How API integrations can power a loyalty program without limits

Loyalty programs help brands keep customers coming back, but they can be tricky to set up and manage. 

That’s why we’re here to simplify things with API-first technology. Ready to discover how a loyalty program integration can make your life easier?
 

This blog will teach you what APIs are, which ones are available, and why you should use them to set up your loyalty solution. 

What is a loyalty program integration?

Loyalty integration refers to the seamless incorporation of loyalty programs into various platforms, systems, or services to create a unified and enhanced customer experience.

It involves the interoperability of loyalty program software across a diverse range of products, applications, and touchpoints, enabling customers to engage effortlessly and earn rewards across different channels. 

This seamless connectivity streamlines customer interactions, allowing for a cohesive loyalty experience and maximizing the benefits of the program.

What is an API?

An API (or “application programming interface”) is a set of rules that allow two or more pieces of software to interact seamlessly. 
 

APIs and loyalty program integrations allow you to easily connect with other apps. For example, you could integrate third-party rewards software with a loyalty program. 
 

This means you can build an entire ecosystem around a loyalty program without having to manage every bit of technology!
 

How can APIs help with the setup of a loyalty program?

When you’re building a loyalty program, you need to make sure that there’s a clear path for how data will flow from one part of your business to another. If you don’t have this clarity from the start, you risk wasting time and money on complicated developments. 

API integrations make data capture easy. 

There are a number of ways you can use API integrations in a loyalty program to collect customer data:
 

Card linking

Card linking technology turns your customer's payment cards into loyalty cards. For example, when a customer uses their linked card to make a purchase, the transaction information gets fed into a loyalty database. 

Our card linking system integrates directly with all major card networks. Once your customers have linked up to the system, your loyalty app can reward them even when they don’t have their physical cards - all thanks to integrations with mobile payment apps such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. 

Card linking can also seamlessly integrate into a mobile loyalty app or microsite front-end solution. Whatever interface you want your customers to interact with, API integrations can make it happen!

Receipt scanning

Receipt scanning uses AI and machine learning to capture transaction information from any receipt or invoice. 
 

Receipt scanning can be used to power many different solutions; anything from brand activation to a loyalty solution that captures end-user transactions without any retailer POS integration. 
 

This data capture tool is popular with brands who want to access first party data - such as Wavin. 
 

Businesses who rely on third party retailers or merchants use receipt scanning to collect transaction data. 

Integrating existing systems into your loyalty solution

Did you know that you can combine your existing data sources with your loyalty program? 

Unifying your customer data into one platform can give you even more insight into your consumer base. You’ll get a better understanding of how your customers behave, which will help you tailor sales and marketing strategies more effectively. 

• ePOS integration

Direct ePOS integration puts all of your customer transaction data into one place. Our ePOS integration allows you to compare the transactions and behaviours of customers who use your loyalty platform vs those who don’t - helping you measure and plan for the future. 
 

Find out more about our ePOS integrations here. 

• CRM / ERP / CDP integration 

If you’re creating a loyalty solution to better understand your customers, you’ll want to sync it with your existing CRM, ERP, or CDP. 

You don’t want to be searching through different data sources just to see what your customers are doing. You can use an API connection to combine data from your existing CRM with other sources. Unify your data into a single platform with a detailed customer view.

What CRM system do you use? It doesn’t matter! We already have the ability to integrate with many of the world’s most popular CRM systems - and we have even more in development…
 

Find out more about loyalty programs and CRM integration.

The benefits of data integrations using loyalty management API

Why integrate existing data into a loyalty solution? 
 

• Fast-track your loyalty solution by using data you are already collecting
  
  You can get started quickly by rewarding customers using data you already have. No need for any complex and time-consuming integration work.
  
   
• Find opportunities in your data that you might have previously missed
  
  Our AI module can help you discover opportunities to engage your customers, increase their lifetime value and prevent churn
  
   
• Activate customer engagement with meaningful rewards
  
  Use data to uncover customer preferences and build relationships with the right rewards

How can APIs improve existing loyalty programs?

Already invested in existing solutions? Don’t worry - our loyalty APIs allow you to embed our SAAS solution within your platform, so you don’t have to build new applications from scratch. You save time and money, without sacrificing quality. 

Not only can APIs help with setting up a loyalty program, but they can also improve existing ones, too. For example, if you have a current system and want to trigger a reward when a customer enters a geofence, you can use a geolocation API. All without having to write any code yourself! 

Check out more integration options below that can amplify your existing loyalty program…

• Loyalty rewards API

Our Rewards API gives you complete control over your loyalty solution. You can control how points are earned, and choose which rewards are available to which users. 
 

Don’t want to provide your own rewards? You don’t have to! With a reward-fulfillment API, you can select rewards from a range of popular high-street names. Offer rewards that your customers will instantly recognise and value, so you can focus on the other aspects of your business.

Find out more about reward fulfilment and this loyalty program integration.

• Events API
   

Drive the customer activity you want to see more of with loyalty program integrations such as Events API. 

Any campaign is possible with our technology - you get to define what activities or “events” you want to reward. An ‘event’ can be any action your customer takes - such as sharing a social media post or making a purchase in a specific location. You then get to choose which ‘actions’ should happen in response. Customise every detail of your rewards program. 

• Marketing integrations

Do you use an email marketing platform like MailChimp to communicate with your customers? You can integrate existing marketing platforms with your loyalty solution. This makes operating your program easier by allowing you to communicate with your customers via whatever method is working for you.

Find out more about our marketing capabilities.

• eCommerce
   

Do you have an eCommerce element for your business? Using platforms like Shopify? With frictionless API and loyalty program integrations, you can track customer behaviour across offline and online channels by integrating your online sales platform. Our flexible architecture allows you to integrate your loyalty program with the most popular online store platforms. 
 

Looking for an eCommerce loyalty solution? 
 

• Reviews and Ratings
   

Did you know that you can link activity on third-party review websites to a customer's loyalty identity? If you want to reward customers for reviewing your product, service, or business, you can do this with simple API integrations. Make it easy for customers to earn rewards to drive more engagement.

• Social Media
   

Do you want to increase social engagement? With APIs, you can reward your customers based on their social media activity! 

Our software can track a majority of public social media interactions, such as customers posting about your product or retweeting your content. Think about all of the ways you could incentivise customers to shout about you on social platforms…

• Geolocation

If you’re a business owner with physical stores, and you’re looking to increase footfall - you can use a customer’s location as a trigger for providing rewards. For example, offer a time-bound offer to a customer close to one of your stores. And yes, you guessed it - this is all made as easy as possible with API integrations. 

Why choose API-first technology?

APIs help you build a loyalty program that works for you and your customers. 

This is because they are scalable. When you use loyalty program APIs, you can start small and grow as needed. You can also ensure your loyalty program will continue to work, even if you change components. 

APIs also allow you to integrate data from multiple software systems and then use that information in new ways. You can use APIs to connect systems - like your loyalty program - with other technologies like payment platforms or customer relationship management software (CRMs). This gives you a lot more control and flexibility when building out your loyalty program. Instead of having to rely on a single piece of software, you can combine multiple pieces into one system, with more features than ever before…