When you make updates in Smile, you might notice they don’t appear right away on your website. This delay is often caused by caching, a performance tool that helps Smile load faster for your customers.
What is caching in Smile
Definition: Caching temporarily stores data so Smile can load your loyalty program faster on your website. By saving some information for a short time, Smile reduces loading delays and improves your customers’ experience.
Why Smile uses caching
When Smile loads on your website, it needs to fetch your loyalty program configuration from our servers.
Caching allows us to store that configuration temporarily so the loyalty launcher and panel can appear almost instantly — even when your store has heavy traffic.
What caching does for your site
Speeds up loading times for your loyalty program
Ensures consistent performance for every visitor
Reduces unnecessary data requests from your site to Smile’s servers
How caching works in Smile
What data is cached
The following data is stored temporarily (for 15 minutes) to improve load speed:
Program-level configurations: earning and spending rules, VIP tiers and perks, referral options
Visual styles and text: colors, headings, positioning, and panel content
What data isn’t cached
Sensitive or dynamic customer information is never cached. This ensures customer-specific information always displays the most up-to-date details. This includes:
Points balance
Current VIP tier
Referral URL
Points history
What caching means for your store
Because Smile caches some data for 15 minutes, updates you make might not appear immediately on your site.
Here are some examples:
You launch your loyalty program, but the launcher and panel may take up to 15 minutes to appear.
You change an earning or spending rule, but don’t see the update reflected right away.
You update your panel text or styling, and it takes a few minutes for the changes to show.
Workaround: If you want to preview your updates right away without waiting for the cache to refresh, you can add /?smile_no_cache=true to the end of your store URL.
ℹ️ Note: Browser caching can also lead to delays in displaying recent updates, since browsers may store older versions of your site. Try clearing your browser cache or using an incognito window if you’re not seeing your most recent changes.
Important notes
Most updates appear within about 15 minutes. In rare cases, it might take slightly longer. If you don’t see your changes yet, wait up to 25 minutes and refresh your site a few times before reaching out to our team.
Even if changes aren’t visible immediately, they take effect right away. For example, if you update your earning rule from “Earn 1 point for every $1 spent” to “Earn 2 points for every $1 spent,” new orders will earn points based on the new rule as soon as you hit Save in Smile Admin. Only the launcher and panel display may take up to 15 minutes to update.
Quick answers
How long does Smile cache data?
Most cached data refreshes every 15 minutes. In some cases, it may take slightly more or less time.
Does caching affect customer balances or VIP tiers?
No. Customer-specific information like points and tiers is never cached.
Can browser caching affect how Smile appears?
Yes. Your browser may temporarily store older versions of your site, which can delay how soon updates appear. Try refreshing your site or clearing your browser cache to see the latest version.
Can I clear Smile’s cache manually?
No — caching happens automatically on Smile’s servers. Updates will show after the cache refreshes, usually within 15 minutes.