Managing campaign evaluation
In the Campaign Evaluation section of your Application, you can decide the order, scope, and mode by which the Rule Engine evaluates your campaigns.
To view the Campaign Evaluation page and manage how campaigns are evaluated, create at least 2 campaigns.
Here, you can create evaluation groups, add campaigns into them, and select the evaluation scope and evaluation mode by which triggered campaigns (campaigns that have at least one successful rule) in each group are applied.
After you set up the campaign evaluation page according to your campaign strategy, add each new campaign to the correct campaign evaluation group. You should update the campaign evaluation tree only if you change your strategy or add more use cases.
Before you learn how to use this feature to, for example, control how your campaigns are combined or prevent customers from obtaining rewards from several campaigns in the same session, we recommend reading Understanding campaign evaluation first.
Creating a campaign evaluation group
When you create an Application, the base group for campaign evaluation exists by default. The evaluation scope of the base group is set to session and cannot be changed. Each campaign you create in the Application is added to the base group by default unless you select a different group during campaign creation or make another group the default campaign evaluation group.
You can create evaluation groups on two levels:
- Within the base group.
- Within a group inside the base group.
For example, your campaign evaluation tree might look like this:
To create a campaign evaluation group:
- In the Campaign Evaluation section of your Application, on the right of the base group, click > Create group.
- In Group name, type the name of the campaign evaluation group.
- In Group description, type a description of the group.
- In Evaluation scope, select the level on which the Rule Engine evaluates the campaigns within the group.
- In Evaluation mode, select the mode by which the Rule Engine evaluates the campaigns within the group.
- Click Create Group.
To create a group within a group (subgroup), on the right of the group, click > Create group inside.
Setting campaign evaluation scope
The evaluation scope determines the level on which the Rule Engine evaluates the campaigns in that group. You can set the evaluation scope of each campaign evaluation group.
A group with the item scope that has item campaigns in it, for example, can apply effects from several campaigns to give a highest discount value to each item in a session. Each cart item unit, however, can receive effects from only one campaign.
You can select one of the following evaluation scopes:
| Description | ||
|---|---|---|
| Session | Only customer sessions are considered when evaluating the campaigns. Groups with the session scope can contain campaigns of any type. | |
| Item | Only individual cart items are considered when evaluating the campaigns. Groups with the item scope can contain only item campaigns. |
The campaign type is selected during campaign creation and cannot be changed.
You can set the evaluation scope of a group in two ways:
- While creating or editing a group, in Evaluation scope, select the scope and save your changes.
- In the menu of a group, click Set evaluation scope, select the scope and save your changes.
Setting campaign evaluation mode
The evaluation mode determines how the Rule Engine evaluates the campaigns in that group. You can set the evaluation mode of each campaign evaluation group.
All campaigns in a campaign evaluation group inherit the evaluation mode of the group, meaning you cannot change the evaluation mode of individual campaigns.
Campaigns are evaluated from top to bottom in each group.
You can select one of the following evaluation modes:
| Evaluation mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Stackable | More than one triggered campaign can be applied. Triggered effects from campaigns stack up, meaning they can be combined. |
| Only the first campaign in the group that is triggered is applied. More than one campaign can be applied if there are stackable evaluation groups inside the group, or if the evaluation scope of the group is set to item. | |
| Only the triggered campaign that provides the highest discount value is applied. More than one campaign can be applied if the evaluation scope of the group is set to item. |
You can set the evaluation mode of a group in two ways:
- While creating or editing a group, in Evaluation mode, select the mode, and save your changes.
- In the menu of a group, click Set evaluation mode, select the mode, and save your changes.
Campaign evaluation mode examples
Let's take a look at a few examples that show how the different campaign evaluation modes work.
Example #1: Awarding multiple coupon discounts
Imagine we have the base group with three campaigns inside:
- Campaign 1: Gives a 10% discount on the total purchase if a valid first-time customer coupon code is redeemed.
- Campaign 2: Gives a 20% discount on the total purchase if a valid mid-season sale coupon code is redeemed.
- Campaign 3: Notifies anyone who completes an order about a future promotion.
We want to award customers who enter both a valid first-time customer coupon code and a mid-season sale coupon code. We also want to notify them about a future promotion when they complete their order.
To do that, we set the evaluation mode of the group to stackable (Image 1) so all triggered campaigns in this case are applied. That means customers get a 30% discount on the total purchase and are notified about a future promotion.
On the other hand, if we:
- Set the evaluation mode of the group to first campaign (Image 2), only the first triggered campaign in the group is applied. This means customers get a 10% discount only from the first-time customer code.
- Set the evaluation mode of the group to highest discount value (Image 3), only the triggered campaign that offers the highest discount value is applied, in this case, Campaign 2.
Example #2: Awarding one coupon discount
Continuing from the previous example, say we want our customers to be able to redeem only the coupon code that gives the highest discount value, but also be notified about a future promotion.
To do this, we create a group with the session scope that we name Group 1, and we add Campaign 1 and Campaign 2 to it. We set the evaluation mode of the base group to stackable, and the evaluation mode of Group 1 to highest discount value (Image 1).
When customers now enter the two coupon codes, only the code that gives the highest discount value is applied, but the customers are also notified of a future promotion.
If we also set the evaluation mode of the base group to highest discount value (Image 2), the campaign that gives the highest discount value is applied, but customers aren't notified about the future promotion.
Example #3: Rewarding customers who shop from the mobile app
Imagine we also want to reward customers who shop from the store's mobile app, but we don't want this deal to be combined with other deals. To do this, we add a fourth campaign to the evaluation tree from the previous two examples:
- Campaign 4: Gives a 15% discount to customers who shop from the store's mobile app.
