VIP

The VIP use case is the inverse of return abuse: Pinch identifies your highest-value, lowest-abuse customers in real time and treats them better than the default — frictionless returns, no restocking fees, free instant exchanges, and a VIP acknowledgement banner on the storefront. The reward side of the system matters as much as the enforcement side; good customers get rewarded without you having to build any of the infrastructure.

Setup

1. Workflow — VIP Decision

In Workflows → Orders (so the tag lands at order time, not when the customer returns), add a Decision block:

Sub Decision label	Decision type	Example condition
Pinch-VIP	ALLOW	Total order value greater than $500 OR Customer Value Per Email greater than $2000

The exact threshold is yours. A simple starting condition is order total > $500. Most merchants layer it over time: cart value, lifetime spend, order count, and a low abuse score.

2. Playbook — write the Shopify customer tag

In Playbooks → + New Playbook:

Playbook	Segment	Action chain
Pinch VIP tag	Pinch-VIP	Shopify Tag → Customer → Add Pinch-VIP

Enable the playbook before testing — a disabled playbook won't fire even if the workflow decision matches.

Tag casing matters

The tag Pinch writes here (Pinch-VIP) must match exactly in your workflow decision name, your playbook action, and the App Embed configuration in step 3. Case-sensitive. If the three don't match, the banner won't appear.

3. Shopify theme — enable the VIP Drawer Banner App Embed

Pinch ships a storefront App Embed that renders a VIP banner on the cart drawer for customers who carry the Pinch-VIP tag. Enable it in your Shopify theme:

1. Shopify Admin → Online Store → Themes → Customize on your live theme.
2. Open the App embeds panel (puzzle-piece icon in the left sidebar).
3. Find VIP Drawer Banner under Pinch and toggle it on.
4. In the embed's settings:
   • Tag name: Pinch-VIP (must match the tag your playbook writes — case-sensitive).
   • Banner heading: e.g. "VIP Member Benefit".
   • Message: e.g. "Free returns, instant exchanges, no restocking fees on this order."
5. Save the theme.

The embed reads the logged-in customer's Shopify tags on each cart render. If Pinch-VIP is present, the banner shows. If the customer is logged out, or the tag isn't present, the banner stays hidden.

4. (Optional) VIP email + CS notification

Add more actions to the Pinch VIP tag playbook:

• Email via Dixa or Gorgias — a thank-you with a VIP code or priority-support email alias.
• Notify on Slack #vip-signups so your CX team sees new VIPs land in real time.

5. VIP treatment on the RMS

Same tag mechanism as the other use cases — your RMS reads the Pinch-VIP customer tag:

RMS	Treatment
Loop	Waive handling fee + offer Shop Now bonus + extend return window
Aftership	Waive cost of return, offer instant exchange
Narvar	Restrict refund method to the customer's choice, waive shipping-label fee
Frate	Waive Fees + Override Return Window
Redo	No restocking fee + store-credit bonus

See each RMS's Using Pinch tags section for the exact rule config.

End-to-end flow

1. Customer places their first order under the $500 threshold → no banner, no tag.
2. Customer places a second order over $500 → Pinch runs the Orders workflow on payment and the Pinch VIP tag playbook fires → the Pinch-VIP customer tag is added in Shopify.
3. Customer returns to the site, opens the cart drawer → the VIP Member Benefit banner appears.
4. If the customer is logged out, the banner doesn't show (tag isn't readable on an anonymous session).

What you'll see once it's live

• The number of customers in the Pinch-VIP segment on the Customers page.
• Instant on-site recognition when a VIP returns — they feel it in the cart UI.
• RMS metrics show lower friction (no fees charged, higher instant-exchange adoption) for VIP returns.