Integrating SiteVibes Loyalty With an Omnichannel POS System

This guide explains how to integrate a third-party omnichannel POS system with the SiteVibes Loyalty platform, supporting in-store, online, and mixed-channel customer interactions under a unified loyalty experience.

This document is intended for POS vendors, system integrators, and merchants with custom or unsupported POS systems.

What “Omnichannel” Means in SiteVibes

An omnichannel loyalty integration ensures that:

• Customers earn and redeem points online and in-store

• Loyalty balances are shared across channels

• Tiers, rewards, and history remain consistent

• Orders from all channels contribute to loyalty status

SiteVibes acts as the single source of truth for loyalty data.

High-Level Omnichannel Architecture

Core Principle

One customer, one loyalty account, many channels

Data Flow Summary

1. Customer is identified (email, phone, or loyalty ID)

2. Order occurs (online or in-store)

3. POS or ecommerce platform sends order data to SiteVibes

4. SiteVibes calculates points and tier changes

5. Loyalty balance is immediately available across all channels

6. Rewards can be redeemed anywhere

Channel Definitions

Each order sent to SiteVibes should include a channel identifier.

Common values:

• online

• in_store

• mobile

• kiosk

• marketplace

This enables:

• Channel-specific rules

• Reporting by channel

• Bonus campaigns (e.g., double points in-store)

Customer Identity Strategy (Critical)

Correct customer matching is the most important part of omnichannel loyalty.

Recommended Primary Identifier

Best Practices

• Require email or phone for in-store loyalty

• Capture email at first in-store transaction

• Use the same identifier online and in-store

• Avoid channel-specific customer records

Customer Sync

Customers should be created or updated before loyalty actions.

When to Sync Customers

• In-store sign-up

• Online account creation

• First checkout on any channel

• Loyalty enrollment screen in POS

Required Fields

Order Sync (All Channels)

All completed orders must be sent to SiteVibes.

Required Order Fields

Order Timing

• Send orders after payment

• Do not send voided or draft orders

• Send refunds as separate events

Points Earning Across Channels

Points logic is centralized in SiteVibes.

Examples:

• 1 point per $1 spent online

• 2 points per $1 spent in-store

• Bonus points for BOPIS orders

• Tier multipliers apply everywhere

The POS and ecommerce platform only send raw order data.

Reward Redemption (Omnichannel)

Rewards must be redeemable anywhere the customer shops.

Option A: Coupon-Based Redemption (Recommended)

Flow

1. Customer selects reward (online account or POS screen)

2. SiteVibes generates a coupon code

3. Coupon code is:

   • Applied online at checkout

   • Entered or scanned in POS

4. POS validates and applies discount

Why this works well

• Simple POS implementation

• Works with legacy systems

• Easy to audit

Option B: Loyalty-ID–Based Redemption

Flow

1. POS sends reward redemption request

2. SiteVibes validates balance and reward

3. POS applies discount internally

4. POS confirms redemption completion

This approach requires tighter real-time integration.

Store Credit vs Coupons

SiteVibes can manage both, but POS capabilities determine the approach.

Returns and Refunds (Cross-Channel)

Refunds should impact loyalty balances regardless of channel.

Recommended Handling

1. POS or ecommerce detects refund

2. Refund event is sent with:

   • Original order ID

   • Refunded amount

   • Channel

3. SiteVibes reverses earned points

4. Tier changes occur automatically

Partial refunds should only reverse proportional points.

Preventing Duplicate Points

Omnichannel systems increase duplication risk.

Safeguards

• Unique order IDs per channel

• Idempotent API requests

• Do not resend historical orders

• Store SiteVibes response IDs

Reporting and Analytics

With omnichannel data, SiteVibes can report on:

• Points earned by channel

• Reward redemption by channel

• In-store vs online LTV

• Tier progression across channels

• Campaign performance by location

Testing Checklist (Omnichannel)

Before launch, validate:

• Same customer earns points online and in-store

• Points earned in-store appear online immediately

• Online rewards redeem in-store

• Refunds reverse points correctly

• Tier upgrades apply across channels

• Duplicate orders do not double-award points

Go-Live Recommendations

• Start with one physical location

• Train staff on loyalty identification

• Monitor mismatched customers

• Review first week of transactions daily

• Enable alerts for failed syncs

POS Integration – API Reference Table

This table lists the required and recommended SiteVibes API interactions for a streamlined POS loyalty integration.

Required APIs

Loyalty Tier API Details

Recommended POS → SiteVibes Events (via API or Middleware)

Note: Exact transaction and customer endpoints may vary by implementation, but these events are required behaviors.

Caching & Call Frequency Guidance

Failure Handling Expectations

What the POS Should NOT Do

Minimum Integration Compliance Checklist

• Email or phone captured at POS

• Loyalty account created instantly

• Points awarded on completed sale

• Rewards redeemable in same transaction

• /loyalty/tiers API implemented and cached

• Refunds reverse points correctly