A birthday reward is one of the easiest loyalty touches to run. The customer tells you the date once, and every year they get a small gift that gives them a reason to visit your store. This guide covers how to set it up with Wren Loyalty Pro, what the gift should be worth, and how to keep it fair.
Why birthday rewards work
- It feels personal. Most store messages are about you. A birthday gift is about them.
- It brings back quiet customers. Someone who hasn't ordered in months gets a reason to return, once a year, with no work from you.
- It costs little. The gift is points, so you only pay when they're spent on a new order.
How birthday points work in Wren Loyalty Pro
Birthday points are a Pro feature. Pro starts at $49 a year; see pricing.
- Customers add their birthday in My Account → Account details. Wren asks for the month and day only, not the year.
- Early each morning, in your store's time zone, Wren adds the gift to everyone whose birthday is that day. The entry shows in their history as "Happy birthday!".
- Each customer gets the gift once per calendar year.
- Customers can change their birthday once every 365 days, so nobody can move it around to collect more gifts.
- February 29 birthdays are celebrated on February 28 in other years.
- Their My Account rewards page lists "Celebrate your birthday" under ways to earn, with the number of points.
Step-by-step setup
- Install Pro next to the free Wren Loyalty plugin.
- Open the settings. Go to WooCommerce → Loyalty → Settings and find Birthday points in the Earning section.
- Turn on "Give points on customers' birthdays". It is off by default.
- Set the Birthday gift. The default is 100 points. See the next section for what to choose.
- Decide on "Also ask for it at checkout". It is off by default. When on, an optional birthday field appears at checkout for customers who haven't added one yet. It works in the block checkout and the classic checkout. Guests only see it if they can create an account at checkout.
- Save and test. Add a birthday to a test account, then check the customer in WooCommerce → Loyalty → Customers. The customer panel shows their birthday, or "No birthday added".
How big should the gift be?
Think in money, not points. A birthday gift worth $3 to $5 is a common, comfortable range for small stores: enough to notice, not enough to hurt your margin. At Wren's default redeem rate of 100 points = $1 off, that is 300 to 500 points. The default 100 points is worth $1, which is on the small side.
Check the gift against your redemption rules. If you set a Minimum points to redeem of 500 and the gift is 300, a customer with no other points can't use it on its own. That turns a gift into a disappointment.
Tell customers about it
Wren doesn't send a birthday email. The points go straight into the customer's account. To make the most of the gift, mention it where customers already look:
- Your rewards page already lists it under ways to earn.
- Add a line to your welcome or launch email: "Add your birthday in your account and we'll send you points every year."
- If your email tool can send birthday messages, point customers to their balance on the day.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking for the full date of birth. You don't need the year. Wren asks only for month and day, which is less personal data to hold.
- Making the field required. Some people don't want to share it. The checkout field is always optional.
- A gift customers can't use. Make sure it clears your minimum points to redeem, as above.
- Forgetting the cost adds up. If 2,000 customers have birthdays saved and the gift is worth $5, the most it can cost in a year is $10,000 in discounts, and only if every gift is spent. Plan for it.
FAQ
Can a customer change their birthday to get points twice?
No. A birthday can be changed once every 365 days, and the gift is given once per calendar year whatever the date.
Do customers need an account?
Yes. The birthday is saved on the customer's account, and so are the points. Guests who don't create an account can't receive the gift. The birthday field only appears once you turn birthday points on.
Does the birthday gift count toward VIP tiers?
If your tiers use lifetime points, yes. Birthday points count like other earned points. Tier multipliers don't apply to the gift; it is always the amount you set.
See everything Wren Loyalty does, free and Pro.