Loyalty Program Setup
Brother POS includes a built-in loyalty program that lets customers earn points on every purchase and redeem them for rewards. This page covers how to enable the program, configure the earning rate, and understand how points and redemptions flow through the system.
Overview
The loyalty program has four main components:
- Points earning -- Customers earn points based on how much they spend. You control the rate.
- Tiers -- Customers progress through tiers (e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) as they spend more, unlocking better earning rates and discounts. See Loyalty Tiers.
- Rewards -- You configure rewards that customers can redeem using their points (discounts, free products, store credit). See Rewards.
- Redemption -- Cashiers redeem rewards at the POS during checkout. See Loyalty Points & Tiers (POS).
Enabling the Loyalty Program
Step-by-Step
- Log in to the Admin Panel at
yourstore.brotherpos.ca/admin. - Navigate to Settings > Edit Settings > General tab.
- Find the Loyalty Program section.
- Toggle Loyalty Enabled to On.
- Click Save.
When loyalty is enabled:
- Customers earn points on every completed sale where a customer account is attached.
- Loyalty tier badges are displayed on customer profiles at the POS and in the admin panel.
- The rewards redemption interface becomes available at the POS during checkout.
- Loyalty-related fields appear in customer management views.
When loyalty is disabled:
- No points are earned on any sale.
- Tier badges and points balances are hidden from the POS interface.
- The rewards redemption button does not appear at checkout.
- Existing customer points and tiers are preserved in the database but not displayed or used.
Turning off the loyalty program hides it from the interface but does not delete any customer points or tier assignments. If you re-enable the program later, all accumulated points and tiers will reappear exactly as they were.
Configuring the Points Rate
The points per dollar rate determines how many loyalty points a customer earns for each dollar they spend.
Setting the Rate
-
In Settings > Edit Settings > General tab, find the Loyalty Points Per Dollar field.
-
Enter the desired rate. Common configurations:
Rate Meaning Example ($50 sale) 1.0 1 point per $1 spent 50 points earned 2.0 2 points per $1 spent 100 points earned 0.5 1 point per $2 spent 25 points earned 10.0 10 points per $1 spent 500 points earned -
Click Save.
Points are calculated per line item based on the discounted line item total (pre-tax), then summed. The tier multiplier is applied to the total. The formula is:
Points Earned = Sum(discounted line item total x Points Per Dollar x campaign multiplier) x Tier Multiplier
The result is rounded to the nearest whole number.
A rate of 1.0 (1 point per dollar) is the simplest and most intuitive for customers. If you want rewards to feel more attainable, use a higher rate like 10.0 -- earning "500 points" feels more rewarding than "50 points" even if the underlying value is the same. Just adjust your reward costs accordingly.
How Points Are Earned
Points are earned automatically when all of the following conditions are met:
- Loyalty is enabled in store settings.
- A customer account is attached to the sale.
- The sale is completed (payment fully processed).
- The sale is not voided.
The Earning Flow
- Cashier attaches a customer to the sale at the POS.
- Cashier completes the sale (processes payment).
- Brother POS calculates points per line item (discounted line total x points per dollar), sums them, and applies the tier multiplier.
- Points are added to the customer's balance.
- A loyalty transaction record is created (type: "earn") with the before/after balance.
- The system checks if the customer now qualifies for a tier upgrade.
- If a tier upgrade is triggered, the customer's tier is updated automatically.
What Affects Point Calculations
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Sale total | Higher totals earn more points |
| Points per dollar rate | Set by admin in store settings |
| Tier multiplier | Higher tiers earn points faster (e.g., Gold = 1.5x) |
| Discounts | Points are calculated on the discounted total, not the pre-discount amount |
| Tax | Points are calculated on line item totals, which are pre-tax (after discounts). Tax is NOT included in points calculations. |
| Payment method | No effect -- all payment methods earn the same points |
| Returns/voids | No points are earned on voided sales. Returns automatically deduct loyalty points (see note below). |
When a return is processed, points are deducted based on the returned subtotal multiplied by the customer's current tier multiplier, using a fixed rate of 1 point per dollar (not the configured points per dollar rate). The deduction will not reduce points below zero. For example, if a Gold-tier customer (1.5x multiplier) returns $20 worth of products, 30 points are deducted.
