Updated
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May 1, 2025

Boost CLTV & Retention: How Subscriptions + Loyalty Drive Repeat Sales

Ellie Bradford
May 1, 2025

Learn how combining Loop Subscriptions and Influence loyalty rewards can increase customer retention, reduce churn, and boost lifetime value.

Ecommerce

E-commerce success typically requires three key ingredients: low-cost customer acquisition, customer satisfaction, and a strategy to keep those satisfied shoppers coming back for more. 

Very few tools can deliver all three ingredients at once. Combining Loop (a top subscription app) with Influence (to reward loyalty) creates a winning retention strategy. Together, these tools help you increase customer satisfaction, boost customer lifetime value, and entice shoppers to come back time and time again. 

In this guide, we’ll break down why customer retention is so critical for e-commerce brands, the role of subscriptions and loyalty programs in improving customer retention, and how Loop and Influence can help your site take customer loyalty to the next level. 

Why customer retention matters more than ever

Customer retention is the backbone of some of the most successful companies. Apple, for example, boasts a customer retention rate of over 90% in 2023, with a specific retention rate of 92% among iPhone users. Nike’s loyalty program boasts over 100 million members; the sports brand has fostered a devoted customer base through personalization, community engagement, and omnichannel experiences. 

In 2025, customer retention has become the holy grail of growth. High customer acquisition costs are leading more e-commerce brands to invest in fostering loyalty rather than attracting new shoppers. E-commerce brands face customer acquisition costs that have risen 40% from just two years ago. As a result, many businesses are focusing more on optimizing retention and maximizing customer lifetime value to offset the growing costs of acquisition.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Repeat customers can not only save your marketing budget; they also boost your revenue. Return customers spend 33% more than first-time customers. Simply increasing your customer retention rate by 5% will increase profits by 25% to 95%. 

Return customers also tend to be more open to promotions, cross-selling, and upselling efforts. The success rate of selling to a repeat customer is between 60% and 70% compared to 5% to 20% for new customers. 

Bottom line: customer retention is good for your bottom line! It’s a strategy that lowers marketing costs while increasing revenue. So, how can you encourage shoppers to return to your e-commerce brand time and time again?

The role of subscriptions & loyalty in customer retention

Subscriptions and loyalty programs are two highly effective ways to drive customer retention. When used together, these tools create a powerful, compounding retention strategy that drives higher customer lifetime value (CLV), more frequent repeat purchases, and greater customer satisfaction.

Subscriptions lock in recurring revenue. Encouraging customers to sign up for a subscription model will smooth out spikes and dips in your revenue streams. A subscription model commits customers to ongoing purchases or services. And, according to one analysis, a customer with a subscription has a 185% higher CLV than a one-time customer.

Loyalty programs reward customers for their repeat purchases, using perks, points, and exclusive rewards to keep participants motivated to return. Tools like Influence make it easy to set up and manage a rewards program that incentivizes customer retention. 

Not yet running a loyalty program? Get started with Influence today to build meaningful customer relationships and drive long-term retention - no complex setup required.

A purple background, a woman with a hat on in a field, attached to a list of ways to earn loyalty points. On the left, options to join a loyalty program.
Image source

When brands integrate subscriptions and loyalty programs, the retention impact is amplified. Customers who engage with both a subscription and a loyalty program see their CLV increase by up to 88% compared to those using only one program. Subscription-based loyalty models are becoming a go-to strategy for many brands, including Taco Bell and Amazon Prime.

Influence + Loop: Get the power of subscriptions and loyalty

Influence makes it easy to capture the benefits of an integrated subscription loyalty program. Our platform works with Loop Subscriptions, so your brand can enhance subscriptions with loyalty-driven rewards.

Loop Subscriptions is one of the top-rated subscription apps on Shopify, featuring dozens of tools and integrations designed to reduce subscriber churn. Merchants can use Loop Subscriptions to retain subscribers through flexible and automated recurring billing models. With Loop, merchants can offer a variety of subscription types, including prepaid subscriptions and gift subscriptions. The app will save customer payment details, making it easier for brands to boost repeat purchases. 

When integrated with Influence, merchants can incentivize customers with loyalty points for subscription-based actions, driving both engagement and retention. 

Two phone shaped screens with a lilac purple theme, one showing subscription perks, one showing subscription rewards.
Image source

Here are a few ways that Loop and Influence together can boost retention and build long-term value for your brand. 

  • Reward subscriptions. Set up triggers in Influence to give customers points when they start a new subscription on Loop. These points incentivize sign-ups and can be configured for specific products, bundles, or order values. 
  • Redeem points for subscription benefits. Subscribers can use their loyalty points to redeem gifts, discounts, or other perks directly in the Loop customer portal. 
  • Reduce churn with incentives. Show an offer for a special reward or discount during the cancellation flow to prevent customers from unsubscribing. The right offer at the right moment can convince someone to keep their subscription active. 
  • Create VIP benefits. Influence offers loyalty tiers so you can reward your most dedicated subscribers with VIP perks. This recognition enhances the brand experience and motivates customers to continue or upgrade their subscription tier. 
  • Reward referrals. Subscribers can earn points by referring friends and recruiting new subscription sign-ups, further lowering acquisition costs and creating brand advocates. 

By integrating Loop Subscriptions with Influence.io, brands can reward and retain subscribers at every stage of the customer journey. Here’s how X other merchants have put this integration to use.

Get started with Loop and Influence

Merchants that combine Loop Subscriptions and Influence.io are well-positioned to drive higher retention and increase customer lifetime value. These two metrics are key indicators of long-term business success; brands that boost customer retention benefit from higher sales, lower marketing costs, and many competitive advantages of brand advocates. 

Explore the Loop and Influence.io integration today to create a seamless loyalty experience that keeps customers coming back. 

Setting up is straightforward, and both platforms offer support to help you maximize your retention strategy. 

Get started today and build a loyalty experience that delivers long-term results.