In this video, we show you how to set up and configure Loyalty for your customers within Retail Express, including the ability to accrue and redeem loyalty points. You can even automatically assign different price groups to your customers as they accrue points.
As of January 2020, a new Loyalty Expiration feature has been added. Refer to the Settings - Loyalty Configuration article for more information.
Chapters
Timestamp | Chapter |
|---|
00:06 | Overview |
02:05 | Accessing Loyalty Configuration |
02:12 | Enabling the Loyalty Program |
02:29 | Setting the Points Earning Ratio |
03:21 | Setting the Points Redemption Ratio |
04:48 | Enabling Automatic Price Group Discounts |
05:23 | Configuring Discount Price Group Thresholds |
07:55 | Choosing Available or Total Points Earned |
09:03 | Displaying Loyalty Points on Customer Documents |
09:36 | Combining Discounts and Points Redemption |
10:21 | Configuring Loyalty by Payment Type |
11:46 | Enabling Loyalty for Individual Payment Types |
12:31 | Applying Payment-Type Multipliers |
13:34 | Applying Product-Level Multipliers |
16:41 | Reviewing Customer Loyalty Balances |
18:20 | Configuring Loyalty for an Individual Customer |
19:44 | Creating Outlet Loyalty Promotions |
21:54 | Summary |
Transcript
Loyalty in Retail Express allows you to create incentives that encourage customers to return to your stores and purchase more frequently. The configuration supports points accrual and redemption, automatic customer discounts, payment and product multipliers, individual customer settings and time-limited promotions at particular Outlets.
Accessing Loyalty Configuration
In Back Office, navigate to: Customers > Loyalty Configuration
The Loyalty Configuration page contains the primary settings used to control how customers earn and redeem loyalty points.
Enabling the Loyalty Program
The first setting controls whether the loyalty program is active.
Set the loyalty option to True to activate loyalty in Retail Express.
When it is set to False, customers do not earn or redeem loyalty points, regardless of the other loyalty settings configured in the system.
Setting the Points Earning Ratio
Use the Points per Dollar Earning Ratio to determine how many points a customer earns for each dollar paid.
For example:
- Enter 1 to award one point for every dollar paid.
- Enter 2 to award two points for every dollar paid.
When the earning ratio is set to one, a customer who pays $100 earns 100 points.
Loyalty points are calculated from the amount the customer pays, not the total value of the products in the sale.
Understanding When Points Are Earned
Points are awarded when a payment is recorded against the transaction.
For example, when a customer places a $100 product on layby but pays only a $50 deposit, the loyalty calculation is based on the $50 payment rather than the $100 order value.
Additional points can be earned as the customer makes further payments against the transaction.
Setting the Points Redemption Ratio
Use the Dollars per Point Redemption Ratio to determine the monetary value of the customer’s loyalty points.
For example, a redemption ratio of 0.01 gives every point a value of one cent. A customer with 100 points can therefore redeem $1 against a sale.
A redemption ratio is only required when customers will be allowed to use their points as a form of payment.
When points redemption is not part of the loyalty program, this setting does not need to be used.
Enabling Automatic Price Group Discounts
Retail Express can automatically move customers into different Price Groups as they earn loyalty points.
Enable Automatic Calculation of Price Group Discounts Based on Transaction History to use this option.
After enabling the setting, open the Discount Price Groups tab to configure the points thresholds and Price Groups.
This provides an alternative to allowing customers to redeem their points as payment. Instead, earning points can qualify the customer for an ongoing product discount.
Configuring Discount Price Group Thresholds
Each Discount Price Group threshold connects a points balance with an existing Price Group.
For example, a business could configure:
- 500 points for a Bronze Price Group offering 5% off.
- 1,000 points for a Gold Price Group offering 10% off.
- 2,000 points for a VIP Price Group.
- 3,000 points for a higher discount level.
When the customer reaches the configured threshold, Retail Express automatically assigns them to the corresponding Price Group.
The Price Groups must already exist before they can be selected from the Discount Price Groups tab.
To create a threshold, enter the required number of points, select the corresponding Price Group and create the record.
As the customer earns more points, they can progress through the configured discount levels.
Understanding Price Group Discounts
A customer assigned to a loyalty-based Price Group receives the discount configured for that group.
The Price Group may calculate its price using a rule such as:
- Sale price minus a percentage.
- Sale price minus a dollar amount.
- Cost price plus a percentage.
- Cost price plus a dollar amount.
Refer to the Price Groups training content for information about creating and configuring the pricing rules before connecting them to loyalty thresholds.
Choosing Available or Total Points Earned
Automatic Price Group discounts can be calculated using either the customer’s available points or their total historical points earned.
Available points represent the customer’s current net balance. This value can increase when points are earned and decrease when points are redeemed.
Points earned represent the total points the customer has accumulated over their history with the business, regardless of whether some of those points have already been redeemed.
Choose the option that reflects how customers should qualify for the Price Group thresholds.
For example, using available points may move a customer below a discount threshold after they redeem points. Using their total historical points allows their discount level to be based on all points earned over time.
Displaying Loyalty Points on Customer Documents
Retail Express can display the customer’s loyalty-points balance on documents produced from POS.
Separate settings are available for:
- A4 tax invoices.
- Receipts printed through a receipt printer.
Enable the required options when customers should be able to view their points balance on these documents.
Combining Discounts and Points Redemption
The loyalty settings can control whether a customer is allowed to receive a Price Group discount and redeem loyalty points in the same transaction.
Enable the option to allow both benefits to be applied together.
Disable it when customers should be required to use either the Price Group discount or points redemption, but not both, within the same sale.
