Loyalty Program Web Service
In December last year, the SAP Hybris Loyalty package was made by SAP in the US market. Is a new cloud based loyalty management solution that is delivered as a number of micro-services based on the Hybris-as-a-Service ( ) platform. At the moment, the Hybris Loyalty solution comes with for YaaS storefronts as well as SAP Hybris Commerce Suite (i.e., hybris on-Premise) installations. The latter scenario is particularly suitable for online retailers who already have an existing hybris web shop running and now would like to introduce a loyalty program to attain more customers and retain existing ones ( see ).In this blog post, I will provide some insights into the key aspects of integrating SAP Hybris Loyalty with the hybris commerce platform and share some practical experiences. I will also discuss the architecture and necessary steps to get it up and running. I will not go into too much detail of how to get access to YaaS to be able to configure Hybris Loyalty in the cloud.
Refer to the guide on the YaaS homepage for more information. Solution Overview and ArchitectureSAP Hybris Loyalty gives organizations a simple way of organizing and managing loyalty programs.
Once integrated with the hybris Commerce Suite landscape, organizations can create and manage loyalty programs for the hybris storefront by creating customized experiences for customers and rewarding them with loyalty rewards.Whilst the SAP Hybris Loyalty solution runs as a YaaS service in the cloud, it also comes with several extensions for the SAP Hybris Commerce Suite which extend the hybris platform and provide additional OOTB loyalty-related functionalities and UI features. These extensions need to be added to the existing hybris Commerce instance to access those functionalities. A Data Hub instance on a separate server is required to transfer data between the hybris Commerce instance on-premise and the Hybris Loyalty solution in the cloud. To this end, a Loyalty Data Hub Adapter needs to be deployed on the Data Hub instance.Two separate YaaS applications are required for the Data Hub and the Hybris Commerce Suite to act as endpoints for web service calls from the on-premise systems. The client ID and client secret created for these applications is used by the hybris Commerce and Data Hub instances to connect and authenticate with the YaaS platform. The following diagram provides a conceptual overview of the architecture.Figure 1: Conceptual System ArchitectureBehind the scenesThere are two types of communication between the SAP Hybris Commerce Suite and Hybris Loyalty on YaaS.
The Data Hub is primarily used for the asynchronous replication of master data while direct web service calls are made for synchronous real-time requests of loyalty-related transactional data. Following are some examples that illustrate the communication between the systems.Once the hybris Commerce electronic store is configured to run with the additional loyalty extensions, the new changes are reflected on the storefront. The first communication between the hybris storefront and Hybris Loyalty on YaaS already occurs when the user opens the login page of the e-store. The Hybris Loyalty extension in the hybris platform calls a RESTful web service in Hybris Loyalty to retrieve the current loyalty program details (program name and program ID) as well as a list of all the tiers associated with that loyalty program.
This call is made directly to YaaS and does not go via the Data Hub.Figure 2: hybris Storefront Login PageOnce the user has registered for an account, hybris Commerce converts the customer details into CSV format and exports them to the Data Hub via a local web service call between the hybris Commerce and the Data Hub instance. The Data Hub then processes the content and subsequently creates matching loyalty program members in Hybris Loyalty via a web service call to the corresponding REST service on YaaS (using the Data Hub application credentials). The loyalty program members can then be viewed and managed from the Loyalty section of the YaaS Project.Figure 3: Hybris Loyalty Management ScreenA customer logged into their account on the hybris Commerce e-store can view their loyalty point accrual and redemption history from the Loyalty Rewards section of the storefront. Upon accessing this page, hybris sends a web service request directly to YaaS to retrieve information about the member using their email address as identifier. Another request retrieves the details of the loyalty-related member activities.
All the loyalty information about that customer is available through this page.Figure 4: Loyalty page on hybris Storefront Simple use cases for loyalty rulesA simple scenario for using loyalty reward rules is the registration process. A rule can be added in Hybris Loyalty which will reward the customer with a certain number of loyalty points if they create an account in the hybris Commerce e-store. This is an easy way to create an incentive for the customer to register rather than using anonymous checkout, thereby opening the door for detailed analytics, personalised marketing and deeper customer engagement.Figure 5: Sample loyalty rule defined in Hybris LoyaltyAs can be seen in the screenshot, Hybris Loyalty also makes it very easy to send a welcome email to the customer once they are registered as a member in the loyalty program.The most typical use case for loyalty program rules is of course the accrual of points when purchasing (a number of) certain products in the e-store. To show the customer how many points they will earn during checkout, hybris Commerce calls a web service in YaaS every time an item is added to the cart. The cart details are transferred in JSON format and the Hybris Loyalty service checks for possible accrual of loyalty points and sends back the new balance. Again, this can be a powerful incentive for the customer to complete the purchase.Figure 6: Earning loyalty points during checkoutCheck out for more examples of how to leverage a loyalty program created in Hybris Loyalty.SummarySAP Hybris Loyalty provides a fairly simple way of adding a loyalty program to an existing hybris Commerce storefront. Since all the loyalty-related operations including the rule processing happen in the cloud, the changes to the on-premise hybris platform are very small.
