Yotpo provides reviews, UGC, and loyalty for Shopify stores. This guide covers setup and optimization for maximum social proof impact.
integrates with
Why Yotpo?
All-in-one customer content:
| Product | Function |
|---|---|
| Reviews | Product reviews & ratings |
| Visual UGC | Photos and videos |
| Loyalty | Points and rewards |
| Referrals | Customer referral program |
| SMS | Text marketing |
Key benefits:
- Unified platform
- AI-powered optimization
- Deep Shopify integration
- Enterprise-ready
Yotpo Products & Pricing
Reviews
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 50 requests/mo, basic widgets |
| Growth | $15/mo | Unlimited, customization |
| Prime | $119/mo | Visual UGC, Google Shopping |
Loyalty
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Basic points program |
| Gold | $199/mo | VIP tiers, custom rewards |
| Enterprise | Custom | Full customization |
SMS
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | $0.01/SMS | Basic campaigns |
| Starter | $19/mo + usage | Flows, segmentation |
Getting Started with Reviews
Step 1: Install Yotpo
- Go to Shopify App Store
- Search “Yotpo Product Reviews”
- Click Add app
- Complete account setup
- Authorize Shopify access
Step 2: Configure Review Requests
Request settings:
├── Timing: Days after delivery
├── Email template customization
├── Photo request option
├── Discount incentive (optional)
└── Reminder email settings
Data Flow
%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': { 'primaryColor': '#e0f2fe', 'primaryTextColor': '#0369a1', 'primaryBorderColor': '#0369a1', 'lineColor': '#64748b', 'secondaryColor': '#f0fdf4', 'tertiaryColor': '#fef3c7'}}}%%
graph LR
A[Store Store] -->|Customer Data| B[Shopify]
A -->|Order History| B
B -->|Segments & Tags| C[Yotpo]
C -->|Campaigns| D[Email/SMS]
D -->|Engagement| A
Real-time sync
Scheduled sync
Step 3: Install Widgets
Add to theme:
- Go to Widget Settings
- Copy widget code
- Add to product template
- Add star ratings to collections
- Preview and adjust
Step 4: Import Existing Reviews
Import from:
- Previous review app
- Amazon reviews
- AliExpress reviews
- CSV file
Review Collection
Request Timing
| Product Type | Optimal Timing |
|---|---|
| Fast shipping | 7-10 days |
| Standard | 14-21 days |
| Custom/handmade | 21-30 days |
Email Optimization
What improves response:
- Personalized subject lines
- Product image in email
- Easy one-click rating
- Incentive for review
Photo Reviews
Encourage visual reviews:
- Ask specifically for photos
- Offer bonus (points/discount)
- Show examples
- Make upload easy
Review Incentives
| Incentive Type | Typical Offer |
|---|---|
| Discount code | 10-15% off |
| Loyalty points | 50-100 points |
| Free shipping | Next order |
| Entry to giveaway | Monthly drawing |
Display Widgets
Product Page Widget
Features:
- Star rating summary
- Review count
- Filter by rating
- Sort options
- Photo gallery
- Q&A section
Collection Page Stars
Show on collection pages:
- Average star rating
- Review count
- Builds confidence
- Improves CTR
Homepage Carousel
Display best reviews:
- Rotating testimonials
- Photo reviews featured
- Builds trust
- Highlights products
Custom Display
| Widget Type | Best Location |
|---|---|
| Stars badge | Collection, search |
| Full reviews | Product page |
| Carousel | Homepage, landing |
| Gallery | UGC page |
Visual UGC
Photo & Video Collection
Sources:
- Review submissions
- Instagram imports
- Hashtag curation
- Direct uploads
Shoppable Galleries
Create galleries that:
- Display customer photos
- Tag products
- Enable quick purchase
- Embed anywhere
Instagram Integration
Connect Instagram:
- Link business account
- Set tracking hashtag
- Auto-import tagged posts
- Curate and publish
UGC Rights Management
Request usage rights:
- Automated DM requests
- Track permissions
- Compliant usage
- Organize approved content
Moderation
Auto-Moderation
Set rules for:
- Profanity filtering
- Spam detection
- Rating thresholds
- Auto-publish criteria
Manual Review
Review queue for:
- Low ratings (1-2 stars)
- Flagged content
- New photos
- Competitor mentions
Responding to Reviews
| Review Type | Response Strategy |
|---|---|
| Positive (4-5★) | Thank, highlight |
| Neutral (3★) | Address concerns |
| Negative (1-2★) | Resolve publicly |
SEO Benefits
Rich Snippets
Yotpo enables:
- Star ratings in Google
- Review count display
- Enhanced click-through
- Schema markup
Google Shopping Integration
Syndicate reviews to:
- Google Shopping ads
- Product listings
- Merchant Center
- Increased conversions
Review SEO
Reviews add:
- User-generated keywords
- Fresh content
- Long-tail phrases
- Improved relevance
Loyalty Program Setup
Points Structure
Earning points:
├── Purchase: 1 point per $1
├── Review: 50 points
├── Photo review: 100 points
├── Referral: 200 points
├── Social follow: 25 points
└── Birthday: 100 points
Redemption Options
| Redemption | Points |
|---|---|
| $5 off | 500 |
| $10 off | 900 |
| $25 off | 2000 |
| Free product | Varies |
| Free shipping | 300 |
VIP Tiers
Create tiers based on:
- Total spend
- Points earned
- Order count
- Engagement
Example tiers:
- Bronze: 0-499 points
- Silver: 500-1499 points (5% bonus)
- Gold: 1500+ points (10% bonus)
Referral Program
Setup
Configure:
- Referrer reward ($10 off)
- Friend reward ($10 off)
- Minimum purchase
- Expiration
Promotion
Share referrals via:
- Post-purchase email
- Account page
- Social sharing
- Unique referral links
Analytics
Review Metrics
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Collection rate | 5-15% |
| Average rating | 4.3+ |
| Photo attachment | 10-20% |
| Display engagement | Track CTR |
