Akohub vs Smile Points + Store Credit: The Complete Loyalty Solution

Ways for Customers to Earn Points or Store Credits

Ways for customers to earn points or store credits within app

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Spend to earn points

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

This feature encourages repeat purchases by rewarding customers with points for every dollar spent, increasing customer loyalty and lifetime value.

Referring bonus (for both  referrer and referred friends) 

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

By offering rewards to referred friends after account creation, this feature helps attract new customers and expand the brand’s reach through social sharing.

Account sign up

✅

✅

Yes

Yes 

Rewarding customers for creating an account encourages initial engagement and builds a foundation for ongoing loyalty by making it easy to join the program.

Connecting to a social account

✅

❌

Yes

No

Incentivizing customers to link their social accounts boosts brand visibility and engagement by encouraging social sharing and interactions.

Birthday rewards

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Offering rewards for birthdays creates a personalized and emotional connection with customers, enhancing their loyalty to the brand.

Completing an account profile

✅

❌

Yes

No

Rewarding customers for completing their profile helps gather valuable customer data while increasing their commitment to the program.

Writing a product review

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Rewarding customers for writing product reviews boosts social proof, and helps build trust with potential buyers.

Ways for customers to earn points or store credits with Shopify flow

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Give points through Shopify flow

✅

✅

Yes 

Yes.

Enabling points to be awarded through Shopify Flow ensures seamless integration and automation

Other ways to earn points or store credits

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Customize your earning points or store credits by contact customer service

✅

❌

Yes 

Through coding only

Allows merchants to offer flexibility and personalization in their loyalty programs

Ways for Customers to Redeem Points

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Discount (by dollar amount or %)

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Encourages engagement by letting customers redeem points for a fixed discount.

Free shipping

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Boosts conversions by removing shipping costs through point redemption.

VIP Tiers

VIP Tiers Settings

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Unlimited tiers

✅

❌

Unlimited

Limited

Unlimited tiers allow businesses to create highly customizable and scalable VIP programs

Customize different rewards for different VIP Tiers

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Offering tailored rewards like points, discounts, or free shipping for each tier gives customers a reason to keep engaging and spending.

VIP Tiers Settings

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

By Amount Spent

Optional: By Amount Spend + Number of Orders

✅

❌

Yes

Either the amount spent or points spent 

Allows merchants to strategically manage customer engagement and loyalty by combining "amount spent" and "order count" as entry methods.

By Points Accumulated

Optional: By Points Accumulated + Number of Orders

✅

❌

Yes

Either the amount spent or points spent 

Allows merchants to strategically manage customer engagement and loyalty by combining "amount spent" and "points earned" as entry methods.

Key Settings

Customizable Widgets for Your Store

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Social login

✅

❌

Yes

No

Allowing customers to log in using social accounts eliminates the need for remembering new passwords, reducing friction

Loyalty widget 

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

This feature makes it easy for customers to see rewards and engage with the program.

Email notifications

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Multiple: Link to our loyalty guide

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Remind customers of unused points, upcoming expirations, or tier upgrades to keep them active and engaged.

Data integration

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Previous customer data and loyalty points

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Allows merchants to seamlessly manage and maintain customer loyalty data when migrating or updating systems. 

Data segmentation and analytics

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Use customer data to segment audiences 

Shopify Apps Integrations

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Klaviyo (Email marketing)

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Integrating with Klaviyo allows merchants to send automated emails or SMS messages encouraging customers to engage with the loyalty program.

Judge.me (Product review)

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Integrating with Judge.me allows customers to earn rewards for leaving product reviews.

Shopify Flow (Integrations with Other Apps Through Shopify Flow)

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Connect Shopify Flow with other apps, including Ako, to create unified and automated workflows.

Special Features

Loyalty Program

Akohub

Smile

Store credit

✅

❌

Yes

No

Offering store credit as an alternative to refunds keeps the money within your business while satisfying customers.

One-click points and store credit redemption (On cart page)

✅

❌

Yes

No

Allowing customers to redeem their loyalty points directly in the cart simplifies the process and provides instant rewards

One-click points and store credit redemption (On checkout page - Shopify Plus)

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Allowing customers to redeem their loyalty points directly in the checkout page simplifies the process and provides instant rewards

Shopify Flow template

✅

✅

Yes

Yes

Pre-built templates make it easy to set up workflows without needing technical skills