Loyalty External Events are no longer required for setting up Loyalty Engagement and Event actions. The role has been automatized. In previously created actions and their related automation programs (in Loyalty Trigger nodes), they are automatically replaced by the respective actions. No user action is needed.
One of the objectives of the Loyalty Add-on is to keep members engaged regularly thus increasing their Customer Lifetime Value. Among others, this is achieved by event actions and engagement actions. These actions reward loyal customers on anniversaries or activities in connection with your brand (your website).
As a quick reminder, here is the training video about using segments and event actions in Loyalty:
Event actions
An event action allows you to engage your customers with a gift incentive for their birthday, anniversary or any other reward you want to give that does not require customer action.
All event actions are triggered by Automation Center programs. The defined rewards are shown in the Redeem and My Activity screens of the Loyalty Wallet.
Common use case:
- Segment based event (birthday, anniversary, tier upgrade bonus)
- Fixed benefit (weekly/monthly reward)
Event action overview
Using a Loyalty Event action requires the following steps:
Engagement actions
Engagement actions allows you to drive your customers to engage with your web store and brand and earn rewards without making a purchase.
Engagement actions are triggered by Automation Center programs. With the API, this can be any engagement on your website as defined by you. Without the API, this is dependent on a value change in a contact data field.
Engagement action overview
Common use cases for engagements:
- Write a comment
- Signup for a newsletter
- Tell us about yourself (update a contact data field)
- Sharing a post
- Updating your wishlist
Using an Loyalty Engagement action requires the following steps:
Create an event action
1. Navigate to Add-ons > Actions > Events.
Action settings
3. Enter your Action Internal Name. This name has to be unique and will not be visible to your members.
4. Enter your Action Name. This name does not have to be unique (multiple actions can have the same name), and will be visible in the Loyalty Wallet and via your Loyalty token in your campaign emails.
5. Enter a description for easier identification of your actions. This description is not visible to customers.
6. Choose an icon for your action, which will be visible in the Loyalty Wallet and via your Loyalty token in your campaign emails. We offer a set of icons in our icons library and, however, you can upload your own icons independently. For more information icons, see Loyalty actions.
Check the Wallet screenshot, how the live action name looks like.
Reward settings
7. Choose your reward for triggering the specified event. (You can enable multiple reward types, independently for each tier and new joiners.) Make sure to include a reward for each tier. Without a reward, only the standard message is displayed.
- Bonus points can be typed in immediately.
- Previously prepared Vouchers and Exclusive accesses can also be selected.
- Status upgrades include all the predefined tiers.
Content creation
8. Enter your message for the event action, which will be visible to the customer.
Add your URL here. The CTA text cannot be changed as event actions always turn up in the member's Wallet in the Redeem screen.
Check the Wallet screenshot, how the live action message looks like.
Scheduling
Event actions remain valid until their deactivation. You do not have to set a validity period for them.
By saving the event action you are ready to include it in an Automation Center program or to connect it to a benefit.
Create an Automation Center program
Navigate to Automation > Automation Programs, click Create Program and select Audience-focused journeys (Automation Center).
1. Name your program.
2. Add an entry node. In our example, we use the Recurring filter node.
Create a segment with the following criteria: Date of Birth Is today and make sure to select this segment by clicking the Segment node.
Your most often used start nodes will be the following:
- Data Change
- New contact (If all your contacts automatically become Loyalty members)
Your program should look something like this:
This program checks every contact daily and it triggers the birthday Loyalty event for those having their birthday on the current day. These contacts will receive the configured reward in their Loyalty Wallet.
Unlike the other Loyalty actions which require at least one personalization token to be inserted into an email (so the action is attached to the user to enable personalization), event actions are activated and attached to users via their automation trigger.
If you decide to send an email related to an event (e.g. birthday), you do not have to insert a personalization token, especially the message token whose content is designed to be shown in the redeem screen in the Wallet.
Event action FAQ
- How can I delete an active Event action?
Navigate to the action > Scheduling Step and look for "Deactivate". Now, you can delete the Event.
- Where can I read more about building Automation Center programs?
You can get more information on Automation Center programs in Automation Center - Overview.
Event action technical characteristics
- Objective: Reward on an event, occurrence, or goal/milestone reached
- Attachment: all contacts who receive the trigger for the action in AC
- No time limit, as long as the action is active, if the trigger conditions are met, a reward is given
- Reward is automatically attached to members Wallet (Redeem screen / My Activity)
- Automation program is required
Create an engagement action
1. Navigate to Add-ons > Actions > Engagement.
Action settings
3. Enter your Action Internal Name. This name has to be unique and will not be visible to your members.
4. Enter your Action Name. This name does not have to be unique (multiple actions can have the same name), and will be visible in the Loyalty Wallet and via your Loyalty token in your campaign emails.
5. Enter a description for easier identification of your actions. This description is not visible to customers.
6. Choose an icon for your action, which will be visible in the Loyalty Wallet and via your Loyalty token in your campaign emails. We offer a set of icons in our icons library, however, you cannot upload your own icons independently. For more information icons, see Loyalty actions.
You can select multiple events for a single action, so the customer has to complete all the selected events to be awarded (for example, Rate product and Write feedback).
Reward settings
7. Choose your reward for triggering the specified event. (You can enable multiple reward types, independently for each tier and new joiners.) Make sure to include a reward for each tier. Without a reward, only the standard message is displayed.
- Bonus points can be typed in immediately.
- Previously prepared Vouchers and Exclusive accesses can also be selected.
- Status upgrades include all the predefined tiers.
Content creation
8. Enter your message for the event action, which will be visible to the customer.
Add your CTA text and URL as well. These will appear on a related button.
Scheduling
Engagement actions can have a validity, which starts from the moment of the related campaign distribution. As soon, as the emails with the tokens are sent out, the clock is ticking.
By saving the event action, you are ready to include it in campaigns using personalization tokens and Automation Center programs.
To use the action, you need to send an email with action tokens attached. From the moment your contacts will receive the email and see it in their Wallets, the action life time starts running (action validity settings).
Create an Automation program
To trigger this action, you need to use an Automation program. This program will be triggered by an Emarsys API call. For example, when the contact rates the specified product and writes a feedback, the system gets triggered, it checks if the contact is still within the validity period and adds the reward to their Wallet.
Navigate to Automation > Automation Programs, click Create Program and select Behavior-focused journeys (Interactions).
1. Select the External Event trigger.
2. Name your program.
Your finished program should look something like this:
Distribute action tokens using a campaign editor
The last step is to distribute the action tokens via a campaign editor (e.g. email) to the relevant contacts. For more information on using the Visual Content Editor and the Loyalty Tokens, see Using emails with Loyalty tokens.
Without tokens distribution the action will not be attached to users and they will not get the reward!
Engagement action technical characteristics
- Objective: Drive an engagement .
- Attachment: Personal; only contacts receiving a message get the action.
- Time limited: The clock starts ticking when action is attached.
- One-time use: This action drives one engagement.
- New Members: This action drives non-members to join, and make an engagement within the time limit.
- An Automation Center program is required.