|
How this guide was prepared. Last updated October 2026. It draws on Brandmovers' experience responding to loyalty platform evaluations. It also draws on security and privacy standards, each checked at its source. |
The most useful loyalty platform RFP questions ask vendors for specific evidence (named people, past delays, reference clients, full costs and exit terms) rather than confirmation of features that every credible vendor will claim to support.
Many loyalty RFPs read as feature checklists. They ask whether a vendor supports tiers, APIs, mobile wallet passes and gamification, and every credible vendor says yes. The shortlist then depends on who gives the best demo rather than who delivers best. The questions that separate vendors are about what happens after the contract is signed: who does the work, what has gone wrong before, what it all costs and how you leave. This guide covers five common RFP mistakes, 30 questions in six categories, how to score the answers and ten questions for reference calls. For how RFPs work in general, see the guide to the RFP process.
|
The most common mistakes are issuing an RFP before requirements are defined, weighting features over service, accepting timeline claims untested, skipping ownership and contract questions, and comparing license fees instead of total cost.
Issuing the RFP before requirements are defined. Without a written program outline (objectives tied to business metrics, member journeys, must-have versus nice-to-have requirements, integration needs and the team available after launch), vendors fill the gaps with their own assumptions, and their proposals describe different programs at different prices. The loyalty platform buyer's guide covers the options to consider first.
Weighting features over service. Most established platforms support tiers, APIs and gamification, so confirming them eliminates no one. The differences are in who provides strategy, creative, analytics and compliance, whether that work is in-house or outsourced, and what support looks like after launch.
Accepting timeline claims untested. "Ninety days to launch" can mean a minimal configuration, a soft launch or a full production program. Ask what scope the timeline assumes, what has caused delays before and what your team must provide. The implementation timeline guide covers what realistic plans include.
Skipping ownership and contract questions. Ownership can change during a multi-year contract, whatever the vendor's current structure. Ask every vendor the same questions about ownership, change-of-control terms and data portability early, not at contract review.
Comparing license fees instead of total cost. License fees leave out implementation, integration, internal staff time and ongoing services. As an illustration, a platform licensed at $180,000 a year that needs a $400,000 implementation and $200,000 a year of internal management totals $1.54 million over three years before any outside services; compare that with each vendor's all-in figure for the same scope. Ask every vendor to complete the same cost model.
A strong loyalty platform RFP asks 30 questions across six categories: company and ownership, implementation, integration and architecture, post-launch service, vertical experience and compliance, and total cost.
These questions matter for any multi-year relationship. Judge the answers on how directly and completely each vendor responds, and on the contract protections offered, rather than on the type of owner.
Look for named causes of past delays, stated scope assumptions and specific resource requirements.
A prebuilt connector that the vendor maintains is very different from a custom integration you pay for and support. The guide to integrations to look for and the composable architecture guide cover the technical background.
"Dedicated customer success" can mean one person covering many accounts. Ask who, how many and what is included.
Vertical experience is best tested through references in your industry, and compliance claims through documents rather than descriptions.
On question 22, a SOC 2 report evaluates controls against one or more of the AICPA's five Trust Services Criteria categories (security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy), so the categories and period matter. The PCI Security Standards Council says PCI DSS applies to "all entities that store, process, or transmit cardholder data," as well as entities handling sensitive authentication data or able to affect the cardholder data environment. On question 24, California's regulations at 11 CCR 7051 list the terms a contract with a service provider must include, such as limiting use of personal information to the specified business purposes, and other states set their own processor-contract terms, such as Virginia (Va. Code 59.1-579). On question 13, programs for state and local government clients, such as lotteries and transit agencies, fall under the Justice Department's ADA rule, which requires their web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. This is general information, not legal advice.
A general request for pricing produces a license schedule. A structured cost model produces answers you can compare.
Score each response on how specific and verifiable it is, using category weights you set before any demos, so the best presentation does not outweigh the strongest evidence.
Agree on the categories and weights with stakeholders before responses arrive. Adjust them to your priorities: a brand with complex integrations should weight technical architecture more heavily, and a regulated brand should weight compliance more heavily. Score each category on a simple scale, multiply by its weight and total the results, then use demos built around your own scenarios as a second check rather than the main one. The RFP scorecard and vendor evaluation guide provides a weighted scorecard and a process for running the evaluation. A B2B channel program should add questions on partner eligibility, tax reporting for incentive payouts and distributor data.
Ask references specific questions a satisfied client can answer in detail, and that expose any gap between what the vendor promised and what it delivered.
Vendors choose their own references, so ask for a client that has been with them for several years and, if possible, one that has left, or choose references yourself from the vendor's client list and your own network.
Buyers should ask Brandmovers the same 30 questions as every other vendor and verify the answers the same way.
Some answers are on record now; buyers should still test them with the same questions. Brandmovers was founded in 2003 and is independent and founder-controlled, with no private equity ownership. Its client retention rate is 94% (disclosed by Brandmovers), and its implementation benchmark to build and launch a program is 90 to 120 days (disclosed by Brandmovers); ask how retention is measured (question 2) and what scope the benchmark assumes (question 6). Brandmovers holds SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS attestations (auditor: Hancock Askew & Co., LLP), and buyers should still request the current report, its criteria and its period, as question 22 asks. Brandmovers runs consumer loyalty programs on BLOYL™, its B2C enterprise loyalty platform, and B2B channel incentive programs on BENGAGED™. BLOYL integrates with systems including Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe Marketo, Microsoft Dynamics, Shopify, Adobe Commerce, SAP and Epicor. Promotions work includes in-house legal support. The rest, including named account staff, references and a full cost model, should come in the response itself. If a vendor switch is involved, the platform migration guide covers what to ask about moving data.
A loyalty platform RFP should reveal which vendor can deliver the program, not which one presents it best. Define your requirements first, ask all 30 questions of every vendor, insist on specific and verifiable answers, set scoring weights before demos and use reference calls to test the claims. Vendors that answer specifically are showing you how they work; vendors that answer vaguely are showing you something too.
|
Running a loyalty platform RFP? Brandmovers will answer every question in this guide for your program, with loyalty on BLOYL and promotions with in-house legal support. Request a Brandmovers RFP response or request a demo to talk through your requirements with the Brandmovers team. |