Loyalty Opt-in

The Opt-in mechanism allows you to differentiate between customers who choose to be in your loyalty program ("opted in") and those who have not ("opted out".) Making this distinction allows for more targeted reporting, and decreased liability, and promotes brand exclusivity.
Additionally, all opted-in customers will automatically be enrolled into your base tier.

Opt-in global settings

The global setting determines the behavior of your opt-in program. These settings can be changed by going to Settings > Loyalty Opt-in Rule.

There are three options you can choose from: 

Changing the Default Setting

If you update your opt-in rule, your existing customers will not be affected. The new rule will only be applied to customers who join after the rule was changed.

In order to change the default opt-in rule, do the following:

1. Log in to your Loyalty & Referrals Admin.
2. Click Settings.
3. Scroll down to find the setting Loyalty Opt-in Rule.
4.  Select the rule you want from the menu.
5. Click Save.

Ways to opt-in

There are several ways a user can opt in, depending on your global settings.

Platform Account

If your global setting is set to Platform account, your customers can opt-in:

1. By creating an account on your site.
2. When purchasing a VIP tier.
3. By referring a friend - this is the default setting. To learn how to change the setting, click here.
4. You may also opt-in customers with the import feature or set up a custom logic via the API.
   Important!

   When importing a customer, the opt-in status overrides any existing status.

All Customers (Default)

If your global setting is All Customers:

All customers who interact with your Loyalty & Referrals program will be opted in. For example, signing up for a newsletter, referring a friend, or participating in a campaign.

All customers who take any action that would register them as a customer in your e-commerce platform. For example: checking out as a guest

Ways to opt-in: API

If your global setting is API only:

1. The primary way to opt-in customers is via the API.
2. Purchasing a VIP tier will automatically opt the customer into the program.
3. Referring a friend will automatically opt the referrer into the program. (This is the default setting, however, this settingc an be customized) 

   Opted in vs. Opted out

   This table describes the actions a customer can take in an opted-in versus opted-out state. 

   Action	Opted In	Opted Out	Opted Out and referring friends
   Can Earn Points?	Yes	No	Only from referring a friend
   Can enter VIP tiers?	Yes	No	No
   Can redeem points for discounts?	Yes	No	Yes
   Can use Coupons?	Yes	Yes	Yes
   Can use referred-friend coupon?	Yes	Yes	Yes
   Gets loyalty related emails?	Yes	No	No

   Changing opt-in status via CSV import

   You can manually opt customers in or out via the Import Customers page. Please reach out to customer support or your account manager to receive expert guidance on completing this action.
   Visit Import Customers From CSV, and follow the instructions for uploading a CSV file. There are two fields relevant to opt-In.
   Consequences of opting out

   Please note opting out a customer means they will lose their points, VIP tier status, and all in-progress perks.
   If they re-opt in, nothing will be restored. See more about what happens when you opt out a customer.

   Opt In Status Field (0 or 1)

   Designate a column in your CSV to indicate the customer's Opt-In status. It is a binary field that can read either 0 or 1.
   0 = Opt out
   1 = Opt in
   
   The status you set will override any existing status.

   Opt In Status Field (if left blank)

   If the Opt In Status field is left blank, your global setting will determine the outcome. Opt-In Status Field: Platform Account (Default)
   Opt In Status Field: Platform Account (Default)

   • When importing new customers with a blank Opt in status field:
     - Customers will be set to "opted out." They will not earn points due to this import.  
   • When importing existing customers that are opted out with blank Opt in status field:
     - Customers will stay opted out and will not earn any points due to the import. 
   • When importing existing customers that are opted in with blank Opt in status field:
     - Customers will stay opted in and will earn points due to the impo
   Opt In Status Field: All Customers

   • Importing new or existing customers with blank Opt in status field:
     - Customers will be opted in. Points will be added due to import.  
   • Importing new or existing customers with Opt in status field set to false (0):
     - The customers will be opted out and will not earn points due to import. 
   Opt In Status Field: API only (Exact same behavior as "Platform Account")

