Introduction
In this article, we'll take a comprehensive look at managing your VIP program settings in Rivo. These settings allow you to shape your VIP tiers to align with your brand vision and customer relationship strategies, creating an engaging tier-based loyalty experience that drives customer retention and increases lifetime value. We'll cover all essential aspects: Program start date, entry methods, tier expiry options, advanced settings, tier management, and common scenarios to help you optimize your VIP program.
✨ VIP Tiers are available on the Scale plan and above.
Program Start Date
The Program Start Date is a crucial factor that determines the starting point from which your VIP tiers begin to count customer activity for tier qualification. When you first enable your VIP program, this date is automatically set to the current date to ensure immediate program activation. For example, if a customer has accumulated 500 points since they joined the first VIP tier in January, but your Program Start Date is set to February, only the points earned from February onward will count toward tier progression. This setting gives you control over which customer activities are considered for tier calculations, allowing you to align your program launch with specific business milestones or promotional periods.
Update start date
Go to Loyalty > VIP Tiers.
Go to Program Settings.
Click Edit on Program Start Date.
Select a date and click Update. Your customers' tiers will be recalculated based on the new start date.
📝 Note: We can only track customer activity from when you first installed the Rivo app, so you cannot set a start date earlier than your app installation. Changing the Program Start Date will trigger a recalculation of all customer tiers based on the new criteria.
Entry Method
The Entry Method is how your customers ascend the VIP tiers. There are three options to choose from, allowing you to select the one that best aligns with your business model and customer base.
Entry method | Criteria |
Points earned | Customers advance through tiers based on the total points they've accumulated through various loyalty activities like purchases, referrals, social shares, and other earning opportunities you've configured. This method rewards comprehensive engagement with your loyalty program. |
Amount spent | Tier progression is based on the total dollar amount customers have spent with your store. This method rewards your highest-value customers with exclusive tier benefits and is ideal for businesses focused on increasing customer lifetime value. |
Number of orders placed | Customers move up tiers based on how many orders they've completed, encouraging repeat purchases and frequent engagement with your brand. This method is perfect for businesses that want to reward purchase frequency over purchase size. |
Update entry method
Go to Loyalty > VIP Tiers.
Go to Program Settings.
Click Edit on Entry Method.
Select your preferred method and click Update. Your customers' tiers will be recalculated based on the new entry method.
💡 Tip: Check each VIP tier's thresholds ('Goal to achieve tier') to make sure you're happy with the amounts after you update the Entry Method. Changing your entry method will trigger a recalculation of all customer tiers to reflect the new qualification criteria, so plan this change carefully to avoid disrupting your customers' current tier status.
Tier Progress Expiry
The Tier Progress Expiry determines how long customers have to reach the highest VIP tier before their current progress resets. Once the period ends, any points earned, orders placed, or spending from the previous period will no longer count. There are three options you can choose from.
Expiry | Time limit | Term |
A lifetime | No time limit | Once customers join your loyalty program, their activity counts forever toward VIP tier qualification. This option provides the most customer-friendly experience as customers never lose progress and can steadily work toward higher tiers over time. |
A full calendar year | Until December 31 | Customer progress resets every January 1st, creating annual tier cycles. This encourages consistent yearly engagement and gives all customers a fresh start each year to work toward tier benefits. If customers don't reach the highest tier by the end of the current calendar year, they will remain in their current tier but will need to start accumulating the required amount for the next tier from zero. |
A rolling year | 12 months from qualification date | Each customer has a 12-month period to achieve and maintain their tier status. By default, each customer's rolling year starts from when they first became eligible for tier qualification, creating personalized anniversary cycles. You can also choose to align all customers' rolling year periods with your program start date for synchronized cycles across your entire customer base. |
Update expiry method
Go to Loyalty > VIP Tiers.
Go to Program Settings.
Click Edit on Tier Progress Expiry.
Optional: When you select A rolling year, you can enable the option Start from Program Start Date to override each customer's individual enrollment dates. This powerful feature aligns all customers' rolling year periods with your program start date, creating synchronized cycles across your entire customer base for easier management and planning. This is particularly useful for businesses that want to coordinate tier resets with fiscal years or promotional calendars.
Select the option you prefer and click Update. Your customers' tier status will have an expiration date based on the new expiry method.
