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How to use Customer Loyalty & Reward Points

Updated

Customer Loyalty Programs reward customers with points for purchases, which they can redeem on future orders. Configure how customers earn and use loyalty points to encourage repeat business.

Note: The Loyalty Rewards Points module is an advanced add-on that requires installation. Contact Pulse Commerce Support if you don't have this feature but are interested in obtaining it.
⚙️ Configuring Loyalty Points Settings

1Go to Settings > General Settings > Display Settings.

2Locate the Customer Loyalty Rewards Percentage setting.

3Enter the percentage of each purchase that converts to loyalty points.

For example, if set to 5% and a customer places an order for $120.35:

  • $120.35 × 0.05 = 6.02 points
  • The customer receives 6 loyalty points

4Locate the Customer Loyalty Rewards Minimum Redemption Amount setting.

5Enter the minimum number of points required before customers can redeem them.

For example, if set to 20, customers must accumulate at least 20 points before they can use them on orders.

6Click Update to save changes.

Important: Each loyalty point is treated as $1.00 when redeemed. If a customer has 25 points, they can apply $25.00 toward their next order.
👤 Viewing and Managing Customer Points

1Go to Customers > Search Customers.

2Find the customer and click their Customer Number to view their profile.

3The customer's current loyalty point balance is displayed in the Advanced Settings section under Reward Points ($).

4Click the Reward Points tab to view the complete points history, including:

  • Date and time of each point transaction
  • Order number associated with points earned or redeemed
  • Adjusted points (positive for earned, negative for redeemed)
  • Admin user who created the adjustment
  • Notes about the adjustment

Manually Adjusting Points

To manually add or deduct points:

1From the customer view page, click Edit Customer.

2In the Advanced Settings section, update the Reward Points ($) field.

3Click Save Changes.

Tip: Use manual adjustments to correct point balances, issue promotional bonus points, or compensate customers for service issues.
💳 How Customers Redeem Points

Storefront Redemption

Customers can view their available reward points on their account page and apply them as a payment method during checkout.

At checkout:

  • Customers see their available point balance
  • They select Loyalty Points as a payment method
  • Points are applied as a dollar-for-dollar credit ($1 per point)
  • If the order total exceeds their points balance, they must select an additional payment method for the remaining balance

Admin Order Entry

When creating orders for customers in the admin panel, you can manually apply their loyalty points as payment.

1The Loyalty Rewards Redeemed will show how many points are available

2Update the Loyalty Rewards Redeemed field with the amount you want to add.

Note: Customers must have at least the minimum redemption amount (configured in settings) before they can use their points.
⚠️ Known Limitations and Considerations

Returns and Point Adjustments

Customer reward points are not automatically subtracted when returns are created. If a customer earned points on an order and then returns items from that order, you must manually adjust their point balance to deduct the points.

To adjust points after a return:

1Calculate the points earned on the returned items based on your loyalty percentage.

2Go to the customer record and click Edit Customer.

3Subtract the calculated points from the Reward Points ($) field.

4Click Save Changes.

Point Expiration

By default, loyalty points do not expire. If you want to implement point expiration policies, contact Pulse Commerce Support to discuss custom configuration options.

Excluded Products

All products earn loyalty points based on your configured percentage. If you need to exclude specific products or categories from earning points, contact Pulse Commerce Support for custom configuration.

Critical: Always manually adjust customer points when processing returns to ensure accurate point balances. This prevents customers from keeping points for items they returned.

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