A VIP Program is an effective way to track your best customers and incentivize them to come back through exclusive rewards and tier expiry. This guide contains answers to frequently asked questions around VIP tiers and a VIP program.

Q: For existing merchants who are looking to set up an annual VIP tier expiry for the first time, will the initial entry criteria be based on a customer's total historical spend or the amount that the customer spent this year (2023)?

A. The calculation takes into account the account's settings, if you choose expiry to be annual, tiers will expire based on the year-to-date spend. If you do not choose this, it will default to lifetime spend.

Q. What determination is used in order for the customer to be moved to a higher tier?

A. Currently, VIP tiers are based on the customers' total points collected or lifetime points.

Q. If a merchant has a tiered VIP structure and a customer moves down to a lower tier, will this customer go back up to the higher tier if they earn enough points or will they be stuck?

A. If the customer is manually moved from tier to tier, the customer will be ‘sticky’ to that tier. This means the customer will belong to that tier going forward and will not move up. If the customer moved tiers due to tier expiry and earns enough points to level up, the customer will automatically move tiers.

Q. Can Marsello VIP Tiers be created as Tags in Shopify Plus?

A. Currently, Marsello VIP Tiers cannot be created as Tags in Shopify Plus. However, if this is a feature you're interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest 😊

Q. Outside of the standard VIP automation, is there a way to customize messages based on which tier a member is in? For example, if the member was a few points away from leveling up in tiers, could you notify them to encourage a purchase?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature for custom VIP notifications. However, if this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know of your interest.

Q. If I disable my VIP program so that I can restructure and then delete a tier, will those customers already in that tier remain at that tier status or will they refresh to my new structure?

A. Customer tier status will refresh on the next tier sync after re-enabling your program. Please contact our support team if you do not see the tier status refresh within 24 hours after re-enabling.

Q. If I import my customer list and include the customer's tier in my import, does the VIP tier program have to be enabled for the tier level to sync across?

A. Yes, your VIP program needs to be enabled prior to importing a list of customers with preset tiers.

Q. If I have tier expiry enabled, based on the support guide tiers will expire in January. What will happen to those customers who sign up for the VIP tier in June. Will these customers expire out of the tier in June or January?

A. All VIP tier customers will expire out of their current tier in January if they do not meet the requirement to stay in the tier.

Q. I'd like to update my VIP tiers program and add a few more tiers. Does this have any impact on my existing VIPs?

A. If you add more tiers to an existing VIP tier program, there is a 7-day cooling off period to ensure the updates are final. This cooling-off period will pause your VIP program for 7 days. Upon re-enablement of your program, all VIP tier customers will be reviewed by the system to ensure they are in the correct tier.

Q. I do not have the tier expiry feature enabled and have decided to manually reset all my customer points balances to 0. Does this mean my customer VIP tiers will be reset as well?

A. As long as the tier expiry feature is disabled when you manually reset your customer points, customers may drop see a change in tier status. The manual change in customer lifetime points could mean their lifetime points balance does not match their current tier entry conditions.

Q. Will customers be automatically notified of a tier change if I manually change their level?

A. Customers will not receive the VIP tier entry automation if their tier is changed manually. Notifications about changes to VIP tiers are sent only when the VIP tier entry automation is enabled, and the customer has accumulated enough lifetime points to qualify for the tier.

Q. When we set our VIP tier program live, will it backtrack all purchases from the previous year to give our customers their tiers?

A. Currently, the VIP tier program does not retroactively count historical sales toward a customer's entry into the next VIP tier. The program only tracks sales from the moment the tier is enabled.

Q. Regarding VIP tier expiry, I understand that customers need to meet the entry requirements for their tier each year to retain their status. Does this mean that a customer's tier will be recalculated at the start of the following year based on their activity from the previous year? If so, how are customers who join a higher tier later in the year affected?

A. Customers must maintain the entry requirements of their VIP tier to retain their status. Regardless of when a customer joins a VIP tier (whether in January or October), they will remain in that tier (unless promoted) until the end of the year they joined and for the entirety of the following year. For example, if a customer joins the Silver tier in October 2024, they will remain in that tier for the rest of 2024 and all of 2025. Their tier status will be recalculated on January 1, 2026.

Q. If a VIP tier requires an annual spend of $1,000, and a customer who spent $1,000 in 2025 was manually added to the VIP tier today—but hasn't made a purchase yet in 2025—would they be downgraded to a regular tier on January 1, 2026, or remain in the VIP tier for 2026?

A. The VIP program includes a setting that allows you to lock a customer into a tier when manually adding them. If this option is not selected, the customer will move between tiers based on their spend and your VIP tier settings.

Q. Is it possible to edit the names of my VIP tiers?

A. Yes, it is possible to edit the name of each tier via the drop-down menu next to the tier's edit rewards button. This button will provide you with additional options to customize and name the tier. Please note that once any changes are made, you will be subject to a 7-day cooling off period during which no further changes can be made.

Q. How many VIP tiers can be created?

A. There is no limit as to how many VIP tiers can be created.

Q. How can I go about adding a new VIP tier to my program?

A. To add a new VIP tier to your loyalty program, go to Loyalty > VIP Tiers and select the Add a new tier button. This will open a popup form where you will be able to name your tier, add a points entrance requirement and customize the earning points rule for this tier.

