Setting Up Membership Tier Benefits
Membership benefits are the rewards and perks that make your membership program valuable to customers. Rivo offers a comprehensive range of benefit types that you can mix and match to create compelling membership tiers that drive engagement and retention.
This guide covers all available benefit types and how to configure them effectively for your membership program.
Understanding Benefit Categories
Rivo organizes membership benefits into three main categories:
Member Credits
Member Credits allow you to award points or credits to your members at key milestones and activities. These credits can be redeemed for rewards in your program.
Member Savings
Member Savings provide immediate financial value through discounts, free shipping, and exclusive offers that members can use on purchases.
Exclusive Access
Exclusive Access benefits give members special treatment and privileges beyond financial savings, enhancing the premium experience of being a member.
Member Credits Benefits
Member Credits reward your subscribers with points or credits at specific moments in their membership journey.
Membership Signup Credit
Award an immediate credit when a customer first joins your membership program.
When it triggers: Automatically when a customer completes their first membership payment
Configuration options:
Credit amount - Set a fixed number of points awarded on signup
Status - Enable or disable this benefit
Display - Control whether this benefit appears on your membership landing page
Best practices:
Use signup credits as a welcome bonus to incentivize initial sign-ups
Set the amount high enough to enable immediate reward redemption
Combine with a signup discount for maximum first-purchase conversion
Recurring Credit
Reward members with credits on a recurring basis, either with each subscription renewal or on a custom schedule.
When it triggers:
On subscription renewal (aligned with billing cycle)
On a custom schedule (every 30, 90, 180, or 360 days)
On a specific day of the month
Configuration options:
Credit amount - Set a fixed number of points per cycle
Schedule - Choose billing cycle or custom interval
Status - Enable or disable this benefit
Best practices:
Align recurring credits with your billing interval for simplicity
Use custom schedules for promotional campaigns or seasonal bonuses
Make the recurring credit amount significant enough to encourage continued membership
Membership Anniversary Credit
Celebrate member loyalty by rewarding credits on their membership anniversary.
When it triggers: Exactly one year after the customer’s initial membership signup date (and subsequent anniversaries)
Configuration options:
Credit amount - Set a fixed number of points for the anniversary
Status - Enable or disable this benefit
Best practices:
Make anniversary credits larger than recurring credits to celebrate loyalty
Use this as a retention tool by announcing upcoming anniversary bonuses
Consider combining with special anniversary perks or recognition
Order Placed Credit
Give members bonus credits every time they place an order while their membership is active.
When it triggers: Automatically when a member completes a purchase
Configuration options:
Credit type - Choose between fixed points per order or points per dollar spent
Multiplier - For per-dollar credits, set how many points per dollar (e.g., 2x points)
Minimum order value - Optionally require a minimum purchase amount
Status - Enable or disable this benefit
Best practices:
Use a multiplier approach (points per dollar) to scale rewards with purchase size
Set a minimum order value to encourage larger purchases
Clearly communicate this benefit to drive repeat purchases from members
Member Savings Benefits
Member Savings provide instant value through discounts and cost reductions on purchases.
Free Shipping
Offer members free shipping on all orders, eliminating a common barrier to purchase.
How it works: Creates a discount code in Shopify that automatically applies to member orders based on customer segments
Setup requirements:
Navigate to the Free Shipping benefit settings
Enter a discount code name (e.g., “MEMBERSHIPPING”)
The system creates a Shopify discount targeting your membership segment
Members receive free shipping automatically at checkout
Configuration options:
Discount code - Set the code name used in Shopify
Maximum shipping amount - Optionally cap the free shipping value
Status - Enable or disable this benefit
Best practices:
Use a memorable discount code for internal tracking
Set a maximum shipping amount if you offer expensive shipping options
Make free shipping prominent in your membership marketing
Important: The discount code is created in Shopify and targets your membership customer segment. Members must be logged in to receive the benefit.
Signup Discount
Welcome new members with an exclusive discount code delivered when they join.
When it triggers: Automatically sent to customers upon successful membership purchase
How it works: Generates a unique discount code for each new member and delivers it via email
Configuration options:
Discount amount - Set a fixed dollar amount or percentage
Expiration - Optionally set the discount to expire after a number of months
Status - Enable or disable this benefit
Best practices:
Set the discount high enough to encourage immediate first purchase
Use expiration dates to create urgency (e.g., 30 days)
Clearly communicate the discount in your membership signup confirmation email
Member Discounts
Create a collection of exclusive discount codes that are only available to active members.
How it works: You can create multiple discount codes with different offers, all restricted to your membership segment
Configuration options:
Multiple discounts - Create as many member-only discounts as needed
Discount type - Choose fixed amount or percentage
Discount value - Set the specific amount or percentage
Application - Apply to entire order or specific collections
Expiration - Set optional expiration dates
Status - Enable or disable each discount individually
Best practices:
Create tiered discounts for different purchase scenarios (small vs. large orders)
Use collection-specific discounts to promote particular product lines
Rotate seasonal or promotional member discounts to maintain engagement
Member Gifts
Offer free products to your members as a membership perk.
