An automated birthday campaign is a marketing strategy that sends a predefined reward to each customer on their birthday. As long as the date of birth is present in the user’s profile, the system automatically delivers the offer on the correct day—no manual scheduling is needed.
When properly implemented, this type of campaign creates a more personal and memorable connection with customers. By recognizing their birthday, you reinforce brand loyalty, and often encourage an additional purchase during the reward period.
🛠️ This guide covers the Gift reward option, where all users receive the same predefined menu item.
Step 1: Select the Birthday Scenario
To get started, log in to your LoyaltyPlant account and navigate to the Campaigns section from the top menu.
In the top right corner, click Create New Campaign
Choose Automated Birthday Greetings from the list of available scenarios
In the pop-up window, under What would you like to give your customers for their birthday?, select Gift
Step 2: Set Campaign Parameters
After selecting the reward type, the Campaign scenario section will open. This is where you define the campaign’s timing, audience, and offer availability.
1. Enter a campaign name
In the top-left field (under Draft · Happy Birthday), enter a name for internal reference. This name is only visible inside the CRM.
2. Set campaign period
Specify the start and optional end date to define when the birthday campaign is running in the app.
❗Note: If you don’t set an end date, the campaign will run indefinitely and continue sending birthday gifts as users meet the condition. Set a Campaign end (optional) if the reward should only be available for a limited time.
The time set in the Start field determines when the first push notification will be delivered on the day the offer becomes available for each user.
💡 Tip: For better visibility, avoid sending messages at typical times like 12:00. Use less predictable options, such as 12:13 or 14:07, to help your message stand out.
Time zone handling for multi-location brands
If your restaurant locations operate in multiple time zones, the system automatically adjusts campaign timing to align with your entire network. It will begin when the earliest location reaches the start time and will end when the latest location reaches the defined end time.
Example: A restaurant operates in London (GMT+0) and Los Angeles (GMT–8). The birthday gift is intended as a morning surprise, and the campaign is scheduled to run from 08:00 to 11:00. It starts when it turns 08:00 in London and stays active until 11:00 in Los Angeles, meaning the gift remains visible in London for an additional 8 hours and ends at 19:00 local time.
💡Tip: If you want to avoid time zone variations altogether, use the Segmentation step to target specific cities or locations. This way, you can precisely control both the timing and audience per campaign.
3. Set up custom parameters for the campaign audience
By default, the campaign includes all app users.
To set up the filter:
1. Click Define under “Choose customers you’re going to attract”
2. In the Purchase history section, set Total number of orders to 1 or more
3. Click Apply and close
4. Set the offer duration
Define the period when the gift must be available to the user for redemption.
To do this, set:
Days before birthday — how many days in advance the gift becomes available
Days after birthday — how long it remains valid after the birthday
The gift appears in the app at the start of this window and can only be used during this time. Once the period ends, the offer expires automatically.
Step 3: Set App Content
The main focus of this step is how the birthday gift will be shown in the app. The goal is to make the offer clear, appealing, and easy for users to notice and redeem.
Offer mechanics
Select a type of reward
If discount rewards are enabled in the account, this section will display two options: Choose a menu item as a present or Apply a discount. If not, the reward will be configured as a menu item by default.
Note: This guide covers the menu item reward setup. For information on configuring discounts, see How to Enable and Configure Discount Rewards.
Menu items
In this section, select the menu item to be used as the birthday gift. Depending on the setup, one or both of the following redemption fields may appear:
Menu items for in-store orders
Menu items for online orders
The gift must be selected in every field where it should be available. Use the search bar to find items by name or POS code.
❗Important: To ensure the reward is available at all locations, select all matching items by POS code. It helps to avoid mismatches, especially when menu templates differ or items have been renamed.
How can a customer receive this gift?
In this section, check the boxes for the order types where the customer can receive the gift. You can enable one or more options, depending on what’s supported for your brand.
In store (show QR code) — redeemable during an in-person visit by scanning a QR code at the cashier
In application — redeemable only through orders placed in the app
Web ordering — redeemable only through orders placed on your website
Depending on the selected channels, additional fields may appear:
This section may look detailed, but most fields appear only after certain options are selected. You’ll only need to configure what’s relevant to your setup.
If only In store (show QR code) is selected:
Minimum order amount — required order total to receive the reward in-store
By spending points — how the customer redeems the reward using loyalty points:
for free - the item is fully covered by the campaign, and the user pays nothing
at a discount, (%) - the user receives a percentage-based discount on the item
at a discount, ($) - a fixed amount is subtracted from the item’s price
at a special price - the item is offered at a set price, regardless of the original cost
Note: This setting applies only to the selected gift item — not to the full order total.
