

When to Refund:

• Cannot fulfill the reward
• Customer requests cancellation
• Unfulfilled claim when deleting reward
• Service recovery

Process:

1. Navigate to desired claim
2. Click Refund Claim
3. Confirm refund
4. Points are returned to customer's balance
5. Claim is marked as refunded

Refund Behavior:

Claim Status	Refund Available
Pending	Yes, full points refunded
In-Progress	Yes, full points refunded
On-Hold	Yes, full points refunded
Fulfilled	No, cannot refund fulfilled claims

How Customers Claim and Track

Claiming a Custom Reward

1. Customer views rewards in loyalty widget or account page
2. Customer sees custom reward with description
3. Customer clicks "Claim Reward"
4. Customer fills in additional information form (if configured)
5. Customer reviews point cost and details
6. Customer confirms claim
7. Points are deducted immediately
8. Customer receives confirmation

Validation

Before claim is completed:

• Customer must have sufficient points
• Customer must not exceed redeem limit
• Global limit must not be reached
• All required form fields must be completed

Tracking Claim Status

Customers can track their claims:

In Loyalty Widget:

• View all claimed custom rewards
• See current status (pending, in-progress, on-hold, fulfilled)
• Read status notes you've added
• View claim timestamp and details

Status Indicators:

Pending - Your claim is awaiting fulfillment
In-Progress - We're working on your reward!
On-Hold - Temporarily paused (see notes)
Fulfilled - Your reward has been delivered!

Use Cases

1. Personalized Video Messages

Configuration:

• Name: "Personal Video Message from [Your Name]"
• Points: 5,000
• Limit per customer: 3
• Global limit: Unlimited
• Eligibility: All customers

Form Questions:

1. What would you like me to say? (Text, required)
2. Who should I address? (Text, required)
3. What's the occasion? (Radio: Birthday/Anniversary/Thank You/Other, required)

Workflow: Claim → Record → Update to "in-progress" → Send video → Mark fulfilled

2. VIP Member Status

Configuration:

• Name: "VIP Member Upgrade"
• Points: 10,000
• Limit per customer: 1
• Global limit: 100
• Eligibility: All customers

Form Questions:

1. Your full name for VIP card (Text, required)
2. Preferred email for VIP communications (Text, required)

Workflow: Claim → Process upgrade → Send welcome package → Mark fulfilled

3. Social Media Shoutout

Configuration:

• Name: "Instagram Story Shoutout"
• Points: 2,500
• Limit per customer: Unlimited
• Global limit: Unlimited
• Eligibility: All customers

Form Questions:

1. Your Instagram handle (Text, required)
2. What should we highlight? (Text, optional)
3. Preferred posting timeframe (Dropdown: This week/Next week/Anytime, required)

Workflow: Claim → Schedule post → Post story → Mark fulfilled with link

4. Custom Product Design

Configuration:

• Name: "Custom Product Design Consultation"
• Points: 15,000
• Limit per customer: 2
• Global limit: 20
• Eligibility: Gold tier only

Form Questions:

1. Describe your design vision (Text, required)
2. Preferred product type (Dropdown: T-shirt/Hoodie/Poster/Other, required)
3. Preferred colors (Checkboxes: Black/White/Navy/Red/Other, required)

Workflow: Claim → Review design → Create mockup → Approve with customer → Produce → Mark fulfilled

Best Practices

1. Set Clear Expectations

In your reward description:

• Explain exactly what customers will receive
• State estimated fulfillment timeframe
• List any restrictions or requirements
• Provide examples if helpful

2. Keep Forms Simple

Only ask for information you truly need:

• Fewer questions = higher claim rates
• Mark only essential fields as required
• Use descriptions to guide customers
• Avoid redundant questions

3. Update Status Regularly

Keep customers informed:

• Update status when you start working
• Add notes explaining progress
• Set realistic expectations in notes
• Mark fulfilled promptly when complete

4. Price Based on Effort

Consider your time and resources:

• Higher points for time-intensive rewards
• Account for materials or costs
• Price competitively with other rewards
• Adjust based on demand

5. Use Limits Strategically

Protect yourself from overcommitment:

• Set per-customer limits for exclusive rewards
• Use global limits for capacity-constrained rewards
• Monitor claim velocity
• Adjust limits based on fulfillment capacity

6. Monitor and Adjust

Track performance and fulfillment:

• Review claim frequency
• Monitor average fulfillment time
• Gather customer feedback
• Adjust points cost or limits as needed

Related Features

• Order Discount Rewards - Automated discount rewards
• Gift Card Rewards - Automated gift card rewards
• Dynamic Discount Codes - Flexible automated discounts
• Customer Email Notifications - Configure claim notifications
• Transactions - View all reward claims
• Customer Tiers - Segment-based eligibility

Summary

Custom Rewards provide the flexibility to offer any type of reward you can imagine, even those that can't be automated through Shopify's API. While you're responsible for fulfillment, the app handles point deduction, status tracking, form collection, and customer communication.

With configurable limits, eligibility rules, and a powerful form builder, you can create unique rewards that differentiate your loyalty program and provide experiences that automated rewards cannot match. Whether it's personalized content, exclusive access, or custom products, custom rewards let you reward customer loyalty in truly memorable ways.