Create a segment-based reward campaign
Outlined below are details regarding creating a reward campaign.
A segment-based reward campaign involves three key components:
Segment creation: Build a segment containing the profiles eligible for the reward. Segments can be dynamic or static, depending on your targeting needs.
Dynamic segments update automatically as guests meet or no longer meet the criteria.
Static segments contain a fixed list of profiles.
Reward assignment: Assign the reward rule to the segment. When you publish the segment, the system evaluates profiles and applies rewards automatically.
Segment trigger: The reward rule must have a segment issuance trigger configured. Rewards will only be issued to guests who meet the segment criteria and when the reward is marked as active.
Communication of the reward
Rewards can be communicated via email, which may include:
Redemption links directly in the email.
Instructions to log into the guest portal for redemption.
When configuring the email, select the correct template and language from the drop-down menu.
📌Note: All rewards appear in the Guest Portal automatically, even if you do not configure an email notification.
Build a segment-based reward campaign
Follow the steps below to build a segment-based reward campaign.
From the left navigation menu, click Loyalty Setup and click Reward Formula Setup.
Click Add Reward Formula or select an existing reward to edit.
Complete the general information fields:
Reward code – Unique internal identifier.
Reward type – Select the appropriate reward type.
Internal reward name the name is visible to internal users.
External reward name the name is displayed to all users.
Membership tiers – Select eligible tiers.
Max earning – Maximum times the reward can be issued per profile.
Email template – Check this box to enable email notifications.
In the campaign configuration section, set issuance trigger to Segment.
Check the Active box to enable reward issuance.
Click Save and Close.
From the left navigation menu, click Loyalty Setup and click Reward Formula Setup.
Locate the reward in the reward formula setup list from the email notification template dropdown, select has email template configured.
Click Edit to modify your email template as needed.
Click Save and Close.
🤓Tip: Use personalization tags in your email template to personalize the message for each guest.
From the left navigation menu, click Campaign Management Tools, click Segments and click New or select an existing segment to edit.
In the details tab, enter:
Name – Descriptive name for the segment for example Birthday This Month.
Alias – Auto-generates or manually set a URL-friendly identifier.
Description – Optional explanation of the segment's purpose.
Public segment – Set to Yes to enable segment usage in campaigns and contact preferences.
Available in preference center – Set to No. All segments with segment-based rewards should have this set to No so that guests cannot self-identify to be in the segment and issue themselves rewards.
Published – Set to Yes when ready to activate the segment.
Click Add Filter to add filter conditions:
Select the field to filter on for example contact field value, contact tags or contact campaigns.
Choose the operator: equals, not equals or contains.
Enter the filter value.
Add multiple filters as needed.
Example segment filters:
Membership tier – Filter by specific loyalty tier levels.
Birthday month – Target guests with birthdays in a specific month.
Last stay date – Target guests who haven't stayed recently.
Stay count – Target guests with a certain number of stays.
In the details tab, locate the reward rule dropdown and select the reward you created.
Configure Send Reward Email By Campaign:
No this is the default – The system automatically sends the reward notification email when a guest is added to the segment and the reward is issued. For a simple segment-based reward campaign, leave this setting as no.
Yes – The reward is issued but no automatic email is sent. You must create a separate campaign to send the reward notification email.
📌Note: If you want more control over the timing and content of reward communications, set this to Yes and follow the instructions in Rewards Formula Setup in a Drip Campaign.
Click Save and Close or Apply to save the segment.
The segment will begin processing and adding contacts that match the filter criteria. As contacts are added to the segment, the associated reward will be issued to them.
Example: Creating a birthday reward
Outlined below is an example of how to create a birthday reward.
This example demonstrates how to create a birthday reward that is automatically issued to loyalty members seven days before their birthday.
Step one: Create the Birthday Reward Formula
From the left navigation menu, click Loyalty Setup, click Reward Formula Setup and click Add Reward Formula.
Complete the general information fields:
Reward code – BirthdayReward2025.
Reward type – Generic Reward.