After changing the loyalty settings, select Save Changes.
Accessing Payment-Type Configuration
Loyalty can also be controlled according to the payment method used by the customer.
Navigate to: Settings > Payment Types
The page displays the payment types configured for the business, together with their loyalty settings.
Enabling Loyalty for Individual Payment Types
The Loyalty option determines whether payments made using a particular tender type qualify for loyalty points.
Select the option when points should be awarded for that payment method.
Clear the option when customers should not earn points using that tender.
For example, a business may allow customers to earn points for cash payments but exclude a payment type associated with higher processing or merchant fees.
These payment settings work with the main points earning ratio configured on the Loyalty Configuration page.
Calculating Points From Payments
The loyalty calculation uses the amount entered against each eligible payment type.
For example, when a $100 sale is paid in full through an eligible payment type, the complete $100 is used in the points calculation.
When only a $50 deposit is paid against a $100 layby, the loyalty calculation uses the $50 payment.
Payment types that do not have loyalty enabled do not contribute points to the customer’s account.
Applying Payment-Type Multipliers
The Loyalty Multiplier allows customers to earn additional points when they use selected payment methods.
The default multiplier is one. This applies the standard points earning ratio without adjustment.
For example, when the global earning ratio is one point per dollar:
- A multiplier of 1 awards one point per dollar.
- A multiplier of 2 awards two points per dollar.
A business could use a higher multiplier to encourage customers to use a preferred payment method.
The payment multiplier is applied in addition to the main points earning ratio.
Applying Product-Level Multipliers
Loyalty can also be configured at the individual product level.
This allows selected products to earn more or fewer points than the standard rate. It can be useful when promoting a particular product or restricting loyalty benefits on a low-margin item.
Navigate to: Inventory > Product Search and Management
Search for and open the required product.
Scroll to the product’s advanced options and locate the Loyalty Ratio field.
When the field is blank, the product uses the standard global ratio of one and does not apply an additional product multiplier.
Increasing or Reducing Points for a Product
Enter a value in the product’s Loyalty Ratio field to change the points calculation for that product.
For example:
- Enter 2 to award twice the standard points.
- Enter 3 to award three times the standard points.
- Enter 0.5 to award half the standard points.
The ratio can be used to provide additional points for a promoted product or reduce the points awarded for products with lower margins.
After entering or changing the ratio, select Save.
Clearing the field restores the standard product ratio.
Reviewing Customer Loyalty Balances
Navigate to: Customers > Loyalty Configuration
Search for the required customer or customer group.
The customer results display loyalty information such as:
- Points Earned Quantity: The total number of points earned.
- Points Earned Value: The calculated value associated with those earned points.
- Points Redemption Quantity: The number of points redeemed.
- Points Redemption Value: The monetary value redeemed.
- Points Quantity Balance: The customer’s current net points balance.
The current balance may be lower than the total points earned because the customer may have redeemed points over time.
Configuring Loyalty for an Individual Customer
Open a customer record to review their individual loyalty settings.
The Accruing Loyalty Points option determines whether that customer can earn loyalty points.
Turn the option off when the customer should not participate in the loyalty program, even though loyalty remains enabled for other customers.
For example, a customer may already receive another special pricing arrangement and may not also be eligible to earn loyalty points.
Reviewing an Individual Customer’s Points
The customer record displays a summary of the customer’s loyalty position, including:
- Points earned to date.
- Current available points.
- Points redemption information.
- Price Group or discount-related loyalty settings.
These values provide a more detailed view of the customer’s current participation in the loyalty program.
Controlling Automatic Price Group Assignment
Automatic loyalty-based Price Group assignment can also be enabled or disabled for an individual customer.
This allows the global loyalty program to remain active while excluding a particular customer from automatic Price Group changes.
Use the customer-level option when the customer should continue earning points but should not be moved between discount levels automatically.
Creating Outlet Loyalty Promotions
Retail Express supports loyalty promotions at an individual Outlet level.
From Backoffice > Loyalty Configuration, open the Loyalty Promotions tab.
A loyalty promotion applies an additional points multiplier at a selected Outlet during a defined period.
For example, a store could run a three-week promotion offering ten times the usual points.
Configuring an Outlet Promotion
When creating the promotion, select:
- The Outlet where the promotion applies.
- The loyalty multiplier.
- The promotion start date.
- The promotion end date, when applicable.
The promotion applies only to transactions processed through the selected Outlet.
When the end date is reached, the promotion stops automatically and the Outlet returns to the standard loyalty configuration.
When no end date is entered, the promotion continues until it is manually changed or removed.
Understanding How Multipliers Work Together
The Outlet promotion multiplier is applied on top of the other configured loyalty ratios.
For example, the final points calculation may include:
- The global points-per-dollar ratio.
- The payment-type multiplier.
- The product-level multiplier.
- The Outlet promotion multiplier.
When the standard earning ratio is one, a product has a multiplier of two and the Outlet promotion has a multiplier of ten, the applicable multipliers combine in the final points calculation.
This makes it possible to create targeted loyalty campaigns for particular products, payment methods, Outlets and promotional periods.
Loyalty Configuration Summary
Retail Express loyalty can be configured at several levels:
- Globally, using the earning and redemption ratios.
- By Price Group threshold, based on customer points.
- By payment method, including eligibility and multipliers.
- By product, using a product-specific loyalty ratio.
- By customer, including individual participation settings.
- By Outlet, using scheduled loyalty promotions.
Together, these settings allow the business to create a loyalty structure that reflects its pricing, customer-retention and promotional requirements.