In this article, we will cover:
- Before you start
- What date activities are
- Creating the dates members will enter
- Creating a date activity
- Stopping a date for new members
- How members save their dates
- Where members see date activities
- How and when members earn points
- Changing or clearing a saved date
Before you start
Date activities use custom attributes to store each date, so custom attributes need to be enabled for your account before you can use them. If they aren't, date activities won't be useful to you, because there will be nowhere to store the dates.
What date activities are
Date activities are earn points activities where a member saves a date that matters to them, such as their birthday, their anniversary with your brand, a graduation date or a child's birthday. Once the date is saved, you don't need to do anything else. The member is awarded points automatically on that day each year.
Date activities are the flexible version of the Birthday Bonus and Anniversary Bonus activities. Those two only cover a birthday and an anniversary, and the year setting sits on the activity itself. With date activities, you choose which dates to use, and the year setting sits on each date. You can create as many date activities as you need, and each one can use one or more dates.
Creating the dates members will enter
Before you create a date activity, you need a date attribute for each date you want members to enter. A date attribute is a member field with the Datepicker input type. For example, you might create one called "Child's birthday" so that members can tell you when their child's birthday is.
To create one, go to Program Settings, then Attributes, and select Create Attribute. Then:
- Leave Attribute Type as Member Attribute.
- Enter the name members will see, such as "Child's birthday." You can also add a description, but it is optional.
- Set Input Type to Date.
- Tick Show to members. This is needed if you want to use the date in a date activity. Hidden dates can't be picked.
- Select Save.
The attribute then appears in your list of member attributes, with its input type shown as Datepicker and Shown to Members set to Yes.
Requiring the year
Whether a member has to enter a year is set on each date attribute, not on the activity. When you create or edit a date attribute, you'll see a Year required checkbox. If you tick it, members must enter the year for that date, and the form will tell them if they leave it out. If you leave it unticked, the year is optional.
You might want to keep the year optional unless you really need it, as it can put some members off completing the activity.
Creating a date activity
You can create a date activity from the Activities page with the Create Date Activity card. The new activity starts switched off, is worth 100 points by default and has no dates yet. You can then rename it, set its points and choose its dates.
To rename it, open the activity and go to Text Configuration. Change the Display Name to the name members will see, such as "Child's birthday," and select Save. You can also update the description and thank you text on the same tab.
Choosing the dates
On the Settings tab, use the Date Attributes picker to choose the dates the activity uses. The picker lists your date attributes. Hidden ones are greyed out and can't be picked.
If you don't see the date you need, check that it exists on the Attributes page and that Show to members is ticked.
One activity can use several dates. For example, you could use a graduation date and a child's birthday in the same activity. The same date can also be used in more than one activity, with different points for each. For example, you might give 100 points for a graduation date in one activity and 10 points for the same date in another.
Showing the activity on the dashboard
Each activity has a Show Activity in User Dashboard checkbox. Leave it ticked if members should see the activity and enter their own dates.
Untick it if the date is filled in by you or an integration rather than by the member, and you don't want members to see it on their dashboard.
Switching a date activity on
A date activity can only be switched on when it has at least one date, and none of its dates are hidden. If you try to switch it on without a date, or with a hidden one, you'll see a message explaining why and the activity stays off. You can save your changes while the activity is off.
If you hide a date attribute that an active date activity uses, that activity is switched off automatically. The change is recorded in the audit trail with your name and the reason. Showing the attribute again doesn't switch the activity back on, so you'll need to do that yourself.
If you see the message that the attribute is hidden, you have two options. Either show the attribute to members again, or remove it from the activity. Save first, then switch the activity on.
Pausing your loyalty program also pauses your date activities.
Stopping a date for new members
If you want to stop offering a date to new members, hide its date attribute on the Attributes page. Members can no longer pick that date, and the activities that use it are switched off. Members who already rewarded for that date keep their points for the year.
How members save their dates
Active date activities appear in Earn points under their display name. When a member opens one, they see a row for each date in the activity, in the order you selected them. Each row has Month, Day and Year dropdowns. The Year dropdown says "(optional)" unless you've made the year required for that date.
The Save button is only enabled once a date has changed and every changed date is complete. Only the dates the member has changed are saved, so the other rows stay as they are. After saving, the member sees a Congratulations screen with your thank you text. If they come back later, their saved dates are filled in and they can change them.
If a date needs a year and the member hasn't entered one, they'll see a message such as "Please enter the year as well." The form stays open so they can fix it.
Where members see date activities
Date activities appear on the new member dashboard. If your store uses the older member dashboard, date activities also appear there, on every theme: default, classic, modern and vivid.
The form works the same way on all of these themes. On the vivid theme, the calendar icon on the card is hidden, because that theme doesn't show card icons.
How and when members earn points
You don't need to award the points yourself. Members are awarded on the month and day of each saved date, in your store's time zone. The check runs every 15 minutes, so a member who saves today's date can be awarded the same day.
How awards work
Each date that a member has filled in can earn a reward. If one activity uses two dates and the member has filled in both, the member gets two awards. If two activities both use the same date, each activity awards it.
Points come from the activity's rules, so any frequency or exclusion rules you have set still apply.
If you set a frequency rule that allows only one reward per member, and a member has two dates in the same activity, whichever date is awarded first is the one that counts. The second date won't be awarded.
A date saved for 29 February is awarded on 28 February in years that aren't leap years.
The member's transaction history shows the activity, with the date's name as the reason.
Awarded once a year
Each member is awarded once per date, per activity, per calendar year. An activity with three dates can award a member up to three times a year.
If a member changes a date after it has been awarded, they won't be awarded again for that year. A member can change their date as often as they like, but this stops them from collecting more rewards by moving a date around.
A date in a future year isn't awarded until that year arrives.
Rewarding more than once a year
If you want a member to earn a reward more than once a year, create a separate activity for each round. For example, you could create one activity for each quarter, each with its own date attribute, and give each one its own reward. Each activity is awarded once a year on its own dates, so the quarters don't affect each other.
Please note that date activities can't be used in batch files. Points for them are only awarded through the automatic check described above.
Changing or clearing a saved date
Members can change a saved date at any time from the activity. To remove a date, they select the Clear link next to it and then Save. The form stays open after a save that only clears dates, so no Congratulations screen appears.
You can also clear a date from a member's profile. Go to Custom Attributes, select Edit, empty the date field and select Save. A cleared date isn't awarded.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding date activities, please don't hesitate to contact Technical Support at support@trueloyal.com.
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