Store credit guide
How to bulk issue Shopify store credit to a customer segment
Issue store credit to every customer matching a Shopify segment, without exporting a CSV. The filter-based workflow for win-back, VIP and apology campaigns.
Segment first, credit second
The mistake is starting from the credit. Someone decides to run a $25 win-back, then goes looking for who to send it to, and the list ends up being “everyone” because that was easiest.
Start from the segment. A segment is a rule, and a rule can be rerun, measured and tightened.
| Campaign | Segment rule | Typical amount |
|---|---|---|
| Win-back | 1+ orders, last order 90 to 365 days ago | 25 to 35% of AOV |
| VIP thank-you | Lifetime spend above your 90th percentile | A round, generous number |
| Apology | Customers on a specific delayed or defective order | Full or partial order value |
| Post-launch nudge | Bought category A, never bought category B | Small, category-specific |
Filter or CSV
Both live in Bulk Store Credit, and they solve different problems.
Bulk issue by filter is for rule-shaped campaigns. Pick the segment, set one amount, confirm. Rerunning it next quarter is one click because the rule is still there.
CSV upload is for list-shaped campaigns, where the amounts vary per person or the list came from outside Shopify. See bulk issue store credit via CSV for that flow. The free plan covers CSV uploads up to 20 rows, which is enough to test the mechanics on your own store before you run anything real.
Sizing the credit properly
The number that matters is the gap between the credit and your average order value. Credit that covers the whole order is a giveaway. Credit that covers a third of it is an incentive.
At an $80 AOV, a $25 credit typically pulls an order in the $80 to $110 range. You have discounted a repeat purchase by roughly 25 percent to reactivate a customer who was worth nothing that month. That is the trade, and it is usually a good one.
Expiry is the campaign
A win-back credit with no expiry is a coupon that sits there forever, does not create urgency, and never leaves your liability column. Sixty days is a reasonable default. Put the date in the email subject line, and send a reminder at seven days out.
Full campaign structure, including email copy and how to measure redemption, is in win back lapsed Shopify customers with store credit.
Frequently asked questions
Can Shopify issue store credit to many customers at once?
Not natively. Shopify's store credit feature, which is Plus only, issues credit one customer at a time from the customer record. Bulk issuance across a segment requires an app. Bulk Store Credit by Win-Win Apps does it by CSV on every plan and by customer filter on Pro.
Should I use a segment or a CSV?
Use a segment when the rule is the thing, for example everyone who has not ordered in 90 days, because the segment stays current and you can rerun the campaign next quarter. Use a CSV when the amounts differ per customer, or when the list came from somewhere outside Shopify like a support spreadsheet.
What amount should I issue?
Enough to cover a meaningful fraction of your average order value without covering all of it. A common starting point is 25 to 35 percent of AOV. If your AOV is $80, a $25 credit gets used on an order of $80 to $110; a $80 credit gets used on an order of exactly $80 and you make nothing.
Does the customer get an email automatically?
Configure it per campaign. The credit exists on the customer record either way and applies at their next checkout, but a silent credit on a lapsed customer will almost never be discovered on its own.
What happens to unredeemed credit?
Nothing, unless you set an expiry. Expiry is why store credit is easier to manage than gift cards here: it is legal and normal to expire promotional store credit, whereas gift card expiry is restricted in most jurisdictions.
Keep reading
More guides you might need.
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