The Shop Now Bonus allows customers to receive additional credit when they choose to shop immediately with their return value instead of opting for a refund or a gift card. This guide explains how it works, how credit and bonus amounts are calculated, and what happens when return or exchange items are added or removed.
⚠️ Because of the bonus incentive, customers can potentially keep exchanging items for higher-value items through Shop Now. To combat this, we recommend using Advanced Rules.
What Is the Shop Now Bonus?
When a customer selects Shop Now, a custom bonus rate (e.g. 10%) is applied to their return credit. This gives them more to spend if they shop immediately, helping retain revenue.
Key Terms
Base Credit: The original value of returned items (before any bonus).
Bonus: Extra credit added when the customer chooses Shop Now.
Total Credit: The sum of Base Credit + Bonus.
Bonus Rate: The percentage increase applied to the Base Credit (e.g. 10%).
How the Single Pool Credit System Works
Swap uses a Single Pool system, where the Total Credit is calculated and stored the moment Shop Now is selected. Any additions or removals of return or exchange items update this Total Credit, ensuring all bonus calculations remain consistent.
Formula
Total Credit = (Return Items - Exchange Items) × (1 + Bonus Rate)
Real-Time Credit Display for Customers
Before reaching the exchange page, customers can already see:
A line-through of the base credit amount
The increased credit that includes the bonus
The remaining bonus they can use
This ensures transparency and helps customers make informed decisions before choosing items.
Adjusting Credit with Exchanges
When a customer selects an exchange item after activating Shop Now:
The bonus-value of the exchange item is subtracted from the Total Credit.
We recalculate the Base Credit and Bonus using:
Base Credit = Total Credit / (1 + Bonus Rate) Bonus = Total Credit – Base Credit
New vs. Previous Shop Now Flow
Feature | Previous Shop Now | New Shop Now |
Bonus timing | After selecting EFSE items | Applied immediately when clicking Shop Now before choosing EFSE items |
Bonus based on | Difference between return and exchange | Initial return value when Shop Now is clicked (bonus is adjusted with return item changes) |
Credit flexibility | Limited | Fully dynamic |
Remaining credit options | Gift card only | Shop more, Shop Later, or Refund |
Examples
Example 1: Shop Now with Exchange and Refund
In the Single Pool Credit model, the system separates the base value (cash equivalent) from the bonus (incentive).
The customer returns €100
→ A 10% Shop Now bonus is applied
→ Total Credit = €110 (Base €100 + Bonus €10)
The customer selects an exchange item worth €80
→ This is deducted from the Total Credit
→ Remaining Total Credit = €30
When the customer opts for a refund:
→ Only the base credit is refundable
→ The bonus portion is non-refundable (it's an incentive, not cash value)
Therefore, we extract the base value from the remaining total:
30 ÷ 1.10 = 27.27
Outcome
Refund issued: €27.27
Remaining €2.73 is bonus value and not refundable
Example 2: Shop Now with Exchange Item
Return value: £160
Bonus rate: 10%
Exchange item selected: £50
What happens:
Total Credit = (160 − 0) × 1.1 = £176
After choosing an exchange item and returning to the screen:
New Total Credit = 176 − 50 = £126
Base Credit = 126 ÷ 1.1 = £114.55
Bonus = 126 − 114.55 = £11.45
Example 3: Adding a Return Item After Shop Now
Continuing from Example 2 (Total Credit = £126):
Return item added: £80
What happens:
New Total Credit = 80 × 1.1 + 126 = 88 + 126 = £214
Base Credit = 214 ÷ 1.1 = £194.55
Bonus = 214 − 194.55 = £19.45