Loyalty Transaction History
Every time points are earned, redeemed, or adjusted, a loyalty transaction record is created. These records provide a complete audit trail of all loyalty activity for each customer.
Transaction Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Earn | Points added from a completed sale |
| Redeem | Points spent on a reward at checkout |
| Adjustment | Manual points adjustment by a manager or admin |
Each transaction records:
- Transaction type
- Points change (positive for earn/add, negative for redeem/deduct)
- Points balance before and after
- Associated sale (if applicable)
- Description text
- Timestamp
Viewing Transaction History
Loyalty transaction records are stored in the database for each customer. However, the customer show page in the admin panel does not currently display loyalty transaction history. Transaction data is recorded in the system for each customer.
Manual Points Adjustments
Manual points adjustments are not available through the admin interface. Contact Brother POS support if you need to adjust a customer's points balance.
The adjustment model supports:
- Correcting errors (e.g., points not earned due to forgotten customer attachment)
- Compensating for service issues
- Promotional point bonuses
You cannot adjust a customer's balance below zero. If you try to deduct more points than the customer has, the adjustment will be rejected with an error. To zero out a customer's balance, deduct exactly the number of points they currently have.
Category-Level Loyalty Settings
Individual product categories can be configured to be loyalty eligible or not. By default, all categories are eligible.
If a category is marked as not loyalty eligible:
- Products in that category still appear in the sale and are charged normally.
- However, the sale amount attributed to those products does not count toward loyalty point calculations.
This is useful for categories like "Gift Cards" or "Accessories" where you may not want to award loyalty points.
To configure category loyalty eligibility:
- Navigate to Products > Categories.
- Edit the category.
- Toggle the Loyalty Eligible setting.
- Save.
Integration with WooCommerce
If your store uses the WooCommerce integration, loyalty points can be synced to your online store. Brother POS handles pushing customer loyalty data to WooCommerce, enabling a unified loyalty experience across in-store and online purchases.
This integration is configured separately. See your WooCommerce integration settings for details.
Recommended Configuration
Here is a typical starting configuration for a new loyalty program:
| Setting | Recommended Value | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Loyalty Enabled | On | Enable from day one to start building customer loyalty |
| Points Per Dollar | 1.0 | Simple and intuitive for customers and staff |
| Bronze tier | Level 0, $0 minimum, 1.0x multiplier, 0% discount | Base tier for all new customers |
| Silver tier | Level 1, $500 minimum, 1.25x multiplier, 2% discount | Achievable within a few months for regular customers |
| Gold tier | Level 2, $1,500 minimum, 1.5x multiplier, 5% discount | Meaningful reward for loyal customers |
| Platinum tier | Level 3, $5,000 minimum, 2.0x multiplier, 10% discount | Top tier for your best customers |
Pair this with rewards at various point thresholds (see Rewards) so customers have something to work toward.
Best Practices
- Enable loyalty from the start. Even if you have not configured tiers or rewards yet, enabling loyalty means customers start accumulating points immediately. You can add tiers and rewards later.
- Communicate the program to customers. Post the points rate and reward options near the register so customers know what they are earning.
- Keep the points rate simple. A rate of 1 point per dollar is easiest for everyone to understand.
- Review the program quarterly. Check how many customers are redeeming rewards and whether the program is driving repeat visits. Adjust thresholds and rewards as needed.
- Train your cashiers. Make sure all cashiers know to ask customers if they have a loyalty account before completing a sale. Missed loyalty attachments mean unhappy customers.
What's Next?
- Loyalty Tiers -- Configure tier thresholds, multipliers, and discounts.
- Rewards -- Create rewards customers can redeem with their points.
- Store Credits Admin -- Issue and manage store credits.
- Loyalty Points & Tiers (POS) -- How loyalty works from the cashier's perspective.