1. Architecture overview

To begin with, it is crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of your architecture in order to design the most effective integration for your Loyalty program. We recommend starting by creating a list of all the interconnected systems within your ecosystem. Your primary focus should be on the systems that directly impact your end-users, particularly the Point of Sale (PoS) and E-Commerce integrations. Here is a list of some common systems:

Component	Examples
PoS system	Y2, Cylande, TCPOS, Shopify POS
E-commerce tool	Magento, Prestashop, Shopify, SFCC
CDP / RCU	Splio
Identity Provider	Okta, Reach5

By identifying and understanding these systems, you can lay the groundwork for building a robust integration and ensure seamless functionality for your Loyalty program.

2. Prerequisites

2.1 Common considerations

Area to Consider	Common Questions
Splitting Responsibilities between your Systems	- How do they interact with each other and which data flows are asynchronous or synchronous? - Do you have a unified customer view with a unique key shared between all of your systems?
Data life cycle	- Which system(s) is the owner of the unique key attribution? - How do they interact with each other and which data flows are asynchronous or synchronous? - Which system(s) is owner of client's identification?
Data volume	- What will be the volume and scale of your systems?
Implementation	- What is the level of effort for your integration? - Which teams are responsible for delivering integrations? Are my IT, architecture, and marketing teams all aligned on the project outcomes?

2.2 Client identification

The prerequisite is to have a customer identifiable by your payment systems. Here, we provide you with a decision tree to assist you in validating this prerequisite or constructing the appropriate project. Before starting you can read more about how to choose your unique key in Splio in this article.

Based on the diagram above, different projects around client identification are possible.

Case	Questions and details
1.1 Connection project between your PoS and ecommerce	You have the prerequisites to move forward with your project but need to build a connection between your e-commerce and PoS. Go to 2.2 for more details.
1.2 Identification project with Your PoS	- Can your PoS system access an external client database? - If not, is the PoS capable of associating an order with a string of characters (either free-form or linked to an anonymous customer profile or a pool of card numbers)?
2.1 Prerequisites are OK	You have all the prerequisite for an omnichannel integration and is eligible for the Loyalty Web Kit.
2.2 Details on Different Cases for E-commerce Customer Identification:	- If the PoS system is the owner of customer identification, the e-commerce platform would need to call the PoS system to retrieve the unique key and/or card code. - Is there a project underway to implement an identity provider? - Consider building a single customer view using a Customer Data Platform (CDP) to consolidate customer data from various sources.

3. Recommendations

3.1 Splitting Responsibilities between your Systems

In general, we recommend avoiding data duplication to prevent unnecessary traffic and data conflicts between systems.
Determine the owner (either PoS or E-commerce) based on:
- Depending on whether there is an existing integration with Splio.
- Depending on whether your PoS system is open to 3rd party integration.
- Based on which system has the highest volume.
During the initial project planning phase, it is advisable to include existing dependencies between systems in your architecture diagram and list the business reasons behind these choices.

3.2 Data synchronization patterns

We recommend adopting asynchronous data synchronization patterns whenever possible. This approach minimizes dependencies and allows systems to operate independently, enhancing overall resilience and performance.

Our platform is primarily designed to operate asynchronously, aligning with our AI-focused positioning. Asynchronous processing offers several advantages, including improved scalability, reduced costs, and enhanced flexibility in managing data flows.

It's crucial to carefully assess the benefits for end customers and evaluate the effort and risks associated with synchronous implementations. We describe in this article on rewards management the most common integration scenario.

3.3 Resilience and System Interdependencies

Avoid creating dependencies between systems due to chaining different systems. Maintaining resilience is vital in system integration. It's advisable to avoid chaining different systems and minimize scenarios where one system is dependent on the response of another. By reducing interdependencies, you ensure the smooth operation of your architecture, enhance system reliability, and mitigate potential bottlenecks. Important considerations:

Error management
Retry strategy
Network failure and catch-up management

By carefully considering these data synchronization patterns and prioritizing asynchronous communication, you can design a resilient and efficient integration for your Loyalty program.

4. Existing connectors

Splio provides a wide range of connectors in the ecosystem, either built by us or by our partners. Please refer to this documentation to have an overview. In the case of an existing connector, you will be able to focus on other areas of the project.