If Web ordering, In application, or both are selected:
Minimum online order amount — required order total to receive the reward online
*Allow to redeem the reward only if — conditions for when the reward becomes available during the ordering process:
No limits — the reward is always available
Any position in the order — the reward becomes available only if at least one selected item is in the cart
All positions in the order — the reward becomes available only if all selected items are in the cart
*Depending on the selected condition, two additional fields may appear:
Menu items for orders — items that must be in the cart to unlock the reward
How to get — message shown at checkout explaining how to unlock the reward
If both in-store and online ordering (app and/or web) are selected:
Minimum order amount — required order total to receive the reward in-store
Minimum online order amount — required order total to receive the reward online
Reward cost (for analytics only)
In the Reward cost field, enter the estimated cost of the reward item — not the price shown to users. This value is essential for internal analytics and is used to evaluate campaign performance and calculate ROI.
It does not affect how the reward appears to users and is used solely for calculating campaign statistics and efficiency.
💡Tip: If you’re unsure of the exact amount, use a 30% food cost estimate. For example, if the menu price is $10, enter $3.
Offer settings
This section defines how the reward will be presented to the user in the app.
Title
Enter a short headline that communicates the value of the offer. This is the first thing the user sees on the reward card.
💡 Tip: Use 2–4 impactful words that clearly convey the benefit, e.g., “Free Margherita Pizza”
Description
Add a short message (up to 128 characters) that supports the title and provides context for the reward. This text becomes visible when the user opens the coupon in the app.
For birthday campaigns, use this field to reinforce that the reward is a birthday gift, highlight how long it's available, or include additional details about the offer.
Detailed Description (optional)
This field is not shown by default in the reward preview but becomes visible when the user scrolls down the opened coupon. Use it to specify any important conditions (e.g., minimum order amount, expiration rules) or to add further context.
Cover Image
Upload a high-quality vertical image (at least 1080×1920 px) that visually supports the offer. This image appears at the top of the reward card and helps attract user attention.
In birthday campaigns, use a clean and attention-focused image. Add elements like a gift icon, ribbon, or a time tag (e.g. “3 days”) to show that the offer is birthday-related and limited in duration.
Note: Instructions for designing and uploading images are provided in a separate presentation: How to design and upload app coupon images.
Coupon availability
App section
In this dropdown, choose the section the reward will appear in the app. It will only be shown to users who meet all campaign conditions.
Step 4: Push Notifications
This section lets you write and schedule push messages that will be sent to the user during their birthday reward period.
Timing of the First Push Notification
The first push notification is mandatory and is sent automatically based on two settings in the Campaign scenario step:
The day is defined by the value in Before Birthday, days
The time is defined by the Campaign start field
Together, they determine exactly when the first message will be delivered to each user. For example, if “Before Birthday” is set to 3 and the campaign start time is 12:00, the notification will be sent at 12:00, exactly 3 days before the user’s birthday.
Notification text
Write a short push message to be sent at the beginning of the birthday offer period. It should clearly indicate that the reward is a birthday gift and encourage the user to open the app.
The key value should appear within the first 3–4 words, which are shown in the push preview (e.g. “Happy birthday — a free strawberry cake is on the house 🍰”).
Reminders
You can add extra notifications during the birthday offer period to remind the user about the reward.
These reminders can be used to:
Congratulate the user on their birthday and highlight the gift
Send a final notification near the end of the period, encouraging them to use the reward before it expires
To add a reminder, click Add another reminder.
Note: Follow-up messages will only be sent to users who haven’t redeemed the offer. Customers who have already used the gift won’t receive additional notifications.
On which day to send the notification
This field defines the day within the birthday offer period when the reminder will be sent.
The offer period starts from Day 1, based on the value set in Before Birthday, days in the Campaign scenario step. Each day after that is counted sequentially through the full range of the offer.
💡 Example: If Before Birthday is set to 3 and the user’s birthday is on April 9, the offer starts on April 6, which is considered Day 1 of the offer period. A reminder set for Day 1 will be sent on April 6, Day 4 on the user’s birthday — April 9, and Day 5 (if used) will be sent on April 10.
A hint above the field shows on which day of the period the user’s birthday occurs. Use this number to schedule a birthday greeting or other time-specific reminder.
🛠️ To enable this hint, make sure the values for Before Birthday, days and After Birthday, days are configured in the Campaign scenario step.
Time
Set the exact time when the reminder should be delivered on the selected day.
For better visibility, avoid sending reminders at typical times like 12:00. Use less predictable options, such as 12:13 or 14:07, to reduce overlap with other notifications.
Final Step: Launch or Save the Campaign
Once all sections are filled out, go to the top right and click Create campaign to activate it immediately.
If you’re not ready to launch, click the arrow next to Create campaign and choose Save and exit to return later.