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Earning Points common questions

Frequently asked questions about earning points for loyalty.

Updated this week

Marsello offers twelve different ways for customers to earn loyalty points at your store with your loyalty program. This guide contains answers to frequently asked questions about the different ways customers can earn points.


Making a purchase earn option

Q. If my store supports multiple currencies and how does Marsello award points for international customers?

A. If your store is set to multiple currencies, customers are awarded points based on the amount spent. For example, if your store is set to GBP and a customer in Australia purchases in AUD, the points awarded would match the value of the AUD spent. Marsello will not convert the AUD into GBP and then award points.


Q. Can I set up a secondary loyalty program in addition to the main program that will function like a collectors club for a particular line of products?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature to support a secondary loyalty program. 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. When customizing how many points are awarded for every dollar spent, can the points awarded include decimals, for example, 1.5 points for every dollar spent?

A. It is recommended to round the points awarded value to a whole number if you would prefer a specific point-to-dollar ratio.


Q. If my customer's order total is $45.50 and my points reward is 1 point for every dollar spent, will their points round up to 46?

A. Marsello doesn't round up for points reward. If your points award is set to 1 point for every dollar spent and the customer spends $45.50, the customer will receive 45 points.

If you have a more complex ratio like 1 point per $5 spent and the customer spends $12, the customer would receive 2 points.


Q. Can you authorize points to be awarded 14 days later (days are an example)?

A. Currently, this feature is not available in Marsello. 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. Is there a way for customers to still earn points on blacklisted collections but not be able to redeem rewards on for purchases that include them?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will automatically do this. However, if this is a feature you're interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest 😊

In the meantime as a workaround, you can whitelist all products that are eligible for a discount under the advanced options menu when creating a reward.


Q. Does 'do not reward points on gift card purchases' mean not award points on purchases for gift cards? Or, on a sale where someone has used a gift card as payment?

A. The 'do not reward points on gift card purchases' means that points will not be awarded when the customer purchases the gift card. Points will be awarded when the gift card is used to purchase other products. This prevents the awarding of double points when customers purchase and use the gift card.

If this option is disabled, then customers will be awarded points for the purchase of the gift card.


Q. If I create a draft order and then set it to live, will the customer earn points?

A. Points are awarded on the payment status, so if it’s a draft order and turns into Paid order, the customer will earn points.


Q. Is it possible to make signing up for loyalty optional?

A. By default, when a customer signs up or creates an account, they automatically receive a loyalty account. Currently, there isn't a way to make loyalty optional upon signup, however, if this is a feature that will benefit your store, please contact our support team. The team will be able to put through a feature request on your behalf.

In the meantime, as a potential workaround, you could disable the making a purchase earn option to prevent points from being awarded for purchases and manually award points to those customers who wish to participate in loyalty. You can keep track of these customers via a custom tag which will display on their customer account in Marsello.


Q. I've paused loyalty in my Marsello app admin, are my customer still eligible to earn points for purchases?

A. When your loyalty program is paused, customers will not be eligible to earn points or redeem rewards. However, customers will still be eligible for marketing emails.


Q. Do shipping costs count towards points earned?

A. By default eCommerce stores will award points to customers for the amount of their purchase spent on shipping. If you would prefer to disable this feature, you can do this under the Loyalty > Settings tab. One in the Settings section, scroll down to the Points Setting section and select the option "exclude points for shipping (online only)".


Q. What happens if a customer has a blacklisted item on their order along with other items that should earn points?

A. Customers will not earn points when purchasing blacklisted items. If the customer's order contains both blacklisted and non-blacklisted items, the customer will only receive points on those items which are eligible for loyalty.


Q. I've noticed that in some of my customer's accounts, under their order history, it says "No points rewarded - Order rewarding rules have not been met." What does this mean?

A. If you see a note in the customer's account under an order that reads "No points rewarded - Order rewarding rules have not been met," customers have not earned any points for this order. This could be due to items on the customer's order being blacklisted or the order hasn't yet met the payment status (for example, paid or fulfilled) in order to award points. If the order does not contain blacklisted items and has met payment requirements, please let our support team know and they will have a further look into this for you.


Q. Why do some customers in my Marsello database show that they've earned points and others do not? Everyone has made a purchase and I have my earn points for making a purchase earn option enabled.

A. There are several reasons why some customers may not have earned points. Some troubleshooting steps include:

  • Customers begin earning points in Marsello from the date the making a purchase earn option is enabled. Please check to see if the customers who have not yet earned points have purchased prior to this date.

  • Product blacklisting - confirm if you have blacklisted any products or product collections in Marsello. If so you will need to check to see if the customers who haven't yet earned points have purchased these items as blacklisted items do not earn points.

  • Points import - have you run a recent points import? If so, can you confirm the points balances on that file reflect what is in the system?

If these steps do not help, please contact our support team and provide them with the customer's name, email and order know. The team will be able to take a closer look into this for you.


