Using loyalty tiers
Loyalty tiers allow you to create tiered loyalty campaigns for customers based on point thresholds they reach.
Customers automatically move to the next tier when they reach the minimum point threshold for that tier. The maximum point value for a tier is one point less than the minimum point value of the next tier. The highest tier has no upper limit on points.
Subledgers inherit all the tiers.
For example, consider the following tiers:
- Bronze: 100 to 199 points.
- Silver: 200 to 299 points.
- Gold: 300 points and above.
A customer is in the Bronze tier if they have at least 100 points but fewer than 200. When they reach 200 points, they automatically enter the Silver tier. When they reach 300 points, they move up to the Gold tier.
To add customers to a default tier with a zero-point balance, we recommend creating a tier with the Point threshold set to 0. If the tiers
in the loyalty program expire relative to the tier join date,
however, customers must earn at least one active point for the startDate and expiryDate
properties to be created for their current tier in the Integration API.
Customers can enter higher tiers as soon as they earn enough points, but they can only be downgraded to a lower tier when their current tier is reevaluated. You can choose how and when tiers are reevaluated when creating a loyalty program or at any time until there are point transactions in the program.
Tier expiration
Tier expiration defines how long a customer can retain their current tier status before it is reevaluated.
Tiers in your loyalty program can be reevaluated:
Expiration relative to program join date
With this expiration type, each tier is reevaluated relative to when the customer joined the loyalty program. The expiration date remains tied to the customer's program join date, regardless of any changes in the tier level.
Let's imagine a loyalty program with three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Tier expiration is relative to the program join date and resets every six months.
A customer joins the loyalty program on January 1, 2024, entering the Silver tier with 250 points immediately upon joining. Although the customer spends 100 points in April, they are downgraded to the Bronze tier on July 1, six months after their program join date. Later, in September, the customer makes another purchase and immediately is upgraded to the Gold tier with 350 points. Despite this upgrade, the reevaluation of their current tier remains tied to their loyalty program join date, meaning their Gold tier status is reevaluated on January 1, 2025.
Expiration relative to tier join date
With this expiration type, each tier is reevaluated relative to when the customer entered the tier. The expiration period starts from the date the customer upgrades to another tier, extending their tier status based on this new start.
Let's imagine a loyalty program with three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Tier expiration is relative to the tier join date and resets every three months, on the last day of the month.
A customer joins the loyalty program on January 1, 2024, and enters the Silver tier with 250 points on February 15. Although the customer spends 100 points in April, they are downgraded to the Bronze tier on May 31 - three months after their tier join date, on the last day of the month. Two months later, on July 31, the customer makes another purchase and immediately moves up to the Gold tier with 350 points. The reevaluation period of the Bronze tier is now discarded, and the customer's Gold tier status is reevaluated on October 31, three months after their latest tier join date.
Absolute expiration date
This expiration type sets a fixed tier reevaluation date for all customers within the loyalty program, regardless of when they joined or moved between tiers. The reevaluation date is relative to the tier cycle start date.
Let's imagine a loyalty program with three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Tiers are reevaluated yearly on January 1.
Customer 1 joins the loyalty program in March, 2024 and immediately enters the Gold tier with 350 points. However, they quickly spend nearly all of their loyalty points and earn no points before the end of the year.
Customer 2 also joins the loyalty program in March, but enters the Bronze tier in May. Before the end of the year, they move up to the Gold tier with 350 points.
Both customers remain in the Gold tier until January 1, 2025, when their tier status is reevaluated.
Choosing the right expiration type
Choosing the right expiration type depends on your loyalty program's goals and structure. Expiration relative to the program join date offers predictability, while expiration relative to the tier join date encourages continuous engagement. On the other hand, an absolute expiration date simplifies the tier management process and is great for loyalty programs that align with business cycles or major promotional periods.
Tier downgrade
A tier downgrade happens only when the customer's current tier is reevaluated and they don't have enough points to remain in it. There are two types of tier downgrades:
You can choose the type of tier downgrade you want for your customers when creating a loyalty program or at any time until there are point transactions in the program.
Hard downgrade
With hard downgrade, the customer enters the tier that matches the number of active points in their point balance after their current tier is reevaluated.
For example, a customer enters the Gold tier with 350 points. They immediately redeem 200 points and now have 150 points left.
The Gold tier has a point threshold of 300 points, so the customer is downgraded to the Bronze tier after the Gold tier is reevaluated.
Soft downgrade
With soft downgrade, the customer enters the tier below their current tier after it is reevaluated.
For example, a customer enters the Gold tier with 350 points. They immediately redeem 200 points and now have 150 points left.
The Gold tier has a point threshold of 300 points, so the customer is downgraded to the Silver tier after the Gold tier is reevaluated.