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Bonus points events

How to run a bonus points event that will promote the program while rewarding customers on the Free & Starter Plan

Maggie avatar
Written by Maggie
Updated over a week ago

Introduction

βœ… This information is specific to Shopify merchants only.
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πŸ“‹ Note for BigCommerce merchants: We reward points when the order hits the status that you've set in Settings > Platform > Order Settings. For BigCommerce merchants - we're not able to award points when the order is marked as "Paid" - instead, we reward when orders are "Shipped" or "Completed" so note that the double points will be applied to orders that are marked as "Shipped" or "Completed" during the time when the earning rule is awarding bonus points. Therefore, we do not recommend BigCommerce merchants use this guide to run a bonus points event.

Running a bonus points campaign is a great points earning promotion that helps boost customer engagement by increasing your variable "Make a purchase" earning rule for a limited time.

A double points event grows and engages your important customer community! Programs like this incentivize new sign-ups, engage inactive members with bonus points and rewards, and reward your loyal brand advocates - all at once! πŸ˜„

Overview


Smile Setup (start event)

1. Edit your current 'Place an Order' earning action: Navigate to Program > Points > View ways to earn - and click on the 'Place an order' action.

2. Input the increased value you'd like to award for points (for example, if your current "Place an Order" rule is 2 points per dollar spent, increase this to 4 points per dollar spent for a "Double Points" promotion!)

3. Click Save - please note that this will Start the event right away!


Smile Setup (End Event)

1. Click your bonus point rule under 'Programs' > 'Points' > 'Ways to earn' and switch it back to the original value and name.

2. Click Save - this will end the bonus points earning event.

Starting and ending the event will be live - you will have to log into Smile when you'd like the event to start and end.

πŸ“‹ Note: If you change the value of your 'Place an order' rule - it will not retroactively change the points of any previous orders placed. However, there may be some effects on orders that were placed before the rule was changed, but gets refunded/partially refunded after the rule is changed.


How to Market your Promotion

1. Create an email or social media campaign and send this message to all program members. This communication should outline the following:

  • Name of your promotion (ex. Double Points)

  • Timeline of the event (ex. Double Points THIS LONG WEEKEND: May 21 to May 24)

  • Include your spending rules (rewards) so your customers know what they can redeem their points for! (optional, but best practice)

2. create a second campaign to begin the bonus points event. This second email should outline:

  • An announcement that the bonus point has begun

  • A CTA to your store's homepage to begin shopping!

3. Create an email campaign and send this message to all non-members. This communication should outline:

  • The upcoming promotional details (ex. Double points this long weekend!)

  • The promotion is available to all rewards program members

  • Include a CTA to sign-up with a store account (your store's native registration page)

Looking for more information on bonus points promotions? Read our full blog post here.


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