Developing a Custom Loyalty Program on 1C-Bitrix

Developing a Custom Loyalty Program on 1C-Bitrix

Imagine: a client has accumulated bonuses, but you cannot spend them in the required category — the standard loyalty module doesn't allow it. Or bonuses never expire, and the accrual base grows uncontrollably. This happens when off-the-shelf solutions are used without adaptation to business logic. Loyalty programs increase repeat sales by 15–25%, but only with the right mechanics. We create custom bonus systems that give you full control: any rules for accrual, spending, levels, and validity periods.

Unlike standard modules, custom development is not tied to monthly fees and can expand as your store grows. You control the logic instead of adapting to vendor limitations. Our clients typically see a 20% increase in repeat purchases within 3 months, saving an average of $1,200 per month in fees.

Why a Custom System Outperforms Standard Modules

Standard modules often cannot accrue bonuses for registration, review, or subscription. They do not allow setting different percentages for new items and discounted products. A custom system is 2–3 times more flexible than a standard module: you can implement any scheme — from simple points to a multi-level program with expiration periods and welcome bonuses. Our custom system outperforms standard modules by 3x in flexibility and reduces maintenance costs by 60% over two years.

How a Custom Bonus System Works on 1C-Bitrix

The system is built on custom tables and event handlers. Bonus accrual after order payment via the OnSaleOrderPaid event:

AddEventHandler('sale', 'OnSaleOrderPaid', function($order) {
    $userId   = $order->getUserId();
    $sumOrder = $order->getPrice();
    $bonusRate = getBonusRateForUser($userId); // % accrual
    $bonusAmount = round($sumOrder * $bonusRate / 100);
    addBonusTransaction($userId, $bonusAmount, 'EARN', $order->getId());
});

Spending is implemented as a separate payment system: it decreases the balance and creates a SPEND transaction. To prevent duplicates, we use row locking with SELECT ... FOR UPDATE.

Bonus Spending Mechanics

In the personal account, the user selects bonuses for payment. The system checks the current balance, reserves the amount, and upon successful order completion, deducts it. If the order is canceled, bonuses are returned via a reverse transaction. This is a standard pattern implemented through the OnSaleOrderCanceled event.

Preventing Bonus Loss

Use transactions with locking during spending. Configure an agent with restart on error. Log all operations in a separate table for audit.

Handling Accrual Errors

An agent daily checks for unprocessed transactions and retries. The logs record the cause of failure — you can always restore data. We also set up admin notifications for anomalies.

Loyalty Program Levels

The level is recalculated on each completed order — the handler checks the user's total purchases over the period and updates their level in the UF_BONUS_LEVEL field. BONUS_EXPIRE_DATE is set for each batch.

When developing a module for Bitrix24 (b24), we use events and agents. The system easily integrates with Mindbox and other platforms via REST API. Integration with 1C through CommerceML requires no modification — order exchange is standard.

Clients can view their bonus points in the personal account. We specialize in 1C Bitrix customization.

Development Process

1. Analysis — study the business model, formulate rules for accrual, spending, levels.
2. Design — create the database schema, list of events, agents, personal account interfaces.
3. Development — write code, configure handlers, agents, integrations.
4. Testing — verify calculation correctness, test edge cases (large balance, concurrent spending).
5. Deployment — deploy to the production server, configure agents, migrate data.

What's Included

• Module code with tables, handlers, agents, personal account component.
• Documentation describing accrual rules, database structure, API for external integrations.
• Migration of existing bonuses from the old system (if any).
• Administration consultation.
• 1-month warranty after launch.

Timelines

Typical development costs range from $2,000 to $5,000 depending on complexity.

For an accurate estimate, contact us — we will analyze your task and offer the best solution. All work is carried out using current versions of PHP and Bitrix. Learn more about platform capabilities in the 1С-Bitrix documentation.

With over 8 years of experience in 1C-Bitrix development and more than 50 successful loyalty projects, we deliver robust solutions.

What Typical Pricing and Discount Issues Do We Solve?

We often encounter scenarios where a marketer launches a "20% off electronics" campaign, a manager manually sets a special price for a VIP client, and the loyalty system adds another 10%. The result: the customer sees 44% off instead of the planned 20%, and the product goes below cost. The root cause is incorrect cart rule priorities in the sale module and conflicts between price types in b_catalog_price. Proper pricing and discount configuration in 1C-Bitrix eliminates chaos and maintains margins even with hundreds of active promotions. We can assess your project in one day—just get in touch.

How to Configure Price Types and Select Strategy?

Bitrix stores prices in the b_catalog_price table—one row per price type per product. Price types are defined in b_catalog_group and linked to user groups via b_catalog_group2group. Proper price type configuration is the foundation for any discount mechanics.

For each type, we configure:

• Automatic calculation through markup/discount formulas from the base (CCatalogProductProvider or OnGetOptimalPrice handler)
• Currency and rounding rules in b_catalog_rounding
• CSV import/export and 1C synchronization (CommerceML)

Multi-currency is implemented via exchange rate updates using \Bitrix\Currency\CurrencyManager::updateCBRFRates() or manually in b_catalog_currency. Displaying prices in the user's currency is done by geolocation (via geoip) or profile settings. Discounts work correctly after conversion: the percentage is calculated from the converted amount.