Loyalty Metrics
| Metric | Target |
|---|---|
| Enrollment rate | 20-30% |
| Active rate | 40%+ |
| Redemption rate | 15-25% |
| Revenue from members | 40%+ |
Integrations
Marketing
| Platform | Integration |
|---|---|
| Klaviyo | Segment by reviews |
| Attentive | SMS triggers |
| Shopping reviews | |
| Meta | Ads with reviews |
Support
| Platform | Integration |
|---|---|
| Gorgias | Reviews in tickets |
| Zendesk | Review data sync |
Troubleshooting
Reviews Not Collecting
Causes:
- Email timing too early
- Wrong email address
- Request blocked
Solutions:
- Adjust timing to post-delivery
- Verify customer email
- Check spam filters
Widgets Not Showing
Causes:
- Code not installed
- Theme conflict
- Cache issue
Solutions:
- Re-install widget code
- Check theme compatibility
- Clear cache
Yotpo vs Alternatives
| Feature | Yotpo | Judge.me | Stamped |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Visual UGC | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Loyalty | Built-in | Separate | Built-in |
| SMS | Built-in | No | Separate |
| Best for | Growth+ brands | Budget | Mid-market |
Best Practices
Reviews
- Request at right time
- Make it easy
- Respond to all reviews
- Display prominently
UGC
- Encourage photos
- Curate quality content
- Get permission
- Feature on site
Loyalty
- Simple to understand
- Valuable rewards
- Easy redemption
- Promote program
Next Steps
After setup:
- Configure requests - Set optimal timing
- Install widgets - Product and collection pages
- Set up loyalty - Points structure
- Import reviews - From previous app
- Monitor & optimize - Track metrics
Shopify + Yotpo implementation checklist (2025)
This section adds practical “make it stable” steps you can use after you install the app/connector. It’s intentionally lightweight: the goal is fewer sync surprises, cleaner reporting, and easier troubleshooting.
1) Quick setup checklist
- Permissions first: grant only the scopes you need (orders/customers/products as required) and document who owns the admin credentials.
- Data mapping: confirm how email, phone, currency, and SKU are mapped between Shopify and Yotpo.
- Historical import: decide how far back to import orders/customers (avoid importing years of data if you don’t need it).
- Deduplication rules: pick one unique identifier per object (usually email for customers, order ID for orders) to prevent doubles.
- Alerts: set a lightweight alert path (email/Slack) for failed syncs, auth expiry, and API rate limits.
2) Data you should verify after connecting
Most integration issues show up in the first hour if you test the right things. Use the table below as a QA checklist (create a test order if needed).
| Data object | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Customers | Email/phone format, marketing consent fields, duplicates | Prevents double messaging and broken segmentation |
| Orders | Order total, tax, discount, shipping, currency | Keeps revenue reporting and automation triggers accurate |
| Line items | SKU, variant ID, quantity, refunds/returns behavior | Avoids inventory and attribution mismatches |
| Fulfillment | Status changes + timestamps, tracking numbers, carrier fields | Drives customer notifications and post-purchase flows |
| Catalog | Product titles, handles, images, collections/tags | Ensures personalization and reporting match your storefront |
3) Automation ideas for Marketing
- Welcome series: new subscriber → educational sequence + first-purchase offer in Yotpo.
- Abandoned cart: cart started but not purchased → reminder email/SMS from Yotpo (timing based on your AOV).
- Post-purchase: order created → delivery/usage tips + cross-sell for complementary products in Yotpo.
- Win-back: no purchase in 60–90 days → reactivation campaign using Yotpo segments.
- VIP: customer hits LTV threshold → move into VIP tier and trigger perks via Yotpo.
API sanity check (Shopify Admin API)
If your integration UI says “connected” but data isn’t flowing, a quick API call helps confirm whether the store is accessible and returning the objects you expect.
# List the 5 most recent orders (GraphQL)
curl -X POST "https://your-store.myshopify.com/admin/api/2025-01/graphql.json" \
-H "X-Shopify-Access-Token: $SHOPIFY_ADMIN_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d "{\"query\":\"{ orders(first: 5, sortKey: CREATED_AT, reverse: true) { edges { node { id name createdAt totalPriceSet { shopMoney { amount currencyCode } } customer { email } } } } }\"}"Tip: keep tokens/keys in environment variables, and test in a staging store/site before rolling changes to production.
4) KPIs to monitor (so you catch problems early)
- Sync freshness: how long it takes for a new order/customer event to appear in Yotpo.
- Error rate: failed syncs per day (and which object types fail most).
- Duplicates: number of merged/duplicate contacts or orders created by mapping mistakes.
- Revenue parity: weekly spot-check that Shopify totals match downstream reporting (especially after refunds).
- Attribution sanity: confirm that key events (purchase, refund, subscription) are tracked consistently.
5) A simple 30-day optimization plan
- Week 1: connect + map fields, then validate with 5–10 real orders/customers.
- Week 2: enable 1–2 automations and measure baseline KPIs (conversion, AOV, repeat rate).
- Week 3: tighten segmentation/rules (exclude recent buyers, add VIP thresholds, handle edge cases).
- Week 4: document the setup, create an “owner” checklist, and set a recurring monthly audit.
For alternative reviews app, see Shopify reviews integration. For loyalty, check loyalty program integration.