📝 Important Note: Customers are not downgraded to the lowest tier (entry tier) upon expiration unless you enable the advanced settings.
Expiry example scenarios
We will use the same scenario to demonstrate how each expiry method works:
Tiers: Bronze ($0), Silver ($500), Gold ($1,000)
Program Start Date: January 1, 2024
Customer's first tier enrollment date: March 1, 2024
Expiry | How it works |
A calendar year | The customer joins the program on 2024-03-01 and spends $500 before 2024-12-31. They reach the Silver tier, but they do not spend more to unlock Gold.
On 2025-01-01, they retain the Silver status, but their progress resets. To reach the Gold tier, they'll need to spend $1,000 by 2025-12-31, starting from zero |
A rolling year | The customer joins the program on 2024-03-01 and spends $500 before 2025-03-01. They reach the Silver tier, but they do not spend more to unlock Gold.
On 2025-03-01, they retain the Silver status, but their progress resets. To reach the Gold tier, they'll need to spend $1,000 by 2026-03-01, starting from zero |
A rolling year that starts on the Program Start Date | The customer joins the program on 2024-03-01 and spends $500 before 2025-01-01. They reach the Silver tier, but they do not spend more to unlock Gold.
On 2025-01-01, they retain the Silver status, but their progress resets. Now they have to spend $1,000 by 2026-01-01, starting from zero |
Advanced Settings
The advanced settings provide powerful tools to fine-tune your VIP program with sophisticated features that enhance customer engagement and program effectiveness. These options allow you to create more dynamic tier experiences and implement strategic tier management policies that align with your business objectives.
Allow customers to earn different points on different tiers
This feature enables multi-tier points earning, allowing customers to earn different point amounts based on their current VIP tier. Higher-tier customers can earn bonus points on purchases and other activities, creating additional incentive for tier advancement and retention. For example, Bronze tier customers might earn 1 point per dollar spent, while Gold tier customers earn 2 points per dollar, making their tier status more valuable and encouraging continued engagement.
💡 Read More: Custom Ways to Earn for VIP Tiers
Reset and recalculate tiers after the period ends
Enable this option to support a tier progress expiry strategy that not only resets customers' progress but also downgrades them to the entry tier if they don't reach the highest tier within the set time frame. This ensures a fresh start at the beginning of each year.
Go to Loyalty > VIP Tiers.
Go to Program Settings.
Click Edit on Advanced Settings.
Check Reset and recalculate tiers after the period ends.
Click Update.
📝 Important: This automatic tier reset feature is only compatible with the tier progress expiry methods A calendar year and A rolling year with an expiration on the Program Start Date. Additionally, customers in your highest tier are protected from automatic downgrades to preserve your most valuable customer relationships.
Common questions
Can I downgrade customers if they don't unlock the highest tier?
Yes. Please go to Reset and recalculate tiers after the period ends to learn more about this strategy.
Does Rivo delete the past activity after the calendar or rolling year ends?
No. All of your customers' program activity recorded in Rivo remains saved. Once the calendar or rolling year ends, we simply stop counting past activity when calculating the tier progress.
How often are tiers recalculated?
Tier calculations happen automatically when customers complete qualifying activities (purchases, point earning actions, etc.). Additionally, bulk recalculations occur when you change program settings like entry method, start date, or expiry settings.
What happens when customers are downgraded?
If tier reset is enabled or customers no longer meet their current tier requirements, they may be moved to a lower tier. Any unused tier-specific rewards they received will be automatically revoked to maintain program integrity.
Can I change my VIP program settings after launch?
Yes, you can modify any VIP program settings at any time. Keep in mind that significant changes like entry method or expiry settings will trigger recalculation of all customer tiers, so it's best to plan these changes carefully to minimize disruption to your customers' current tier status.
How do I create and manage VIP tiers?
You can create new VIP tiers by setting unique threshold values, descriptive names, and optional custom icons. Each tier must have a different threshold to ensure clear progression paths. Configure exclusive perks and rewards for each tier, such as discounts, free shipping, or special offers that activate automatically when customers reach the tier.
Do customers automatically advance to higher tiers?
Yes, customers automatically advance to higher tiers when they meet the threshold requirements based on your chosen entry method. They receive immediate access to new tier benefits and may receive congratulatory communications. You can also manually assign customers to specific tiers when needed for special situations.