> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.dollarlabs.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.dollarlabs.io/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/evaluation-windows.md). # Evaluation windows {% hint style="info" %} **Plan:** Pro plan and above. {% endhint %} {% embed url="" %} *This article's section starts at 3:27 in the video.* The evaluation window is the timeframe DollarBack looks at when deciding a customer's tier. Choose it carefully: it controls how customers climb and whether they can ever fall back down. ## The window options Set the window in the **Evaluation Window** section of **DollarBack admin → Tiers**. It applies to all tiers at once.
Evaluation Window card with the dropdown set to All time.

The evaluation window applies to the whole ladder.

| Option | Counts activity from | Customers move down? | | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | **All time** | The customer's entire history | No; progress only accumulates | | **Last 365 days** | 365 days before today, sliding forward each day | Yes; activity ages out one day at a time | | **Current month** | The 1st of the current calendar month | Yes; counters restart every month | | **Current year** | January 1 of the current year | Yes; counters restart every year | | **Custom rolling…** | A number of days you choose, sliding forward each day | Yes; activity ages out one day at a time | | **Custom recurring…** | A recurring window you define | Yes; counters restart at each rollover | ### Rolling or recurring? The two custom options sound alike and behave very differently. The difference is whether the window *slides* or *resets*. **Custom rolling** takes a single **Last … days** value — any number from 1 up, defaulting to 30 when you pick it. The window slides forward every day, so it always covers the same length of recent history: on 10 September a 90-day window counts activity back to 12 June, and tomorrow it counts back to 13 June. Nobody's counter ever restarts; instead, an order drops out of the calculation on the day it turns 91. Use it when you want tiers to reflect a customer's recent trading rather than the calendar, without a cliff edge where everyone resets at once. **Last 365 days** is the same thing with the value fixed at a year. **Custom recurring** takes a **Start month**, a **Day**, and a **Repeat every** value in months. Everyone's counter restarts together at each rollover. A window that starts on the 1st and repeats every 12 months gives customers a year to qualify and requalify, which is useful when a calendar-year reset feels arbitrary. Repeat every 3 months gives you quarterly tiers. {% hint style="info" %} A rolling window is gentler on customers and harder to explain: there's no "your tier resets in January" message to send, because each customer's window is personal to the day. A recurring window is blunter but easier to market, and it gives you a natural moment to run a "requalify now" campaign. Pick for the story you want to tell, not just the arithmetic. {% endhint %} ## How customers move up Tier evaluation is automatic. Whenever a customer's numbers change (an order is processed, a referral reward lands, an account is created), DollarBack re-evaluates that customer against your ladder immediately. If they now meet all conditions of a higher tier, they move up on the spot; there is nothing for you to run. The upgrade applies to future orders. The order that pushed a customer over a threshold is calculated at the tier they held when they placed it; multipliers are snapshotted per order (see [Link cashback programs to tiers](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/link-cashback-programs-to-tiers.md)). ## How customers move down Customers move down when the activity behind their tier leaves the window — at a rollover with the resetting windows (new month, new year, or the next recurrence of a custom recurring window), or gradually with the rolling ones as old orders age out. Either way, when DollarBack next re-evaluates that customer: * A customer who no longer meets their tier's conditions drops to the highest tier they still qualify for. * A customer who meets no tier's conditions has their tier removed entirely. Re-evaluation is triggered by the customer's own activity — an order, a referral reward, a new account — or by a [tier sync](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/sync-tiers-to-customers.md). A customer who stops shopping altogether therefore keeps a stale tier until the next sync, whichever window you choose. If demotions matter to you, run a sync periodically rather than only after rule changes. With **All time** there is no reset, so tiers are effectively permanent promotions: customers can only accumulate their way up. Pick a recurring window if you want tiers to reward *recent* loyalty and lapse when a customer stops shopping. {% hint style="warning" %} Switching windows (say, All time → Current month) can demote a large share of your customers at the next sync, because most will have far less activity inside the new, shorter window. Preview the impact on a few known customers before saving, and expect the widget to show the change after you sync. {% endhint %} ## When re-evaluation happens | Trigger | Scope | | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | Order processed | That customer | | Referral reward processed | That customer | | Customer account created | That customer | | Window rollover | Scheduled reset per your window | | **Sync now** after saving settings | All customers | For recurring windows, the widget can show customers when their progress resets ("Resets on {date}"), so the deadline is visible rather than a surprise. ## Verify it works Pick a customer whose order history you know. With **All time** selected, note their tier in the widget or their customer metafield. Switch to **Current month**, save, and [sync](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/sync-tiers-to-customers.md). A customer with old spend but no orders this month should drop, confirming the window drives assignment. ## Common issues * **A loyal customer suddenly lost their tier**: a recurring window rolled over and their in-window activity no longer qualifies. Widen the window or lower thresholds. * **Tier didn't change after editing the window**: settings changes reach existing customers only after a sync. See [Sync tiers to customers](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/sync-tiers-to-customers.md). * **Customer expected credit at their new, higher rate on the qualifying order**: the multiplier applies from the next order; per-order snapshots are never recalculated. ## Related articles * [Build your tiers](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/build-your-tiers.md) * [Sync tiers to customers](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/sync-tiers-to-customers.md) * [Link cashback programs to tiers](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/link-cashback-programs-to-tiers.md) * [Loyalty tiers overview](/dollarback-store-credit/loyalty-tiers/loyalty-tiers-overview.md)