Configuring Loyalty Earning Rules

Earning rules form the fundamental foundation of your loyalty program by dictating how customers accumulate points. This lesson covers how to customize your automatically generated base rule, adjust math settings for point accrual, and build gamified, advanced rules using both preset templates and empty scratch-built frameworks.

Key Takeaways

• The Core Base Rule: Every new account includes an auto-generated baseline rule set to an intuitive 1:1 ratio (e.g., earning 1 point for every 1 currency unit spent). While this ratio can be completely customized (such as earning 2 points for every €50), keeping it straightforward is highly recommended so it remains easy for customers to calculate.

• Proportional vs. Strict Mode: By default, the point system operates in Proportional Mode. It is highly advised to keep this setting active to ensure users are credited fairly for exact fractional transaction amounts rather than restricting point allocations exclusively to whole numbers.

• Transaction Math & Rounding Limits: Under the base rule settings tab, you can decide how the platform processes fractional points:

  • Rounding Up (Recommended): Rounding point values up encourages customer momentum and helps them build balance milestones faster.

  • Negative Transactions: Avoid applying earning rules to negative transactions or returns. Keeping this turned off prevents balance calculation errors when layer-stacking advanced multiplier campaigns.

• Deploying Rule Templates (Happy Hour Example): You can use pre-built templates to introduce time-based multipliers. For a weekend "Happy Hour," you can configure an advanced rule filter restricted to a specific day and time slot (e.g., Saturday and Sunday between 15:00 and 17:00). Multiple distinct filter groups can be added to a single rule, allowing you to seamlessly extend that same weekend happy hour to Friday afternoons.

• Setting Multiplication Values: Once the schedule is locked in, define the multiplication mechanic. While the system defaults to double points, you can input custom factors to issue triple or quadruple points before saving and clicking Activate to push the rule live.

• Building Dynamic Rules From Scratch (Birthday Example): To reward milestones that aren't tied to a uniform calendar date, select an Empty loyalty rule to start from scratch. For example, to issue a birthday bonus, set a filter group using Contact > Attribute > Birth date > is today. Combine this filter with a multiplication value of three to instantly give your loyalty members automated triple points on their birthdays.

Dashboard Checklist

1. Navigate to Loyalty > Earn rules to access your configuration workspace.

2. Click your auto-generated Base rule, verify it is in Proportional mode, ensure the rule parameters are clear, and click Submit.

3. Open the base rule Settings, adjust the rounding type to Round up, ensure negative transaction calculation is disabled, and save.

4. Click New rule and select a template (like Happy Hour). Establish your active time slots, click Next, define your multiplication factor, click Submit, and hit Activate in the top-right corner.

5. Create another Empty loyalty rule to build a custom flow from scratch.

6. Set your entry criteria to filter by the contact’s birth date attribute, input a point multiplier, click Submit, and toggle the rule to Active.