Why Use Event-Based Earning Rules?
Event-Based earning rules do something purchase rules cannot; they create an emotional connection. A birthday bonus feels personal. An anniversary reward says you noticed. These moments build the kind of loyalty that keeps customers coming back even when a competitor offers a lower price.
Signup bonus reduces early drop-off by giving new customers a reason to return
Birthday rewards create a personal touchpoint that drives repeat visits
Anniversary rewards recognise long-term customers and reduce churn
All three run automatically, no manual work after setup
The Three Event-Based Earning Rules at a Glance
Rule | When Points Are Rewarded | What's Required | Purpose |
Signup Bonus | Once, when account created | Immediate - no date required | Welcome new customers |
Birthday Bonus | Once per year, on birthday | Customer must save their birthday | Create an annual celebration moment |
Account Anniversary | Once per year, on join date | Automatic - uses signup date | Reward long-term loyalty |
Set Up the Signup Bonus Rule
The Signup Bonus awards points to a customer the first time they create an account on your store. It fires once, immediately after account creation.
From your Shopify admin, open the Mage Loyalty app.
In the left menu, click Loyalty.
Scroll to Earning Points and click Add Earning Rule.
Select Signup from the rule type list.
Enter the number of points to award on signup (e.g. 10 points).
Click Save. The rule is now Active.
ℹ️ Note
The Signup Bonus only fires for new accounts created after the rule is activated. Existing customers who already have an account will not receive it retroactively.
✅ Tip
Set your signup bonus high enough to be genuinely exciting - 10 to 50 points works well for most stores. It should feel like a meaningful gift, not a token gesture. Think of it as your first impression.
Set Up the Birthday Rule
The Birthday rule awards points once per year on the customer's birthday. Points are credited on the customer's birthday date, as long as they have saved their birthday in their account profile.
Go to Loyalty and click Add Earning Rule.
Select Birthday from the rule type list.
Enter the number of points to award on the customer's birthday.
Click Save.
How the Birthday Rule Works for Customers
For customers to receive birthday points, they must save their date of birth in their account. Here is what the flow looks like from the customer's side:
Customer logs into their account and opens the loyalty sidebar.
They enter their date of birth. Customers can do this in three places: the loyalty sidebar, the rewards widget, or the loyalty landing page, whichever they access first.
On their birthday, points are automatically credited to their account.
They receive an email notification that their birthday points have been awarded (if email notifications are enabled).
ℹ️ Note
Customers can enter their date of birth in three places:
The loyalty sidebar: the slide-out account panel on your storefront
The rewards widget: the floating launcher button visible on all pages
The loyalty landing page: the dedicated loyalty program page embedded in your theme
Points will not be awarded until a birthday has been saved through one of these touchpoints.
ℹ️ Note
Points are awarded on the birthday date itself. If a customer adds their birthday after the date has already passed for that year, they will receive their points on the next occurrence.
✅ Tip
Promote your birthday reward to customers via email. Letting them know they can earn bonus points by adding their birthday is a proven way to increase profile completions and drive a visit around their special day.
Set Up the Account Anniversary Rule
The Account Anniversary rule awards points every year on the date the customer first created their account. It runs automatically — no input is needed from the customer.
Go to Loyalty and click Add Earning Rule.
Select Account Anniversary from the rule type list.
Enter the number of points to award each year.
Click Save.
How the Anniversary Rule Works
The system uses the customer's original account creation date to calculate their anniversary. No action is required from the customer.
Points are credited automatically on the anniversary date each year.
The rule applies to all existing customers, not just those who sign up after the rule is created.
Customers receive an email notification when their anniversary points are awarded (if email notifications are enabled).
✅ Tip
The Account Anniversary rule is one of the most effortless ways to re-engage customers who have gone quiet. A points notification on their anniversary date is often enough to bring them back to your store.
Suggested Points Values for Event-Based Earning Rules
Because event-based earning rules fire infrequently, you can be more generous than with social follow rules, but you still want to keep them proportionate to your reward redemption thresholds.
Rule | Suggested Range | Notes |
Signup Bonus | 10-50 points | Should feel meaningful. Enough to get a customer partway towards their first reward. |
Birthday Bonus | 25-100 points | The most generous of the three. Customers expect something special on their birthday. |
Account Anniversary | 25-75 points | Reward loyalty without overshadowing the birthday bonus. |
What Happens After You Save
Once an event-based earning rule is Active:
The rule appears in the Ways to Earn section of your customer-facing loyalty sidebar/Widget/Landing page.
Points are awarded automatically when the trigger condition is met, no manual action needed.
Customers receive an automated email notification when points are credited (if email notifications are turned on).
You can view which customers have received event-based points in the Customers section of the app.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
⚠️ Common Mistake
Setting the signup bonus too low: A signup bonus of 1–5 points feels insignificant. If the customer cannot see a clear path to a reward, the bonus loses its effect. Make it meaningful.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Forgetting to promote the birthday rule: Customers will not know to add their birthday unless you tell them. Send an email or add a note in the sidebar to remind them. No birthday saved means no birthday points.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Expecting existing customers to get the signup bonus: The signup bonus only fires at account creation. Customers who already have accounts will not receive it. Use a manual points adjustment if you want to reward existing customers at launch.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Running duplicate event-based earning rules: Only create one active rule of each type. Adding two Birthday rules, for example, will award double points on the same day.
Troubleshooting
A new customer did not receive their signup bonus
Check that the Signup rule status is Active.
Confirm the customer created a new account; guest checkouts do not trigger the rule.
If the rule was activated after the customer signed up, they will not receive it. You can add points manually via Customers > Select the Customer > Action > Edit Points
Make your changes and click Save.
A customer's birthday points were not awarded
Confirm the customer has saved their date of birth in their account profile.
Check that today's date matches the birthday they have on file.
If the birthday has passed and the rule was just activated, the customer will receive their points on the next birthday.
Anniversary points are not being credited
Check that the Account Anniversary rule is set to Active.
Confirm that at least one year has passed since the customer's account creation date.
Allow up to 24 hours after the anniversary date for points to be credited.
🗨️ Still need help or can’t find the answers you’re looking for? Reach out to the Mage Loyalty team through our live chat support.