How it works: Create special offers where members can claim free products (often with minimum order requirements)
Configuration options:
Product selection - Choose which products members can receive free
Minimum order - Set a minimum purchase requirement
Quantity - Limit how many free items per order
Status - Enable or disable each gift offer
Best practices:
Use sample sizes or trial products as member gifts
Set minimum order requirements that encourage larger purchases
Feature seasonal or new products as member gifts to drive discovery
Exclusive Access Benefits
Exclusive Access benefits provide premium experiences and privileges that differentiate your membership program.
Priority Support
Give members faster, enhanced customer service by identifying them through Shopify tags.
How it works: Members are automatically tagged in Shopify, allowing your support team to identify and prioritize member requests
Implementation:
Members receive automatic tags like “Rivo Subscriber” and tier-specific tags
Use these tags to route support tickets to dedicated queues
Train your team to provide expedited responses to members
Best practices:
Set clear internal SLA targets for member support (e.g., 2-hour response time)
Consider dedicated support channels (email, chat) for members
Track and report on member support satisfaction separately
Note: This benefit requires support process configuration. Contact Rivo support for implementation guidance.
Early Access
Provide members with first access to new product launches, sales events, and exclusive drops.
Implementation approaches:
Email announcements - Use Shopify customer segments to send early access emails before public announcements
Product launches - Make new products visible to members before general release
Sales events - Give members a head start on promotional periods
Limited editions - Offer exclusive access to limited-quantity items
Best practices:
Give members at least 24-48 hours of early access before general release
Clearly communicate the early access window in member communications
Track early access purchase rates to measure member engagement
Note: Early access implementation varies by approach. Contact Rivo support for setup assistance.
Gated Content
Create member-only sections of your website or exclusive content experiences.
Implementation options:
Protected pages - Restrict certain website pages to logged-in members only
Premium content - Offer educational content, guides, or resources exclusively to members
Virtual events - Host member-only webinars, workshops, or live streams
Community access - Create private member communities or forums
Best practices:
Make gated content genuinely valuable, not just product marketing
Update content regularly to maintain member interest
Promote gated content benefits during membership acquisition
Note: Gated content requires custom implementation. Contact Rivo support for technical guidance on restricting page access based on membership status.
Configuring Benefits for Your Tier
To set up benefits for a membership tier:
Navigate to Memberships in your Rivo dashboard
Select the membership tier you want to configure
Scroll to the Benefits section
You’ll see three cards: Member Credits, Member Savings, and Exclusive Access
Click on any benefit name to configure its settings
Toggle the benefit Status to active when ready to enable
Save your changes
Each benefit can be enabled or disabled independently, giving you complete flexibility to customize your offering.
Managing Benefit Display
You can control which benefits appear on your membership landing page:
Edit the membership tier
For each benefit, find the Show on landing page setting
Enable this option for benefits you want to promote to potential members
Disable it for benefits you want to keep subtle or for internal use only
Best practices for display:
Always show your most valuable benefits (e.g., free shipping, large credits)
Display 3-7 key benefits on your landing page for clarity
Use benefit descriptions to clearly communicate value
Keep descriptions customer-focused (emphasize what they get, not how it works)
Combining Benefits Effectively
The most successful membership programs combine multiple benefit types to create comprehensive value:
For new member acquisition:
Signup discount (immediate value)
Signup credit (future purchasing power)
Free shipping (reduces friction)
For ongoing engagement:
Recurring credits (consistent rewards)
Member discounts (exclusive savings)
Order placed credits (purchase incentive)
For long-term retention:
Anniversary credits (loyalty recognition)
Priority support (premium experience)
Early access (VIP treatment)
Testing Your Benefits
Before launching your membership program, verify that benefits are working correctly:
Create a test purchase - Use test mode to purchase a membership
Check customer tags - Verify the test customer receives appropriate tags in Shopify
Test discounts - Ensure free shipping and member discounts apply at checkout
Verify credits - Confirm signup and recurring credits appear in the member’s account
Check emails - Review automated emails for signup discount delivery
Make sure to test with the same email and customer account throughout to accurately simulate the member experience.
FAQ
Can I change benefit amounts after members have signed up?
Yes, you can adjust benefit amounts at any time. Changes will apply to future credits or discounts but won’t retroactively affect previously awarded benefits.
Do benefits apply to members on different billing intervals?
Yes, all benefit types work with daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual billing. Recurring credits align with each member’s individual billing cycle.
What happens to benefits when a member cancels?
When a member cancels, they typically retain access to benefits until the end of their current billing period. After that, member tags are removed and benefits no longer apply.
Can I offer different benefits for different membership tiers?
Absolutely. Each membership tier has its own benefit configuration, allowing you to create upgrade incentives with increasingly valuable benefits.
How do members know about their benefits?
Benefits are displayed on your membership landing page, in signup confirmation emails, and in the member portal. Make sure to enable “Show on landing page” for your key benefits.
Can I temporarily disable a benefit?
Yes, you can toggle any benefit to inactive without deleting it. This is useful for seasonal promotions or when you need to pause a benefit temporarily.
Are there any limits on how many benefits I can enable?
No, you can enable as many benefits as you want for each tier. However, focusing on 5-8 key benefits typically provides the best member experience and clearest value proposition.
How do free shipping and member discounts work with Shopify?
These benefits create discount codes in Shopify that are restricted to your membership customer segments. Members must be logged in to their customer account for the discounts to apply automatically.