Q. I am several products that I'd like to reward points for in my Acting Sustainably earn option. Can I award a different number of points per item returned?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature to reward different point values to the products eligible in the Acting Sustainably earn option. All products are awarded the same amount of points. If this is a feature you are interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest.


Q. I have enabled the acting sustainable earn option. If the sustainable product is added multiple (i.e x3) times to the one order will the customer earn the bonus points (x3 times) or just the once per order?

A. The customer will earn points for as many times as the sustainable product is added to the order.


Q. Can customers earn loyalty points for creating a wishlist online?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will allow customers to earn points for creating a wishlist. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know of your interest.


Q. Can a customer still earn points for making a purchase even if they do not have an email recorded in my database?

A. Yes, it is currently possible for customers to still earn points and participate in loyalty without having an email recorded. However, it is recommended to record the customer's email as the customer's email address serves as the unique identifier in Marsello.


Q. Is there a special earn option for customers who shop a specific brand in our range?

A. Currently, you can not setup different earning rates per brand in your product range. However, as a workaround, you could create a points promotion for a specific brand in your product range. Please note this feature is in closed beta. If you are interested in joining our closed beta group, please let our support team know.


Q. Do you have a feature where a customer can spin the wheel and earn extra loyalty points?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature where a customer can spin the wheel and earn extra loyalty points. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know.


Q. Do you have a feature where a customer will be automatically reward extra loyalty points after a set number of purchases, say 10?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will automatically reward a customer extra loyalty points on their 10th purchase. However, as a workaround, merchants on the Marsello Professional plan can create an automation to do this. It is recommended to first create a segment of customers who have made X number of purchases. From here, create a custom automation using this segment as the audience and add a points step awarding customers their bonus points.


Q. Is there a way to reward customers for the orders they have placed prior to connecting Marsello?

A. By default, Marsello rewards customers points for their purchases from the moment this feature is enabled. There isn't a feature that will automatically reward customers for historical purchases. However, you are welcome to manually reward customers for these via a points import.


Changes in Payment Status and Making a Purchase Earn Option

Q. What happens to a customer's points if they receive a store credit rather than a refund on an item(s) that they return?

A. If the customer receives store credit, their points balance will remain untouched. This is because store credit doesn't change the order's payment status.


Member Birthday

Q. For the birthday points, do customers need to redeem them via the points email they receive or is this automatically applied to their account?

A. Birthday points are automatically awarded to the customer each year on their birthday.


Q. Is it possible to award birthday points for a child's birthday rather than the parent's who is the account holder?

A. Currently, it is not possible to record children's birthdays and award points for those. The account holder's birthday must be recorded on the file and points will be awarded on the account holder's birthday.


Q. My customer has entered their birthday when completing their complete your profile earn option. That was one week ago and the customer's birthday is today. Why haven't they received their loyalty points?

A. Once customers provide their birthday through the "Complete Your Profile" option to earn points, they will not be eligible to earn points for their birthday for 30 days be default. This is a fraud prevention measure to prevent misuse of birthday rewards.

If your customer completes this earn option on July 2 and their birthday is July 1, please note the customer will not receive birthday points until the following year as points aren't rewarded retroactively.


Complete Profile

Q. Is it possible to change the gender options available in the Complete Profile form?

A. Yes, you are welcome to update the gender options to something more suitable for your brand. The gender fields can be updated via your app admin and are capped at three.


Q. Is there a way to change the format of the birthdate field under the complete your profile earn option?

A. Currently, there isn't a way to change the format of the birthdate field under this earn option. 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. Is there a system that can prevent customers from updating their profile every month to change their birthday and unlock birthday rewards?

A. The complete profile earn option can only be completed once to prevent abuse of updating the profile to earn more rewards.


Q. Is it possible to add more fields to the complete your profile earn option? Or, is it limited to only birthdate, gender, and mobile number?

A. Currently, there isn't a way to add more fields to the complete your profile earn option. 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. Is there a way to add a section to the complete your profile earn option so that the customer can let us know how they found out about our store?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will allow you to add a section to the complete your profile earn option so customers can tell you how they found out about your store. If this is a feature you are interested in, please let our support team know.


Points Expiry

Q. If I manually adjust a customer's points balance, will this reset the expiry time frame and count as the customer earning points in the same way?

A. Yes, a manual points adjustment counts as activity on the account and resets the rolling calendar for points expiry.


Q. Will the last chance points expiry go out at the time of the customer's last purchase 24 hours before the points expire? Or, will the email go out once the clock rolls over at midnight on the date prior to the points expiring?

A. Marsello runs an internal search for customers who meet the last chance points expiry criteria once a day. Those customers meeting the criteria at this time will enter the last chance flow and receive notice that their points are about to expire. If the account shows no activity within 24 hours of that email, the customer's points will expire.