- Group 1: Contains Campaign 1 and Campaign 2, which give a 10% and a 20% discount on the total purchase if valid first-time customer and mid-season sale coupon codes are redeemed.
- Campaign 3: Notifies anyone who completes an order about a future promotion.
We ensure Campaign 4 is first in the base group, and we set the evaluation mode of the base group to first campaign (Image 1). When our customers shop from the store's mobile app, only Campaign 4 is applied as the first triggered campaign in the evaluation tree.
On the other hand, if a customer shops from a web browser and doesn't redeem a coupon code, the first triggered and applied campaign is Campaign 3 (Image 2).
Example #4: Awarding the highest discount value
Let's imagine a different example where we have four campaigns that give discounts, and we want to ensure our customers get the highest discount. Here is what our evaluation tree looks like:
- Campaign 1: Gives a €10 discount on the total purchase.
- Group 1: Contains Campaign 2 and Campaign 3, which give a combined discount of €20 on the total purchase only when applied together.
- Group 2: Contains Campaign 4, which gives a €12 discount on the total purchase, and Campaign 5, which gives a €15 discount.
We set the evaluation mode of the base group to highest discount value, the evaluation mode of Group 1 to stackable, and the evaluation mode of Group 2 to first campaign (Image 1). This ensures the Rule Engine only applies Campaign 2 and Campaign 3 to the customers' orders since they give the highest discount of €20.
However, let's imagine a scenario where the two campaigns are not triggered together, but Campaign 1, Campaign 4, and Campaign 5 are triggered (Image 2). In Group 2, the first campaign of the two is applied. Although the €12 discount is not the higher discount value of the two, the group considers its own evaluation mode first. Then, between Campaign 1 and Group 2, the €12 discount of Group 2 is applied.
Highest discount value logic
The highest discount value mode can evaluate campaigns differently depending on the evaluation scope and the promotions involved. Let's take a look at a few examples.
Example #1: Highest discount value for session scope
Imagine we have a group with the evaluation scope set to session and the evaluation mode set to highest discount value. The group has two item campaigns inside:
- Campaign 1: Gives a 30% discount on a pair of sneakers and a pair of socks when bought together.
- Campaign 2: Gives a 10% discount on all items in the cart.
Our customer has a pair of sneakers, a pair of socks, and a t-shirt in their cart. Because the evaluation scope is set to session, only one campaign can be applied. Campaign 1 offers the highest discount value, so it is the only applied campaign.
Example #2: Highest discount value for item scope
Let's change the evaluation scope of the group from the previous example to item. Now, only individual cart items are considered when evaluating the campaigns, so for a pair of sneakers, a pair of socks, and a t-shirt in the cart, both campaigns are applied.
That means a 30% discount from Campaign 1 is applied to the pair of sneakers and pair of socks, and a 10% discount from Campaign 2 is applied to the t-shirt.
Notice that no item in the cart is discounted more than once. Each individual cart item unit can receive effects from only one campaign, ensuring that overlapping promotional campaigns aren't combined.
Example #3: Highest discount value for bundle promotions
Let's see what happens when choosing the highest discount value isn't as straightforward.
Imagine the following group with the evaluation scope set to item and the evaluation mode set to highest discount value. The group has 4 item campaigns inside:
- Campaign 1: Gives a 20% discount on a pair of sneakers and a t-shirt when bought together.
- Campaign 2: Gives a 30% discount on a pair of sneakers and a pair of socks when bought together.
- Campaign 3: Gives a $20 discount on a t-shirt and pair of socks when bought together.
- Campaign 4: Gives a 5% discount on all pairs of sneakers.
Our customer has a pair of sneakers, a pair of socks, and a t-shirt in their cart.
Bundle promotions are always prioritized over non-bundle promotions. The highest discount value algorithm first solves the overlapping bundle promotion conflict by identifying the bundle with the highest bundle discount margin, calculated as the total bundle discount value divided by the total price of the bundle.
In our case, Campaign 3 has the highest bundle discount margin, and a discount of $20 is applied to the t-shirt and pair of socks. Because the evaluation scope is set to item, and the sneakers are not discounted by Campaign 3, the 5% discount from Campaign 4 is applied to the pair of sneakers as well.
Managing campaign evaluation groups
In the Campaign Evaluation section of your Application, in the menu of a group, you can perform a number of actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Make the group the default campaign evaluation group. This means new campaigns in the Application are added to this group by default unless you select a different group during campaign creation. You can do this only to a group that is not already the default group. | |
| Lock the group to prevent adding and removing campaigns and groups. To allow this for a locked group, click Unlock group. You cannot lock default groups. | |
| Set the evaluation scope of the group. | |
| Set the evaluation mode of the group. | |
| Make the group first in its parent group. | |
| Make the group last in its parent group. | |
| Move the group to another group. You can only move groups that don't contain other groups inside them. | |
| Merge the group with another group to create one group that contains the contents of both groups. You cannot merge default groups. | |
| Change the name, description, evaluation scope, and evaluation mode of the group. | |
| Create a group inside a group, also called a subgroup. Subgroups have their own evaluation mode and don't inherit the mode of their parent group. | |
| Ungroup the contents of the group. This dissolves the group and adds the campaigns and subgroups to the parent group. |
In the menu of a campaign, you can make the campaign first or last in its group, and move it to another group.
- To change the order of groups and campaigns or move them elsewhere, you can also use the drag and drop action.
- In the top-right corner, you can undo or redo an action, cancel your changes, or save your changes to put them into effect.
- If you have a long expanded list of groups and campaigns, in the menu of the base group, click Collapse all groups to collapse them. To view them all again, click Expand all groups.
- To find a specific campaign, above the base group, in Campaign name, type the name of the campaign you want to find.