Internal reward name – Birthday Reward 2025.
External reward name – Happy Birthday! Enjoy a Special Gift from Us.
Reward description – Annual birthday reward for loyalty members.
Membership tiers – Select all applicable tiers.
Max earning – One, guests can receive this reward once per year.
Email template – Check this box.
In the campaign configuration section, set issuance trigger to Segment.
Check the Active box.
Click Save and Close.
Locate the reward in the reward formula setup list. From the email notification template dropdown, select Has Email Template Configured.
Click Edit to customize the birthday email template with your messaging and branding.
Click Save and Close.
Step two: Create the birthday segment
From the left navigation menu, click Campaign Management Tools, click Segments and click New.
In the details tab, enter:
Name – Birthday - seven days out.
Alias – birthday-seven-days-out.
Description – Guests with birthdays occurring in seven days.
Public segment – Yes.
Available in preference center – No. This prevents guests from self-issuing rewards.
Published – No. This stays unpublished until testing is complete.
Switch to the filters tab and add the following filters:
Filter one: Birthday timeframe:
Field: Birthday
Operator: EQUALS
By timeframe: For example: 30 days will target profiles 30 days before the birthday.
Filter two: Loyalty members only:
Field: Loyalty member number.
Operator: Not empty.
Filter three: Exclude unsubscribed.
Field: Unsubscribed.
Operator: Equals.
Value: No.
Return to the details tab and locate the reward rule dropdown and select Birthday Reward 2025.
Set send reward email by campaign to No. The system will automatically send the reward email when guests are added to the segment.
Click Save and Close.
Step three: Test the Birthday Reward
Create a test profile with a birthday set to seven days from today.
Ensure the test profile:
Has a loyalty member number.
Is not unsubscribed.
Meets all segment filter criteria.
Manually add the test profile to the segment or wait for the segment to rebuild.
Verify that:
The reward is issued to the test profile.
The reward email is sent.
The reward appears in the guest portal.
If testing is successful, return to the segment and set published to Yes.
The birthday reward will now be automatically issued to all loyalty members seven days before their birthday.
Segment processing
The segment building service (CRM.SegmentBuildSvc) runs nightly and any time a manual segment build is executed. The segment build will:
Add contacts or profiles that match the criteria to the segment.
Remove contacts that no longer match the criteria.
Trigger reward issuance for newly added contacts when a reward rule is associated.
📌Note: Segment processing may take several minutes depending on the size of your database and the complexity of your filter criteria.
Manual segment refresh
To manually refresh a segment and trigger reward issuance:
Navigate to Campaign Management Tools and click Segments.
Locate the segment you want to refresh.
Click the Refresh button.
This will immediately trigger segment processing and reward issuance for any new members.
📌Note:
Rewards issuance depends on segment membership and reward configuration.
Ensure segments are published and Reward Rules are active for automatic processing.
Reward emails should clearly communicate redemption steps to avoid guest confusion.
Frequently asked questions
Outlined below are some frequently asked questions:
Can I assign multiple rewards to the same segment?
No. Each segment can have only one Reward Rule assigned at a time. If you need to issue multiple rewards, create separate segments for each reward.
What happens if a guest leaves the segment?
If a guest no longer meets the segment criteria and is removed from the segment, the reward remains issued and valid until it expires. The guest will not receive the reward again unless they rejoin the segment and have not exceeded the Max Earning limit.
Can I change the Reward Rule after the segment is published?
Yes, but this may result in unexpected behavior. If you change the Reward Rule, guests who are already in the segment may receive the new reward instead of the original reward. It is recommended to create a new segment if you need to change the reward.
How long does it take for rewards to be issued after a guest joins the segment?
Rewards are issued within minutes of the segment being refreshed.
Can guests opt out of receiving rewards?
Guests cannot opt out of receiving rewards specifically, as these are treated as transactional communications. If you want to allow guests who have opted out of marketing emails to therefor be opted out of earning a reward, this can be accomplished by using a segment based reward and utilizing the Unsubscribe = No filter in the segment.