I used to think a good loyalty program was mostly about making the rewards good enough.
Working on DashPass Rewards changed my mind.
Most loyalty programs work basically the same way. You spend something, you earn something, eventually you get something back. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. But at some point, it starts to feel like another system you have to keep track of.
When we were designing the DoorDash Rewards Wallet, I kept coming back to a pretty simple question: would anyone actually want to come back to this?
It shouldn’t feel like work
Before the wallet, rewards could show up in different places. You might get something through email, something in the app, or a notification somewhere else.
So one of the simplest things we did was put everything in one place.
It wasn’t the most exciting part of the project, but I think it was one of the most important. People shouldn’t have to remember where their rewards are, when they’re expiring, or where to go to use them.
If we’re giving someone something for being a loyal customer, finding and using it shouldn’t feel like work.
Useful isn’t the same as rewarding
We got the functional part right. The wallet made rewards easier to find and understand.
But looking back, I think there’s another part I would’ve pushed further.
A reward can be useful without actually feeling rewarding.
Badges, streaks, tiers, points. Those things can help, but more mechanics don’t necessarily make someone feel more valued. Sometimes they just give people more things to keep track of.
I think the more interesting moments are smaller. A reward showing up when it’s actually useful. Something based on what you order all the time. A reminder that feels helpful instead of annoying.
Little things that make it feel like the program is paying attention.
What I’d do differently
If I were doing it again, I’d spend less time thinking about what else we could add to the wallet and more time thinking about what would make someone happy to open it.
Not more rewards necessarily. Not more mechanics.
Just more moments that make you think, oh, that’s actually for me.
The wallet gave everything a home. I think the next step would’ve been making that home worth coming back to.
The case study for this work: DoorDash Rewards Wallet.