Setting up Loyalty Programs in Dynamics AX Retail 2012

Loyalty Points functionality is very important for the Retailers. Today I will focus on the Loyalty Program functionality available in Dynamics AX Retail 2012.  In this illustration you will learn more about Setting up Loyalty Programs in Dynamics AX Retail 2012.

Customers can use the Loyalty card as a form of identification when they deal with the retailer. By presenting a loyalty card, a customer typically receives either a discount on the current purchase or an allotment of points that can be used for future purchases. When a customer asks for a loyalty card, the card issuer collects identifying or demographic data, such as a name and address.

You can set up your loyalty program so that customers earn points based on specific criteria. The points can be calculated in various ways. To earn loyalty points, the customer swipes a loyalty card at the register. Based on the card number and the products that the customer buys, the program calculates how many points are earned.

To configure a loyalty program in Retail, you must complete the following tasks:

1. Set up loyalty payment methods
2. Configure stores to accept loyalty cards
3. Set up loyalty cards
4. Set up loyalty schemes
5. Set up loyalty customers

New Loyalty Features in Dynamics AX Retail 2012:

In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, you can set up loyalty programs so that customers earn loyalty points when they purchase products through your online store.

To apply loyalty programs to your online stores, set up and configure the loyalty program by using the same steps that you use for your  stores. After the loyalty program is configured for the online store, customers can link their loyalty card number to their online account to earn loyalty points when they shop online.

Set up Loyalty Payment Methods:

Before a loyalty card can be used at a register, and loyalty points can be redeemed as part of a loyalty scheme, you must create a payment method for the scheme. After you add the payment method to a store, or select it as a line rule on a loyalty scheme, customers can redeem their loyalty points.

1. Click Retail > Setup > Payment methods > Payment methods.
2. In the Payment methods form, press CTRL+N to create a new payment method. Then enter the ID of the payment method, such as Loyalty, and the name.
3. In the Default function column, select Card. This setting specifies that the point of sale (POS) system processes loyalty transactions as card transaction types.

 

Configure stores to accept loyalty cards [AX 2012]

Before a store can participate in a customer loyalty program, you must set up the store to accept a loyalty card. Some stores might not support a loyalty program.

Before you can set up a store to accept a loyalty card, you must set up the loyalty card as a payment method. For more information about how to set up a loyalty card as a payment method,

Click Retail > Common > Retail channels > Retail stores.

1. On the Retail stores list page, select a store in the list. Alternatively, you can create a new store by clicking Retail store on the Action Pane.
2. Click the Set up tab, and then, on the Action Pane, in the Set up group, click Payment methods.
3. In the Payment method form, click New to create a new payment method.
4. On the General FastTab, in the Payment method field, select the tender that you created for the loyalty card.
5. In the remaining fields in the Payment method form, enter the information that is required for the store.

6. In the Payment method form, on the Action strip, click Card setup.
7. In the Card setup form, click New to add a new loyalty card number.
8. On the General FastTab, do the following:
• In the Card ID field, select the loyalty card that you set up.
• Enter a name for the card type.
• Select the Allow manual approval codes check box to indicate that a cashier can manually enter a loyalty card number if the card cannot be read correctly.
• Select the Process locally check box to indicate that your company uses an internal loyalty transaction service.
• Enter any other requirements that the store has for the loyalty program.

Set up Loyalty Cards :

After you define loyalty cards as a payment method, you must set up the number sequences for the loyalty card numbers and the loyalty customer numbers.

1. Click Retail > Setup > Payment methods > Card types.
2. In the Card types form, click New to create a new card.
3. Enter a card ID and a name for the card type. Then, in the Card types column, select Loyalty card, and enter the card issuer.
4. Click Card number.
5. In the Card number form, define the start and end of the number sequence for the card. Additionally, specify the number of digits that Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail POS checks to determine whether a card number is valid.

Set up Loyalty Schemes:

You build a loyalty program by creating loyalty schemes. Loyalty schemes specify how loyalty points are calculated and managed. You assign the loyalty schemes to loyalty cards. When a customer uses a loyalty card, the loyalty scheme that is applied depends on the loyalty points that are earned and redeemed.

You can create the following rules for the calculation of loyalty points:

• Calculation rule
• Calculation types
• Redemption rules

The rules can be applied to specific items, to the total amount of the transaction, or to the number of items in the transaction. You can also assign a fixed number of points per rule.

1. Click Retail > Common > Loyalty > Loyalty schemes.
2. On the Loyalty schemes list page, on the Action Pane, click Loyalty scheme to create a new loyalty scheme, or double-click a loyalty scheme in the list to open an existing loyalty scheme.
3. In the Loyalty schemes form, on the Loyalty scheme FastTab, enter the scheme ID, a description, and calculation data for the loyalty scheme.
4. On the Lines FastTab, click Add line to add a new rule to the loyalty scheme.
5. In the Type field, select the type of line that is used to create a rule for a product or a payment method. Select one of the following options:
• Tender – Loyalty points can be calculated based on the tender that is used. For example, you can create a rule that awards points when cash is used. In the case of a payment, you can create a rule that subtracts points when a customer uses a loyalty card for a purchase.
• Product – Loyalty points can be calculated based on the product or product variant that is purchased.
6. Enter the first date and last date that the rule is valid.
7. Enter the quantity or amount of the line item that qualifies for loyalty points. The loyalty points are defined in the Loyalty points column.
8. In the Loyalty points field, enter the loyalty points that are awarded or subtracted when the rule for the line item rule is applied to the scheme.

Set up Loyalty Customers:

You can define the customer details for your loyalty customers. You can also define different types of loyalty cards and card numbers, and link the cards to customers.