Q. Is there a way to set all customer point balances in Marsello to 0 in one step?

A. Yes, this can be done using the Points Import tool on the customer page. You will need to create a .csv file containing the following columns customer's export ID or email and points column. Add a 0 to each row in the points column. When you upload this file, the customers whose export IDs or emails are included will see their points balances set back to 0.


Q. If a retailer were to update their points expiry from 6 months to 1 year, does that automatically update the expiration date across all customers (including ones that were set to expire this week?)

A. Yes, changing the points expiry from 6 months to 1 year will automatically update the expiration date across all customers.


Q. If I enable the points expiry feature and notifications today and set points to expire at the one-year mark, would I see the first notification emails go out today or one year from today?

A. Any customer who hasn't had activity past the threshold will automatically expire without notification. Those customers who are one day away from the threshold will receive a Last Chance email and those that are 30 days away from the threshold will receive a Reactivation email.


Q. What's the difference between the points expiry merge tags

  • ##{{points_expiry_delay}}

  • ​##{{points_expiry_days_left}}

A. The difference between the points expiry merge tags is:

  • ##{{points_expiry_delay}} - will show how many days after the automation is enabled the expiry will actually start kicking in

  • ​##{{points_expiry_days_left}} will show the number of days before their points expire.

This essentially gives all customers who are currently going to expire x many days' notice before they are wiped. Otherwise, they would expire all their points on the spot.


Q. Can I add the merge tag {{points_expiry_days_left}} to the subject line of my points expiry series emails?

A. Yes, you can add the merge tag {{points_expiry_days_left}} to the subject line of your points expiry series email. Please note that this tag will not trigger if it is added to the subject line of an email campaign.


Q. Can I change the date format of the birthdate entry from dd/mm/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature which will change the date formatting of birthdate entry from dd/mm/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy. If this is a feature you are interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know of your interest.


Q. Do loyalty points expire?

A. By default loyalty points don't expire, however, merchants do have the option to enable a points expiry feature for their program. The points expiry feature will expire points on a rolling calendar basis at the 6 months, 1-year or 2-year mark.


Social Media

Q. Does Facebook's terms prohibit Marsello's earning points option of customers liking merchant's retail pages on Facebook?

A. Due to API limitations through social media platforms, Marsello is unable to tell if a customer likes or follows a page. The customer needs to go through the Marsello widget to link back to the social media site in order for points to be awarded. Retailers can still reward points for visiting the social media site and the end customer is only awarded for this action once. Merchants are able to customize the headings of these earn options within the loyalty widget.


Q. Do we have an earn option for following a Facebook page?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature that will reward customers points for following a page on Facebook. 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. For merchants who only have physical store locations, is there any way for them to set up points earned for liking Facebook?

A. The earned points email will still give customers access to all of the features of the loyalty widget via the check rewards button. From here, a customer could still select the like on Facebook option from the widget and earn points.


Product Reviews

Q. Is the earn option for product reviews only for Shopify & BigCommerce?

A. Yes, product reviews work with Shopify (available from the app store) and BigCommerce (built into the BigCommerce integration).


Q. Is there a way a customer can leave a product review for items that are only available in-store?

A. Unless the items are online, there isn't currently a feature that will allow you to do this. Please let our support team know if this is a feature of interest to your business.


Q. Can a customer earn points for leaving a review on a product they haven't purchased?

A. Customers may only earn points on those products they have purchased.


Q. I'd like to reward customers for leaving a review on TrustPilot, do you have an integration?

A. Currently, there isn't an integration that will allow you to automatically reward customers for leaving a review on TrustPilot. If this is an integration you are interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know.


Earning Points Automation

Q. Will customers receive Points Earned emails once they complete any loyalty earning option?

A. If the points earned automation is enabled, customers will receive emails upon completing any loyalty earn option.


Integrations

Q. I am using a 3rd party integration to help manage my store sales, credits, and gift cards. Will customers still earn points if I connect Marsello?

A. As long as the third-party integration syncs orders into one of the eCommerce and POS platforms Marsello is integrated with, the orders should sync across to Marsello. You will also need to ensure that the "Making a purchase" earn option is enabled in your Marsello loyalty dashboard. Please note that this is not a guarantee that all points balances will be current as it is not a true integration with the third-party app. If the app changes the order payment status, this may not be communicated to Marsello and points will not be adjusted accordingly.

If you are using a third-party integration, please let our support team know and they will be able to mark this as an integration request for our product team's review.


Q. Are you integrated with any apps or do you have a feature that would host a customer's wish list allowing them to earn additional points?

A. Currently, there isn't a feature or an integration that would host a customer's wish list and reward them with loyalty points. If this is a feature you are interested in, please reach out to our support team and let them know.


Marketing your loyalty program

Q. Do you have any recommendations on ways we can explain how to use the loyalty program to our customers?

A. Adding a loyalty program information page to your website can be an easy way for your customers to find out how they can join your loyalty program, earn points, redeem rewards, and more. This handy help center guide contains a template to help explain your loyalty program to your customers.


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