Q. Can I edit the name of the base tier?

A. Yes, it is possible to edit the name of the base tier via the “Edit Member Rewards” button. Here you will see a down arrow, which has additional options & where you can get the name of your tier.

Q. Is it possible to have a paid membership for VIP tiers?

A. Currently, Marsello does not have a feature that supports a paid membership program for VIP tiers. However, if this is a feature of interest, please contact our support team and let them know of your interest.

Q. Can I set up my base tier to reward like this $50 = 1.5 points?

A. You can set up their earning points ratio to be decimal amounts on the dollar side but not the points side. For example, you could set your VIP program to look like this:

Q. Is it possible to update the way the VIP tier displays on the loyalty widget to be all caps?

A. Yes, it is possible to display the VIP tier name in all caps on the widget. Please note the display name from the widget is pulled directly from your Tiers program. You will need to edit your Tiers here to be in all caps.

Q. Can I auto-assign customers to a VIP tier when they purchase from a specific segment?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will auto-assign customers to a VIP tier once they purchase from a specific segment. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know.

Q. How do I change the amount of points needed to enter my VIP tiers?

A. To update the points required for VIP tier entry:

Important Notes:

Scroll down to locate the VIP Tier Settings, where you can adjust the points earned per year requirement.

Q. If a customer enters a VIP tier, do they need to click tiers to access those VIP rewards?

A. Customers need to click into the VIP tier itself to view the available rewards.

Q. If a customer enters a VIP tier, do they need to click tiers to access those VIP rewards? Or should those VIP rewards show up on the reward ladder for the customer to claim?

A. Customers currently need to click into the VIP tier itself to view the rewards.

Q. Is it possible to set tier rewards live for my POS site and hide them on my eCommerce site?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature allowing you to select the site locations where tier-exclusive rewards are available. Our VIP Program is designed to work across all channels, providing a consistent experience for customers whether they shop online or in-store. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know of your interest.

Q. Is there a feature that will expire customers from their VIP tier if their current loyalty balance drops below the points threshold due to a return?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will expire customers from their current VIP tier if their loyalty points balance drops below the tier threshold due to a return. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know of your interest.

Q. Is it possible to assign customers to a VIP tier based on the customer's loyalty points in the moment instead of when they hit a specific points threshold?

A. Currently, it is not possible to assign customers to a VIP tier based on the customer's loyalty points in the moment instead of when they hit a specific points threshold.

Q. Is there a way I can create an automatic discount for customers in each specific VIP tier.

A. Currently, there isn't a a feature that will auto-apply a discount to customer orders for being in a specific VIP tier. If this is a feature you are interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest.

Q. Can I create a birthday reward per VIP tier?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will allow you to create a different birthday reward for customers based on their VIP tier. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know.

Q. Can I auto-award customers a free gift upon entering a VIP tier?

A. Currently, there isn't an automatic reward for VIP tier entry. However, you can reward customers by enabling VIP tier entry automation and adding a discount block to the email. This lets you offer a 0 points cost reward when they level up into the VIP tier.

Q. Are VIP tier entry emails considered transactional or marketing?

A. If the VIP tier entry is sent via an email automation it is considered transactional, if it is sent via a custom automation, it is marketing.

Q. Is it possible to edit or update the discount settings of the Referral discount?

A. Currently, it is only possible to change the discount type and title. There isn't currently a feature to exclude certain collections or products from the referral discount. However, if this is a feature you're interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest 😊

Q. I am manually assigning customers to their VIP tier and noticed the VIP tier entry email is not triggering. Is this expected behavior?

A. Yes, this is expected behavior. When customers are manually assigned to the VIP Tier, the email automation will not trigger. If you would like customers to receive an email when manually assigning, you could create a custom segment for that tier which will send an email once the customer is manually updated to the tier.

Q. If I run a manual points adjustment for customers so their points balance matches the VIP tier entry points requirements, will the VIP tier entry automation trigger?

A. The VIP tier entry automation will trigger when a manual points adjustment is made if the check box to send emails is manually selected when the adjustment is made.

Q. Is it possible to create tier rewards that are available online and not in-store?

A. Currently it is not possible to create a tier reward exclusive to a store site (eCommerce vs. in-store). If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know.

Q. Is it possible to include the customer's VIP tier in the customer download?

A. Currently, the customer's VIP tier is not included on the customer export. If this is a feature you'd like to see, please reach out to our support team and let them know.

Q. Is there a tier notification available where a customer will be able to view the benefits they will receive once they reach the next tier?

A. Currently there isn't a VIP notification available where a customer will be able to view the benefits of reaching the next tier. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know.

In the meantime, you could look at creating a loyalty explainer page where you will be able to provide customers with more details about your VIP program.

Q. If I were to create an exclusive VIP-only reward, can these be redeemed via Bopple?

A. Yes, tiered rewards will appear in Bopple.

Q. Is it possible to automatically have my customers' tier status sync across to my customer groups in Lightspeed Retail (X-Series)?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will automatically update your customer groups in Lightspeed X-Series to match the customer's VIP tier in Marsello. If this is a feature you are interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest.

Q. Is it possible for a Shopify store using both POS and eCommerce to grant customers access to VIP tiers based on spend rather than points earned?

A. No, this is not currently possible. Even if the "earning points for purchases" option is disabled, VIP tier entry is still determined by total spend (either per year or all-time). This means customers will continue to move up and down tiers based on their spending, not points.

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