Reward discounts are a powerful tool for encouraging customers to leave reviews while maintaining authenticity and compliance. By offering a small thank-you discount for honest feedback, you show customers their opinions matter while building loyalty for future purchases.
This guide will help you set up and optimize your reward discount strategy to maximize review collection while keeping customers happy.
How Reward Discounts Work
When a customer completes a review through your review request, they automatically receive a unique discount code as a thank-you. Here's the flow:
Customer receives review request with mention of reward
Customer submits their review (any rating, honest feedback)
System generates unique code automatically
Thank-you email sent with their personal discount code
Customer uses code on their next purchase
Code expires
The entire process is automated – once configured, you don't need to manage individual codes.
Important: Each customer receives their own unique discount code, not the same code you configure in settings.
How Unique Codes Are Generated
When you set a discount code like "REVIEW10", the system creates unique variations for each customer:
Your Base Code: REVIEW10
Customer Receives: REVIEW10-A7B3X
The format is: [Your Code]-[Random String]
Why unique codes?
Track usage: Know exactly which customer used which code
Prevent sharing: Codes can't be posted on coupon sites
One-time use: Each code works only once per customer
Better analytics: See which reviews drive repeat purchases
Fraud prevention: Avoid discount code abuse
Example variations:
Customer A gets:
REVIEW10-K9M2PCustomer B gets:
REVIEW10-L3N8QCustomer C gets:
REVIEW10-R5T1W
Each code is randomly generated and checked for uniqueness before being assigned.
Two-Tier Discount System
Reviewsion offers two discount levels to encourage more valuable reviews:
1. Standard Review Discount
For: Customers who leave any review (text + rating)
Purpose: Thank customers for their time and feedback
Typical discount: 5-10% off next purchase
2. Media Review Discount
For: Customers who include photos or videos with their review
Purpose: Reward extra effort and get visual content
Typical discount: 10-20% off next purchase
Why offer more for media?
Photos/videos are more persuasive to shoppers
Visual reviews increase conversion rates by up to 4x
Media takes more customer effort
Authentic photos build stronger trust
Setting Up Your Discounts
Step 1: Navigate to Discount Settings
Go to Dashboard → Settings → Review Requests and scroll to "Reward Discounts"
Step 2: Configure Standard Review Discount
Coupon Code Base: Enter your base code (e.g., "THANKS", "REVIEW10")
Use UPPERCASE letters and numbers only
Keep it short and memorable
Avoid special characters except dash (-) and underscore (_)
Discount Type: Choose between:
Percentage: 10% off (most common)
Fixed Amount: $5 off (good for low-price items)
Discount Value: Set your amount
Percentage: 5-15% is typical
Fixed: $5-10 for most stores
Click Create Discount
Step 3: Configure Media Review Discount (Optional but Recommended)
Follow the same process but with higher values:
Base code: "PHOTO15" or "MEDIA20"
Higher percentage: 15-20%
Or higher fixed amount: $10-15
Step 4: Activate Your Discounts
Toggle the switch to "Active" for each discount you want to use. You can enable/disable them anytime without losing your settings.
Choosing the Right Discount Values
Consider Your Margins
High margin products (>50%): Can offer 15-20% discounts
Medium margin (30-50%): Stick to 10-15% discounts
Low margin (<30%): Use 5-10% or fixed amounts
Consider Your Price Points
Under $50 products: Fixed amounts ($5) often feel more valuable
$50-200 products: Percentages (10%) work well
Over $200 products: Higher percentages (15%) still feel substantial
Consider Your Goals
Maximum reviews: Higher discounts (15-20%)
Profitability focus: Lower discounts (5-10%)
Media collection: Big gap between standard and media (5% vs 15%)
Best Practices
1. Set Clear Expectations
Make sure your review request email mentions the discount reward. Use template variables like ##{{coupon_percent_review}} to automatically show the discount amount.
2. Don't Require Positive Reviews
Never make discounts conditional on positive ratings. This violates platform policies and destroys trust. Any honest review should earn the reward.
3. Create Urgency with Expiration
Discounts typically expire after 30-60 days. This creates urgency for repeat purchases while the customer still remembers their positive experience.
4. Use Strategic Code Names
Your base code is visible in emails, so make it meaningful:
✅ Good: "THANKS", "VALUED", "INSIDER"
❌ Avoid: "TEST", "DISCOUNT", "CHEAP"
5. Monitor and Adjust
Track these metrics monthly:
Review submission rate with vs without discounts
Discount redemption rate
Repeat purchase rate
Average order value on discount orders
Template Variable Reference
When customizing your email templates, use these variables to display discount information:
##{{coupon_percent_review}}- Shows percentage for standard reviews (e.g., "10")##{{coupon_code_review}}- Shows the unique code assigned to this customer##{{coupon_percent_media}}- Shows percentage for media reviews (e.g., "15")##{{coupon_code_media}}- Shows the media review code if earned
Example email snippet:
"Thank you for your review! As promised, here's your exclusive ##{{coupon_percent_review}}% discount: ##{{coupon_code_review}}"
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"Discount code doesn't work"
Check if code has expired (usually 30-60 days)
Verify code was typed correctly
Ensure Shopify discount is properly synced
Check minimum purchase requirements (if there is)
"Customer didn't receive code"
Verify discount is set to "Active" in settings
Check if review was actually submitted (not just started)
Look in spam folder for thank-you email
Confirm customer email address is valid
"Same code used multiple times"
This shouldn't happen with unique codes
Check Shopify settings for one-time use
Verify code generation is working properly
"Want to change discount amount"
New amount applies only to future reviews
Existing issued codes keep original value
Consider honoring old codes to maintain trust
The Bottom Line
Reward discounts are an investment in both review collection and customer retention. When done ethically and strategically, they:
Increase review submission rates by 2-3x
Generate valuable photo content
Drive repeat purchases
Build customer loyalty
Provide measurable ROI
Start with conservative discounts (5-10%), monitor your metrics, and adjust based on results. Remember: you're not buying reviews, you're thanking customers for their time and honest feedback.
The unique code system ensures each reward is trackable, secure, and personal – making customers feel valued while protecting your business from discount abuse.