Set Up and Launch the Rewards Program

Setup steps to be completed before launching the rewards program.

Brand the Rewards Program

• In the Dashboard, go to: Customers > Rewards > Settings.
• Enter the Rewards Program Name.
• Upload the store logo by pressing the "Select a logo" button.
• Enter the store's email address that the rewards program communications should be sent from in the Email From Address box.
• Enter the name that the rewards program communications should be labeled as sent from in the Email From Name box.
• Enter the amount of days that customers prior purchases are eligible for rewards points from when they sign up for a rewards account in the Grace Days box.  For example, if 14 days is entered and a customer signs up for a new rewards account then all of their purchases over the prior 14 days would earn rewards points.
• Account Code Prefix is for Ascend Point of Sale (POS) users only and is the unique set of characters that is used to identify Rewards users in the Ascend POS.
• Press the "Save" button before moving on.

Set Up Membership Tiers

Set reward tiers that customers move into as they spend more at the shop.  Unique tier rewards can then be created and advertised to encourage customers to shop more and move up in the tier rankings.  Points count towards Tier progression for one year.  Once a customer moves into a new tier, the customer stays in that tier for one year.

• In the Dashboard, go to: Customers > Rewards > Tiers.
• Press the "+ Add Tier" button to create a new Tier.
• Enter the Tier Name, Description, Point Threshold and Color differentiator.
• Press the "Save" button before moving on.

Set Reward Thresholds and Rewards

Set the reward point thresholds and actual rewards that customers can earn.

• In the Dashboard, go to: Customers > Rewards > Rewards.
• Each reward will be listed along with the Code and Point Value.
  • The Code is what needs to be entered in the Point of Sale (POS) for the individual reward.  It is the link between your POS and Loyalty for the reward items.
  • In Ascend, the SKU field needs to match what is entered for the Code field in Rewards.
  • In Lightspeed, copy the System ID from Lightspeed and paste that in the Code field in Rewards. 

• Press the "+ Create New Reward" button to start to create a new reward.
• Enter the name of the new reward in the Name box.
• Enter the Description of the new reward.  Customers can see this description when they login to their rewards account.
• Enter the Code for the new reward.
  • Create a new item in your POS for this reward that has this exact same code, entered as the SKU in the POS.
  • In Ascend, the SKU field needs to match what is entered for the Code field in Rewards.
  • In Lightspeed, copy the System ID from Lightspeed and paste that in the Code field in Rewards. 

• Enter the amount of points it takes for customers to earn this reward in the Points Value box.
• Leave the Active box checked to make this an available reward.
• Press the "Save" button before moving on.

Create Rewards in the Point of Sale (POS)

• In the POS system, create a unique SKU for each reward that matches the Code that is entered for the reward within the Rewards section. There should be a $0 price for these rewards, unless it's a gift card. 
• For gift card rewards, they will need to have a negative dollar amount in your POS so that a credit will be created at checkout when a customer gets that reward.
• You can not create a reward that would add points for a consumer.

Redeem Rewards During the Transaction

Once a customer's points have been verified, add the reward SKU to the transaction.

• The SKU matching the reward code will report back to the account and the points are deducted from their balance.
• Keep a list of the Rewards SKUs near registers for easy redemptions.
• Almost all Gift Card rewards are redeemed as a payment on a new in-store purchase, with very few customers getting an actual gift card.
• For rewards that are store merchandise, the inventory will need to be adjusted in the POS as rewards are redeemed.

Adjust Rewards Customer Setup Emails

Edit the two automated messages that are sent to customers to match store branding.

• In the Dashboard, go to: Customers > Rewards > Customer Messages.
• Click on the Title of the email to edit the respective email.
• Visit the Campaigns Help Center Article for more information on how to use the email editor.
• Press the "Save" button before moving on.

Ready to Launch?

Once the above steps are completed, confirm that...

• Staff is knowledgeable about the details of the new rewards program.
• The automated Account Verification and Password emails are set to "Active".
• The Rewards program is being advertised on the website and is linked to the sign-up page for your program.
  • Utilize the free or premium website content to advertise the Rewards Program on your website.

• Customers will need to register for a rewards account via the Rewards sign-up link before they can begin accruing rewards from purchases.

View a Customer's Rewards 

When a customer signs up for a Rewards account, that will be displayed on the Customer Profile Page. 

• Find this under Customers > Lookup, using the search box to find the customer.
  • Click "View Profile".
• This screen shows current points along with the date they signed up for rewards. 
• Rewards points typically appear within 30 minutes, but can take as long as overnight.