   • When importing new customers with a blank Opt in status field:
     - Customers will be set to "opted out." They will not earn points due to this import.  
   • When importing existing customers that are opted out with blank Opt in status field:
     - Customers will stay opted out and will not earn any points due to the import. 
   • When importing existing customers that are opted in with blank Opt in status field:
     - Customers will stay opted in and will earn points due to the import

Opt In Date Field (iso8601)

Enter the date you want to appear as the customer's opt-in date in this format: YYYY-MM-DD

Opt in via API

You may choose to use the API to opt customers in or out, regardless of your global settings 

Opt in with API

You can check a customer's opt-in status with this call: 

• Fetch customer details
  This endpoint returns a customer record with the parameter opt_in

You can update a customer's opt-in status with this call:

• Create/Update customer records
  Relevant Parameters:
  • has_account (boolean)
  • opted_in (boolean)
  • opted_in_at (date)

When you send Yotpo a new customer via API, you can also indicate whether this customer should be opted in with opted_in = true

• Create order
  When you send Yotpo a new order via API, you can also indicate whether this customer should be opted in 

What happens when a customer is opted out?

• The points balance is zeroed out 
• Customer is dropped out of any VIP tier to no tier (including paid membership)
• Delayed perks are canceled
• In-progress perks are canceled (for example, Goal Spend campaign or Punch Card campaign)
• If the customer gets re-opted, their points and VIP status will not be restored

Related settings

Customers section

There are two fields in your Loyalty Customer section:

• Loyalty Status (either: "Loyalty Member" or "Non Member") 
• Opt In Date - The date the customer opted in. If the customer has opted out and back in again, it will display the most recent opt-in date.

"Referring customers automatically opted in" setting

By default, Referring a friend will automatically opt in the referrer. To control this setting:

1. In the Yotpo Loyalty & Referrals main menu, go to Settings > General Settings

2. Locate the Referring customers are automatically opted into loyalty setting

Choose either:

• Yes (default) - Customers who refer a friend are opted into your loyalty program upon entering their email address
• No - Even if a customer refers a friend, they will not be opted in (but will continue to collect perks for referral-related actions)

VIP tier settings

"Include Actions Pre Opt-in" Setting

You can choose to count purchases made before the opt-in date towards entering a spend-based VIP tier (tiers with "amount spent" or "purchases made" thresholds.) once a customer opts in.

To locate the setting:

Open Loyalty & Referrals Programs tab 

1. Click VIP Tiers.
2. Open Advanced Settings.
3. Locate "Include Actions Pre Opt-In" checkbox.
   Choose between two options:

• Checked Box - Count all purchases the customer made starting from the tier period start date, regardless of the customer's opt-in date
  
  
• Unchecked Box - Only start counting purchases towards entering spend-based campaigns after the customer's opt-in date 

Opt-In and Paid VIP tiers

A customer who is opted out cannot earn a VIP tier. However, a customer who is opted out still has the option to purchase a paid VIP tier, because this action automatically opts them in. 

Reports

Use your Loyalty Reports to gather the most relevant data about your business. All of the below reports include opt-in/opt-out date.

• Segments 
  • You can include only customers with a platform account by using the filter:
    Has Platform Account = Is Yes
  • You can include only customers who are opted in by using the filter:
    Loyalty Member = Is Yes
• Dashboards
  You can filter to only include only customers who are opted in by using the filter: Only Loyalty Members = Is Yes. This filter is available on the following dashboards:
  • ROI dashboard
  • VIP Tiers dashboard
  • Loyalty Performance dashboard
  • Referral performance

ESPs

ESP Attributes

• Loyalty_opt_in_date
  Use this if you only want to email members who have been a part of your program for a certain amount of time, for example, either very new loyalty members or long-time members.
  
  
• Loyalty_opt_in (changes based on opt in status)
  If you want to send an email to loyalty members only, use the attribute: Loyalty_opt_in = yes

ESP Events

• Loyalty_opt_in 
• Loyalty_opt_out  
  Use these events if you want to send an email only once to welcome someone to the program or to notify them that they have opted out. 

FAQ