Gather: Refer a Friend vs Lably—Product Labels & Badgesfor Shopify (2026)
Gather: Refer a Friend and Lably—Product Labels & Badges, while both categorized under 'Promotions - Other' in the Shopify app store, cater to distinctly different merchant needs. Gather focuses on leveraging existing customers for acquisition through referral programs, offering features to automate and personalize the referral process with incentives. Its strength lies in deploying a customer-to-customer acquisition channel for sales growth or lead generation. Lably, on the other hand, is designed to improve conversion rates by drawing attention to products using eye-catching labels and badges. The core difference lies in their approaches to promotion. Gather aims to create a sustainable customer-driven acquisition channel, while Lably provides immediate visual enhancements to product displays to influence purchasing decisions. While both aim to increase sales, Gather is more strategic and long-term focused, needing a customer base to build off of, while Lably is more tactical and can be implemented immediately with pre-designed labels. The target audience also differs; Gather is best suited for merchants who have established a good customer base and want to leverage it for growth, while Lably is for any store wanting to make its offerings more visually appealing. Lably boasts significantly more reviews (399) compared to Gather (14), suggesting broader adoption and potentially more user feedback to refine the app. Although both hold a perfect 5/5 rating, the higher review count for Lably lends it a stronger weight of validation based on sheer volume. Both are valuable tools but cater to different promotional strategies and business maturity levels.
At a Glance
Gather: Refer a Friend
14 reviews
Lably—Product Labels & Badges
399 reviews
Detailed Overview
Gather: Refer a Friend
Gather activates your customer to customer referral channel, with automation and personalisation.
Key Features
- Sales growth, newsletter growth or lead-gen with referrals.
- Invitations, including: email with contact search, social media and messaging.
- Deploy reward tiers / milestones. Provide One-sided or two-sided rewards.
- Enrol members in a post-purchase CTA sidebar and directly from Klaviyo.
- Design emails with a drag-and-drop editor. Design the embedded dashboard.
Lably—Product Labels & Badges
Draw attention to products with catchy product labels, badges, and stickers, improve conversion rate
Key Features
- Discover a library of designed product labels: Halloween, BFCM, Christmas, etc
- Show labels on specific pages, including product, collection, and search pages
- Use various display conditions, including stock status and discount range
- Personalize text labels and badges with dynamic text, font size, style, color
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Gather: Refer a Friend5/5 Lably—Product Labels & Badges5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 14 | 399 |
Reviews Gather: Refer a Friend14 Lably—Product Labels & Badges399 | ||
| Primary Goal | Customer Referral Acquisition | Product Label & Badge Conversion |
Primary Goal Gather: Refer a FriendCustomer Referral Acquisition Lably—Product Labels & BadgesProduct Label & Badge Conversion | ||
| Target Merchant | Businesses with existing customer base | Any store wanting immediate visual impact |
Target Merchant Gather: Refer a FriendBusinesses with existing customer base Lably—Product Labels & BadgesAny store wanting immediate visual impact | ||
| Key Feature: Incentives | Tiered reward system for referrals | Pre-designed label library (e.g., Halloween, BFCM) |
Key Feature: Incentives Gather: Refer a FriendTiered reward system for referrals Lably—Product Labels & BadgesPre-designed label library (e.g., Halloween, BFCM) | ||
| Key Feature: Personalization | Drag-and-drop email editor, embedded dashboard design | Dynamic text, font size, style, color customization |
Key Feature: Personalization Gather: Refer a FriendDrag-and-drop email editor, embedded dashboard design Lably—Product Labels & BadgesDynamic text, font size, style, color customization | ||
| Ease of Use (Inferred) | Likely Moderate (Design, Klaviyo Integration) | Likely Easier (Direct Label Application) |
Ease of Use (Inferred) Gather: Refer a FriendLikely Moderate (Design, Klaviyo Integration) Lably—Product Labels & BadgesLikely Easier (Direct Label Application) | ||
| Value Proposition | High ROAS, low CPA acquisition channel | Improved conversion rates through visual appeal |
Value Proposition Gather: Refer a FriendHigh ROAS, low CPA acquisition channel Lably—Product Labels & BadgesImproved conversion rates through visual appeal | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants seeking to build a sustainable, customer-driven acquisition channel, Gather: Refer a Friend is the superior choice. Its focus on automation and personalization in referral programs provides a strategic approach to leveraging existing customers for growth. This is best for established brands with a loyal customer base. However, if the priority is to quickly enhance product visibility and boost conversion rates through visual appeal, Lably—Product Labels & Badges is the recommended option. Its ease of use and library of pre-designed labels make it ideal for immediate impact, particularly around seasonal sales and promotions. Lably is a better fit for stores prioritizing short-term sales boosts over long-term customer acquisition strategies.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up and use?
Lably is likely easier to set up and use, due to its straightforward application of labels and badges. Gather involves more complex configuration of referral programs and potentially integration with Klaviyo.
Which app is better for a new store?
Lably is generally better for a new store, as it doesn't rely on an existing customer base. You can immediately start improving conversion rates with product labels.
Which app provides better long-term growth?
Gather offers a more sustainable long-term growth strategy by building a referral program, fostering customer loyalty, and creating a customer-driven acquisition channel.
Do either of these apps integrate with other marketing tools?
Gather explicitly mentions integration with Klaviyo, which is a popular email marketing platform. Lably does not mention any specific integrations, but its customizable labels can complement other marketing campaigns.
What are the key differences in reporting between the two apps?
Gather's reporting would likely focus on referral metrics like conversion rates, customer acquisition cost (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS) for the referral program. Lably's reporting would likely focus on the impact of labels and badges on conversion rates and product sales.
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