Setting up the integration with the Data Hub proved to be quite straightforward, and I had a working example running in a few hours. Some more investigation will be required to compare the features of Hybris Loyalty with those of SAP’s previous Loyalty Management solution based on SAP CRM.
The QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) industry is notoriously competitive and operates on extremely. More and more restaurants are investing in loyalty programs that go beyond a simple “points for spend” model to differentiate their business and to retain and attract customers. To build long term loyalty, QSRs need to develop programs that drive unique value, deliver convenience, and engage their customers when and where they spend their time. Here are some best practices to follow to ensure your restaurant chain’s loyalty program is delivering distinctive, exceptional experiences for your customers.1. Build an emotional connectionThe best loyalty programs in any industry go beyond offering discounts. They help nurture your relationship with your customers and focus on providing a better customer experience.
Loyalty Program Web Service Login
Consider tapping into the values of your customers and finding ways to align with the causes they support, whether it’s how you source your ingredients or the charities your customers care about.Profit margins are low in the restaurant industry, making discounts and free meals hard to provision as part of your loyalty offering. Another smart way to build loyalty with customers at low cost to your business is by offering exclusive experiences to your best customers such as member-only invitations to exclusive dining events or reservation guarantees. These make the customer feel valued and appreciated and it helps reinforce an emotional bond between the customer and the brand., Chick-Fil-A’s reward program offers its best customers invitations to exclusive experiences including private dinners and kitchen tours so customers can see how their food is being prepared. These experiences create transparency and build trust between the customer and brand.2. Engage beyond the restaurantBeing present across channels beyond your physical restaurant is essential. Having a mobile and web presence where customers can review your menu, access their loyalty program dashboard, earn rewards and even order makes it easy for your customers to engage with your brand.Quiznos’ Toasty Points rewards program app offers members multiple ways to engage and earn points with the brand beyond the restaurant.
Members can earn points through linking the app with Facebook accounts, social media sharing and referring a friend who downloads the app. In addition to rewards, Toasty Points also offers members exclusive insider news, special promotions and a location finder.3. Provide convenienceCustomers today expect flexibility with their ordering and dining options. Extend your POS across mobile, web and in-store to offer your customers easier ways to order, pay and dine.
Best Customer Loyalty Programs
Your POS should integrate with your loyalty program so you’re able to collect transaction and ordering preference data and your customers are rewarded for every purchase they make, regardless of channel.As part of their rewards offering, has introduced touch-screen ordering kiosks and a new mobile app to make it easier for customers to order online, pay with their mobile wallet or in-store and pick-up or dine in-store. Members can earn points for purchase and redeem them for free food and beverages.4. Leverage program data & personalizeThe beauty of adopting a loyalty program for any business is the insight you can glean from the data customers provide. Once a customer signs up, you can collect data around who they are, how often they eat at your establishment, and what they order.
Restaurants can then use this data to target customers with incentives that drive future orders.For example, Panera Bread’s tracks what each customer spends and offers them discounts on their favorite items to increase purchase frequency. This not only helps drive up sales, it also saves the customer money on their favorite purchases which increase customer satisfaction and drives loyalty.5. Communicate the benefitsYour customers should see the value in signing up for your program. You must establish the unique benefits are you offering your customers, whether that’s a free treat at sign-up or opportunities to win an entire meal for four. The program should provide incentives and reward customers for dining at your restaurant and for sharing their dining experience with their friends and family. It should be easy for customers to sign-up and participate and members should be treated as high-value customers. Ensure that staff are trained to communicate the key selling points of the loyalty program and incentivize them to drive up registrations.Multichannel, engagement-based loyalty programs create a personal relationship between a dining chain and its customers.
These best practices help to improve customer satisfaction, increase repeat customers, acquire new customers, increase sales and give customers a more personalized experience.