Evaluation Periods

Understanding annual vs. lifetime tier evaluation

How RewardsPro calculates customer tier status based on spending.

Two Evaluation Methods

Annual Evaluation

Spending is calculated from the past 12 months only.

How it works:

  • Rolling 12-month window

  • Recalculated monthly (or on each order)

  • Customers can move up OR down

  • Old spending "falls off"

Example:

Customer: John
Last 12 months spending: $800
Tier: Silver ($500 threshold)

Next month, a $400 order from 13 months ago falls off:
New 12-month spending: $400
New tier: Bronze

Best for:

  • Encouraging ongoing engagement

  • Seasonal businesses

  • Stores wanting fresh starts

Lifetime Evaluation

Spending is calculated from all time since account creation.

How it works:

  • Total historical spending

  • Customers only move UP

  • No tier demotions

  • Rewards long-term loyalty

Example:

Best for:

  • Building permanent loyalty

  • Luxury/high-value stores

  • Rewarding legacy customers

Comparison

Aspect
Annual
Lifetime

Window

12 months

All time

Direction

Up and down

Up only

Demotions

Possible

Never

Engagement

Continuous

One-time achievement

Liability

Lower

Higher

Choosing an Evaluation Period

Choose Annual If:

  • You want ongoing engagement

  • Business is seasonal

  • You prefer lower credit liability

  • Customers shop frequently

Choose Lifetime If:

  • You value long-term relationships

  • High-value, infrequent purchases

  • Luxury or premium positioning

  • You want simple customer communication

Changing Evaluation Period

Can I Switch?

Yes, but consider:

  • All tiers recalculate

  • Some customers may change tiers

  • Communicate changes to customers

Best Practice

Choose your evaluation period during setup and stick with it. Frequent changes confuse customers.

Technical Details

When Recalculation Happens

Annual:

  • On each order

  • Daily cron job (overnight)

  • Manual recalculation option

Lifetime:

  • On each order

  • Immediate updates

Order Date Handling

For annual evaluation:

  • Uses order paid date

  • Not order created date

  • Timezone-aware

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