Retention Operations
Part of Retention programme operations
Reviewing overlapping retention incentives
Check stacking, checkout outcomes, contribution and customer-facing claims when retention incentives overlap.
Review overlapping incentives by identifying every benefit a customer could use on one purchase. Check their combined effect at checkout and decide which rules take precedence. A promotion calendar shows what was scheduled, not what a particular eligible basket will receive.
Reviewing Overlapping Incentives Workflow
- Map all routes to benefitsList codes, discounts, credits, delivery offers, and service gestures with eligibility details.
- Build test combinationsCreate matrix of plausible baskets including thresholds, excluded items, credits, and open cases.
- Validate checkout outcomesCheck displayed claim, basket total, and final amount before launch.
- Reconcile post-launchMatch issued offers with applied discounts; track refunds and overrides.
Map every route to a benefit
List targeted codes, automatic discounts, loyalty credits, free delivery, public sales and service gestures that may reach the same customer. For each, record eligible products, thresholds, maximum benefit, dates, channel, customer conditions and stacking terms. Compare the published terms with the current checkout configuration.
A customer may receive a targeted message, see a public sale and already hold a credit. Trace the route from each claim to the payable amount. Check delayed messages and duplicate accounts where they could affect eligibility.
Check the combinations that matter
Build a small matrix of plausible baskets and customer states. Include baskets on either side of a threshold, an excluded product, an existing credit and a customer with an open service case. For each combination, check the displayed claim, basket calculation and final checkout amount before launch.
| Combination | Decision needed |
|---|---|
| Targeted code plus public sale | Can they combine, and which price is the starting point? |
| Discount plus free delivery | Does the combined benefit stay within the approved limit? |
| Loyalty credit plus win-back offer | Is the credit a separate entitlement or subject to the promotion's cap? |
| Service gesture plus promotion | Does the promotion change what the customer was promised? |
Record the approved precedence or stacking rule, its owner and any exception route. If the actual combination exceeds the intended limit, correct the rule or pause the affected promotion before further invitations.
Stacking Rules for Overlapping Retention Incentives
- Targeted code + public sale
- Can they combine? Starting point: targeted code or public sale price?
- Discount + free delivery
- Combined benefit must stay within approved limit; check cost impact.
- Loyalty credit + win-back offer
- Credit may be subject to promotion cap; verify entitlement rules.
- Service gesture + promotion
- Promotion must not alter the original customer promise; ensure consistency.
Check contribution and customer claims
Estimate the order's contribution after the proposed benefits, expected refunds and relevant variable costs. In a later reconciliation, replace estimates with actual discounts, refunds and costs where available. Count a benefit once: if it already reduces net sales, do not subtract it again as a separate expense.
A positive contribution on an order does not establish that the incentive added a purchase; that requires a suitable comparison.
Review the customer's visible impression alongside the calculation. Check that the message, landing page, basket and checkout communicate the benefit consistently, including conditions that materially change it.
After launch, reconcile issued offers with discounts applied. Look for unexpected combinations, refunds and manual overrides. When a rule is corrected, record its version and the affected orders.
Key Considerations in Incentive Overlap Review
- Contribution after incentives
- Estimate using variable costs and expected refunds; reconcile with actuals later.
- One-time benefit count
- Do not double-count a discount already reducing net sales.
- Customer-facing consistency
- Ensure messaging, landing pages, basket, and checkout align on conditions.
