‘Targeted % with Ratio Targets’ mechanism

Description

A mechanism where the earnings are a percentage of transactions, but the size of this percentage depends on the ratio of specified groupings of transactions.

Example

For example, a program line for which you earn a 1% rate on the spend if 25% of all purchases were of a particular product group, 2% if 50% of all purchases were of that product group and 3% if 75% of all purchases were of that product group.

Configuration approach

You will be required to:

• Configure one or more target bands, with a target ratio and a percentage rate for each, as illustrated below:

Subset dimensions

When the ‘Targeted % rate with ratio targets’ plug-in has been selected, a separate dimension selection will appear allowing you to select the subset dimensions for the subset transactions. This subset transactions is used in the calculation of the target ratio, so if the subset transactions comprise 50% of the total transactions (from the main dimension selection), then the second tier has been reached in the example above.

Optional settings

Separate target and earning transactions?

For a program line that uses the ‘Targeted % rate with ratio targets’ plug-in, the Separate target and earning transactions? tick box is unticked by default.

When the Separate target and earning transactions? box is unticked:

• You will be required to configure a single set of dimension items as included items for the program line, where the set of included items contains at least one item for each dimension that has been configured for you. You will also be required to configure your subset dimension items in order to calculate the ratio.
• Enable will:
• Use the set of included dimension items, in conjunction with the start and end dates of the program line and the currency of the parent trading program, to select a single set of matching transaction lines for the program line;
• Use the set of matching transaction lines, in conjunction with the target bands that have been configured for the program line and the subset dimension items selected, to calculate the earnings.

When the Separate target and earning transactions? box is ticked:

• You will be required to configure two sets of dimension items — one for target transactions and one for earning transactions — where each set of included items contains at least one item for each dimension that has been configured for you. You will also be required to configure your subset dimension items in order to calculate the ratio.
• Enable will:
• Use the two sets of included dimension items, in conjunction with the start and end dates of the program line and the currency of the parent trading program, to select two sets of matching transaction lines for the program line — one for target transactions and one for earning transactions;
• Use the subset dimension items to calculate the ratio achieved from the target transactions.
• Use the target transactions lines to determine which target band, and therefore which percentage rate, applies to the program line;
• Use the earning transaction lines to calculate the earnings for the program line;
• Assign earnings to all of the earning transaction lines. (Target transactions lines are not assigned earnings unless by coincidence they also happen to be earnings lines.)

Discount %

For a program line that uses the Targeted percentage rate with ratio targets plug-in, the discount percentage is set to zero by default to indicate that there is no discount percentage. You may type a numeric value (to a maximum of 3 decimal places) to specify a nonzero discount percentage.

Please note — you should enter the percentage value, e.g. 2.5 as opposed to 0.025 for a 2.5% discount.

The expected scenario is one where a user enters a positive percentage (e.g. 2.5) to reduce the qualifying transactions, although the user may enter a negative percentage to inflate the relevant transactions. You will not be allowed to enter a percentage that is greater than 100% or less than -100%.

When a nonzero value is entered into the Discount % box, a Discount deducted from setting will become visible.

For a program line that uses the Targeted % rate with ratio targets plug-in, whether the Separate target and earning transactions? box is ticked will determine how the Discount deducted from setting operates (and this in turn determines how the discount percentage is applied).

If the Separate target and earning transactions? box is unticked:

• The Discount deducted from entry will be set to (and fixed as) Target and earning transactions.
• Trading Programs will use transactions that is net of the discount percentage both to determine which target band applies and to calculate the earnings.

If the Separate target and earning transactions? box is ticked:

• The Discount deducted from field will allow you to select from options of:
• Target and earning transactions (the default);
• Target transactions;
• Earning transactions.
• Trading Programs will apply the discount percentage to:
• Both target and earning transactions if your Discount deducted from selection is Target and earning transactions;
• Target transactions only if your Discount deducted from selection is Target transactions;
• Earning transactions only if your Discount deducted from selection is Earning transactions.

Deductions

When using the Targeted % rate with ratio targets plug-in, no program lines will be selected for the Deductions setting by default.

You will have the option of taking no action to accept this default selection or selecting from a list of the program lines that have been configured for the parent trading program. If you accept the default option, Trading Programs will calculate both transactions and earnings for the ‘deduct from’ program line in the normal way without referring to the earnings from any other program lines.

If deduction program lines are selected for a program line that uses the Targeted % rate with ratio targets plug-in, where the Separate target and earning transactions? box is ticked, a Deduct earnings from setting will be displayed.

When the Deduct earnings from setting is available:

• You will be required to select from options of:
• Target transactions;
• Earning transactions;
• Target and earning transactions.
• Trading Programs will deduct the earnings from the deduction program line(s) from:
• Both target and earning transactions if your Deducted earnings from selection is Target and earning transactions;
• Target transactions only if your Deducted earnings from selection is Target transactions;
• Earning transactions only if your Deducted earnings from selection is Earning transactions.

When the Deduct earnings from setting is hidden for a program line that uses the Targeted % rate with ratio targets plug-in (which it will be if Separate target and earning transactions? is not ticked for the program line), Trading Programs will use transactions that is net of the deducted earnings both to determine which target band applies and to calculate the earnings.

Please note — for a program line where one or more program lines have been selected for the Deductions setting and a nonzero discount percentage has been entered, the discount percentage is applied first. That is, the relevant percentage discounts are applied before the earnings from the deductions program line(s) are subtracted.