How to launch a loyalty programme on your custom website

1. Define one reward journey before adding the widget

Write down what a customer will do, what they will earn and what they can redeem. Keep the first version small enough to explain in one sentence. For example, a fictional tea business could say: 'Earn Leaf Points on eligible purchases and use them towards a reward on a later visit.' The name is illustrative, not a recommended points value or an existing customer's programme.

Decide which purchases qualify, how points are calculated and when they become available. Then define the reward and any conditions customers need to understand. Choose amounts that make sense for your margins; a memorable points name does not make an expensive reward affordable.

Keep customer loyalty and affiliate rewards distinct in the explanation. A customer earns loyalty points for their own eligible purchase. An affiliate earns points when someone they referred makes an eligible purchase. You can offer both, but customers should not have to understand an affiliate programme just to earn loyalty points.

2. Understand what the portal, widget and API each do

The merchant portal is where you manage your connected website and programme. The widget code brings the RewardMe experience to your custom website. The API is an additional route for developer-built workflows, such as awarding points after your own system verifies a particular milestone.

These parts work together, but they are not interchangeable. Opening the merchant portal is not the same as a customer viewing rewards on your site. Displaying the widget does not, by itself, confirm that your checkout is passing the information needed to recognise a qualifying purchase.

Start with the widget instructions provided for your setup. If the route from your checkout to RewardMe is unclear, resolve it with your developer or the RewardMe team before launch. Do not guess an endpoint, invent a code snippet or assume every custom website connects in exactly the same way.

3. Prepare a short setup brief

Create your account in the RewardMe portal and prepare the details someone helping with the setup will need. A short brief prevents an installation discussion from turning into a search for the person who owns the checkout or can edit the website.

Record the intended behaviour as well as the technology. Explain which customer should receive points, when an order should count and how customers will find their rewards. If you have separate domains for the store and checkout, include both. Ask which connections your particular setup requires rather than treating this checklist as a list of built-in integrations.

• Your website URL and the system used for checkout.
• How customers sign in or identify themselves when purchasing.
• Who can add widget code and who manages the checkout integration.
• The initial points name, earning rule and redeemable reward.
• A test environment or an agreed way to test without confusing real customers.

4. Add the code and check the real page

Use the RewardMe widget code supplied for your website and follow the applicable placement instructions. Have the person responsible for the site make the change if you do not normally edit its code. Keep a record of where it was added so future theme or website changes do not accidentally remove or duplicate it.

Inspect the page with your real content. Check the widget alongside your navigation, cart controls, cookie notice and any chat button. On a phone, make sure it does not cover something a visitor needs to buy or sign in. A tidy desktop preview does not tell you how those elements interact on a small screen.

Try the experience using a keyboard as well as touch or a mouse. W3C's keyboard guidance explains why functionality needs to be operable through a keyboard interface. Its form guidance also calls for labels that identify controls. Use these as review prompts for the actual page, including any custom changes; this is not a claim that installing a widget automatically makes a website accessible.

5. Verify the purchase, the points and the reward

Before promoting the programme, agree on a test purchase that should earn points and write down the expected result. Follow the same route a customer will use, including sign-in, checkout and returning to the rewards experience. Confirm that the expected customer receives the expected points at the expected stage.

Also check what should not earn points. Ask how your setup handles an incomplete purchase, a cancelled or refunded order, and a purchase event received more than once. The aim is to establish and test the behaviour of your integration, not to assume RewardMe automatically resolves every edge case for every checkout.

Complete a redemption test too. Confirm that the customer understands the reward, any conditions and how to use it. Check the resulting balance and the merchant's view. Keep a simple test record with the expected outcome, observed outcome and any issue to resolve. Do not announce the programme while an unexplained balance or redemption problem remains.

6. Launch to a small group, then improve the explanation

Invite a small group of customers to try the complete journey. Ask them to explain how they earn points and find a reward without coaching them. Their questions will show whether you need clearer wording, a more obvious entry point or different reward conditions.

Review the records your setup actually provides. Note successful earning and redemption journeys, failed steps and support questions. Where you have reliable data, compare repeat purchases over a sensible period. Do not promise a retention lift from a few early orders or assume a particular report exists without checking it.

Once that first journey works, consider adding standard affiliates or Shoppable Reels. Creators can recommend products and earn points from eligible referred purchases. That is a separate participation path worth explaining and testing before you invite creators to share their links.

Your launch checklist

A programme is ready when customers can understand and complete it, and you can explain the records it creates. Use this final check before making a wider announcement.

• The earning rule and first reward are understandable without a support message.
• The widget appears in the intended place and works with the rest of the page.
• Mobile, keyboard and form-label checks are complete.
• An eligible test purchase reaches the correct customer with the expected points.
• Cancellation, refund and duplicate-event behaviour has been clarified and tested for your setup.
• A customer can complete a reward redemption and understand the resulting balance.
• Someone owns support questions and the next review of the programme.

Common questions