1. Click Retail > Common > Loyalty > Loyalty customers.
2. On the Loyalty customer list page, on the Action Pane, in the New group, click Loyalty customer to create a new loyalty customer.

Retail generates a new loyalty card number if an automatic number sequence is set up.

3. On the Loyalty customer FastTab, in the Customer account field, select a customer account for the loyalty customer.
4. Click in another field. Retail automatically enters information about the customer in the other fields on the Loyalty customer FastTab.
5. On the Lines FastTab, click Add line to add a new loyalty card for the customer.
6. In the Loyalty card type field, select the type of loyalty card.
7. In the Scheme ID field, select a scheme ID.

 I will try to cover another Dynamics AX Retail 2012 topic next time until then Cheers !

 Applies Only To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack

Choosing the Right Retail POS System

It's a critical decision every retailer faces: How do I go about selecting the right point of sale system for my retail business? The task can be especially daunting knowing that choosing the wrong POS system for your business can cost you thousands of dollars to replace.

Identify the Needs of Your Store

When possible, purchase the entire retail POS system from one company First and foremost, you need to identify the needs of your store, particularly any unique needs you have. There are literally hundreds of retail software packages available today. Some retail software is designed for large ticket items with very few daily sales. Other retail software is designed for fast-moving retailers with thousands of daily transactions. Be sure you’re researching the right retail software for your business.

Purchase Retail Software and POS Hardware from One Company

When possible, purchase everything—software, hardware, and services—from one company. The single point of accountability will eliminate the blame game that can arise when multiple suppliers are involved.

Having just one vendor allows you to have a single point of contact for all your point of sale hardware, software, and service needs. Plus, buying everything from the same vendor can often reduce your overall costs.

Establish a Budget

You’ll also need to establish a budget. Be sure to factor in complete Omni-Channel Retail ERP software, point of sale devices including Mobile, peripheral devices, back-office servers, training, and an Internet connection and options for using Cloud.  While the price of the complete point of sale system should not be the only factor in your decision, establishing a budget can help prevent you from putting too much strain on your business’s finances.

Talk to Your Customers

Talk to your customers about things you can do to improve your business. Your customers are on the receiving end of your service and can give you a first-hand perspective on their shopping experience. Questions such as "Have you ever shopped with us online?" or "Would you be interested in joining our Frequent Shopper Program?" can help you determine features you need in your retail software package.

Use the feedback from your customers to make sure the retail point of sale system you are researching will address their needs as well as your own. Complete Customer Experience is the Key in selecting a right Retail Solution.

Get a Demo

Be sure to get a demo of the New Omni Channel Retail POS Solution you're considering. Depending on the size of your store, your investment in a complete retail point of sale system will most likely range from a few thousand to ten thousand dollars or more. Before blowing your budget on the wrong POS system, make sure that it fits your needs today and can grow with you into the future.

Research the Company

With all the fly-by-night software companies that come and go each year, it's very important to research the company as well as the retail software. Start with companies that have an established track record in developing and implementing retail point of sale systems. You want to purchase your POS system from a reputable company with significant experience in the retail industry. Make sure the company you choose stands behind their products through after-hours technical support, feature enhancements, critical software updates, and extended warranty protection.

Request References and Call Them

While your vendor is the right person to ask about the features available in various retail software packages, be sure to request references and call them. While your vendor may paint his retail software as the perfect point of sale solution, a fellow retailer will tell you everything—the good and the bad—about that retail software or point of sale hardware. Their feedback will give you valuable insight into the practicality and functionality in a real-world retail environment.
I recommend Microsoft Dynamics AX Retail 2012 R3 that can help businesses handle just about anything the changing world of retail can throw at them, be it rapid expansion, complex pricing and inventory, or evolving means of customer interaction.

Next week I will cover some new features in Microsoft Dynamics AX Retail 2012 R3 until then Cheers !

Creating and Posting Statements in Dynamics AX Retail 2012

Statement posting in Dynamics AX for Retail 2012 is an important process. In Dynamisc AX Retail 2012 you can create a statement manually or by using batch processes that you set up to run periodically throughout the day. In both cases, the following steps are used to create and post statements:

• Create the statement. This step identifies the store that the statement is manually created for. If you configure a batch process, you can automatically create statements for all stores, based on a schedule that you define.

• Calculate the statement. This step gathers the transactions lines by using criteria that you define for each store and in the Retail parameters and Stores forms. You must define the criteria that the system uses. You must also specify how the transactions are calculated. The statement calculation process uses the global number sequence. You can use the Transactions form to view a list of the transactions that were included in the statement before the calculate statement process is run.

• A statement calculation uses tender declarations from the registers as the counted amount. Alternatively, you can enter the counted amount manually. The statement displays the difference between the sales amount for the transactions and the actual counted amount in all tender types. The statement is posted only if this difference is less than the maximum selected posting difference that is defined for the store.

This illustration will provide you the steps to Create and Post the Statements. In order to have transactional data in AX 2012 Retail we need to run a P-Job that does this for us. You can find the P-Job in Retail/Periodic/Retail Scheduler/Distribution Schedule.

When you click the menu item, the Distribution Schedule form opens. On the left side you will see the list of jobs available for us to run.  In the AX 2012 Retail Demo, this list is called P-0001(POS Transactions).  We can run this job from this window by clicking the Run Directly button.

When the transactional data is in AX 2012 Retail, a statement will need to be created.  To complete this step, go to Retail/Journals/Open Statements

Choose your store

Click New Statement

Click the Edit button to add a new Terminal under Setup. (NOTE: as shown in the picture below, follow the number sequence to execute the operations in the correct order)

Click the Calculate Statement button.

When the statement is calculated, click the Post Statement button to post the transactions.

I hope this will help you understand the process of Creating and Posting the Statements. Until next time Cheers!