What to ask a channel incentive vendor

Ask any channel incentive vendor how your sales data gets in, who can change the programme rules, what is included in the price, how long launch takes and what happens to points if you leave. A vendor that answers those five plainly is usually one you can work with.

These are the questions we would ask in your position. They apply to every vendor, including us.

1. How does our sales data get to you?

The programme is only as good as the data behind it. Ask which formats they accept (a spreadsheet, a file drop, a direct connection), who builds the connection, and what happens when a file arrives late or wrong. If the answer is "your team uploads a spreadsheet every week", count that time as part of the cost.

2. Who can change the rules, and how fast?

Programmes change: a new product, a quarterly push, a store that needs extra attention. Ask whether you can launch a promotion yourself, how long a rule change takes, and whether every change is recorded.

3. What is in the price?

Ask for the full picture: platform fee, set-up, the cost of rewards, delivery and any charge per participant. Ask whether pricing is published. Ask how the reward budget works: is it a target you manage to, and what happens to budget that isn't used in a month?

4. How long until we launch?

Ask for a realistic timeline from signing to the first participant earning points, and what your team has to do in that time. Treat a firm promise of a launch in days with caution.

5. What do participants get, and what happens if we leave?

Ask what participants can redeem their points for, whether the rewards are real brand-name products, and whether they can add money to reach a bigger reward (it should be optional). Then ask the exit question: if you end the programme, what happens to points participants have already earned?

How Vouchley answers these

• Data: we take your sales data in the form you already have it, from a CSV file to a direct connection.
• Rules: you decide who earns, what earns, the rate, what they redeem for and the monthly budget target.
• Price: our pricing is published. Rewards are billed as they're redeemed.
• Launch: typically live in weeks.
• Participants: points are spent in a catalogue of real, brand-name products, with an optional cash top-up. If a programme ends, participants keep a window to redeem what they've earned.

More questions are answered in the FAQ.