Explore the Accrual and Redemption Processes
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the accrual process.
- Describe the setup of an accrual process.
- Explain the redemption process.
- Describe the setup of a redemption process.
Delve into Loyalty Processes
The Cloud Kicks Inner Circle program rewards members for purchases, product reviews, referrals, and social media posts. The loyalty program automatically checks and assigns rewards that members are eligible for, assigns tiers, credits points for activities, and more. Members can use the points that they receive for loyalty activities to redeem products and services. Linda automates the accrual and redemption of points by setting up loyalty processes. Let’s understand the accrual and redemption loyalty processes in detail and find out how Linda sets them up using Promotion Setup and flows.
Set Up an Accrual Process
An accrual occurs anytime a member performs an activity that earns them rewards. The program also rewards members when they enroll in the program, respond to surveys, attend training, complete compliance certifications, and so on. Details of these activities, and purchase transactions including product, quantity, and amount, are tracked in transaction journals. Transaction journals represent loyalty activities and track member behavior, based on which members are rewarded.
Let’s understand the accrual process with an example. A member purchases a pair of shoes and instantly earns points. After they receive the product, they post a review on the website. For this review, they receive points the next day. Points are credited at different times because accruals can happen in real time or in batches. In Cloud Kicks, the accrual process for purchases runs in real time while the accrual process for engagement activities runs in batch mode once every day.
This module demonstrates how to set up a real-time accrual process. Linda can set up the accrual process using either Promotion Setup or flows. Let’s go over both methods.
Promotion Setup supports many loyalty functions such as member engagement attributes and badges, making it a popular choice for setting up loyalty processes.
Using Promotion Setup
Here’s how Linda sets up the process using Promotion Setup.
Using Flows
Here’s how Linda sets up the process using a flow.
Linda has enabled the Loyalty Management setting Update Member Points Balance in Real Time for both qualifying and non-qualifying currencies. So after the accrual process determines the points to be credited and credits them to the member, the program instantly updates the member’s qualifying points balance.
Next, Linda sets up the redemption process.
Design a Redemption Process
A redemption occurs when members redeem non-qualifying points for a product, service, or voucher, and is always a real-time process. Members choose the rewards from a rewards catalog.
Mary curates a rewards catalog that offers variety and is relevant to members’ tastes and preferences. The catalog defines the rewards and value of points. For example, a member can avail a $20 voucher for 2,500 points, which can be used across the site. Or they can purchase a product from the designer collection, the Jonah Steven line of sneakers, for 5,000 points.
Using Promotion Setup
Here’s how Linda sets up the redemption process using Promotion Setup.
Using Flows
Here’s how Linda sets up the process using a flow.
When any loyalty process issues members a voucher, the voucher must be associated with a unique code. Linda ensures that the codes get automatically generated in Loyalty Management by enabling the Generate Codes for Vouchers setting.
After enabling it, she defines a prefix and suffix for the vouchers in their definitions. Loyalty Management automatically populates an alphanumeric value between the prefix and suffix.
Linda has set up the accrual and redemption processes. The qualifying points that members accrue are used to evaluate members’ tier qualification. In the next unit, you look at the process for tier evaluation.