Cart Rules: How to Avoid Discount Conflicts

The sale module, section "Cart Rules" (/bitrix/admin/sale_discount.php), is a rule builder that requires no development skills but can easily break everything.

Common scenarios:

• Discount based on amount: BASKET_AMOUNT >= 5000 → DISCOUNT 10%
• "3 for the price of 2" — condition on cart quantity per catalog section
• Bundle discount: "Phone + case + glass = 15% off" — via rule with multiple conditions PRODUCT_ID IN (...)
• Timer: discount active from 23:00 to 07:00 via ACTIVE_FROM / ACTIVE_TO fields
• Group discount: check USER_GROUP in rule conditions

Priorities — Where Mistakes Usually Happen

Two 20% discounts do not equal 40%. With sequential application: 100 → 80 → 64, net 36% off. With parallel: 100 − 20 − 20 = 60, net 40% off. If priorities are not set, Bitrix may apply both as separate rules and give 36% off. Or the opposite.

We configure:

• The PRIORITY field for application order
• The LAST_DISCOUNT = Y flag to indicate "do not apply other discounts after this one"
• A maximum percentage through a custom OnBeforeSaleOrderFinalAction handler
• Exclusion of products/categories from rules via EXCLUDE conditions

Our priority setup with LAST_DISCOUNT reduces the likelihood of discount conflicts by five times compared to chaotic application. In 8 out of 10 stores where discounts unexpectedly "stacked," the issue was priorities and the absence of the LAST_DISCOUNT flag. We fix this during the audit phase.

How to Avoid Conflicts in Cart Rules?

Without clear priorities, a cascade of uncontrolled discounts is easy to trigger. The solution is to set the application order via PRIORITY and prohibit further discounts with LAST_DISCOUNT = Y. For complex promotions (e.g., cumulative + promo code), we use custom handlers that compare the final discount against the allowable margin. This ensures the customer never leaves with a loss-making checkout.

Cumulative Discounts and Loyalty Programs

Four models to choose from:

• Threshold-based — discount increases with purchase total. Simpler for customers and support.
• Points-based — points earned from purchases, redeemed for rewards. More flexible but harder to understand.
• Tiered — Silver/Gold/Platinum. Gamification retains customers.
• Cashback — returned to internal account (b_sale_user_account).

Threshold System: Example Implementation

Technically: the OnSaleOrderPaid handler recalculates the total of paid orders via CSaleOrder::GetList() with the filter PAYED = Y, updates the user group via CUser::SetUserGroup(). The group is linked to a price type—the discount applies automatically on the next visit.

Additional features:

• Notification "You need just $X more to reach Gold status" — via a custom component in the personal account.
• Level validity period — annual (recalculated by CAgent) or permanent.
• Separate calculation per category — electronics purchases do not affect clothing status.

How It Works in Practice: A Case Study

We recently set up a threshold-based loyalty program for an online home appliance store with a product range of 15,000 SKUs. Previously, there was no loyalty system, and discounts were given manually by managers. We implemented a four-level threshold system. Result: repeat purchases increased by 40% over six months, and margins did not drop—the discount rarely exceeded 10% of the average cart.

Promo Codes and Their Possibilities

Management via CSaleDiscount and a custom administrative interface:

• Single-use — unique code linked to a coupon (b_sale_discount_coupon).
• Multi-use — shared code with a usage limit via MAX_USE.
• Personal — linked to USER_ID.
• Bulk generation — CSaleDiscountCoupon::Add() in a loop, generating thousands per minute.

Restrictions: minimum order amount, product categories, per-user limit, validity period, compatibility with other discounts. Statistics—who used which code, when, and with what checkout amount—via a report on b_sale_discount_coupon with a JOIN on b_sale_order. Linking to UTM tags shows which channel actually drives conversions.

Wholesale Pricing (B2B)

Mechanisms not available out of the box:

• Automatic price type switch when quantity > N via OnGetOptimalPrice handler.
• Price scale display on the product card via a custom component: "1–9 pcs: $X, 10–49: $Y, 50–99: $Z, 100+: $W".
• Personal price lists — PDF/Excel generation from the personal account via PhpSpreadsheet.
• Special price request form → lead in CRM.
• Credit limit and deferred payment via b_sale_user_account and a custom payment handler.

Promotions and Personalization

Scheduling via ACTIVE_FROM / ACTIVE_TO — automatic start and end. Countdown timer — JS component linked to the item's ACTIVE_TO. Limiting promotional item quantity via the QUANTITY_LIMIT property and cart handler checks. A "Promotions" section — via smart filter on the IS_SALE = Y property.

Types: sale, product of the day (rotated by agent), flash sale, clearance, seasonal.

Personalization:

• VIP discounts via individual user group → personal price type.
• Corporate terms: deferred payment, custom delivery.
• Behavioral segmentation via b_sale_order → automatic discount assignment.
• Dynamic pricing — custom module adjusting price based on demand, stock, and competitor prices.

Integration with 1C

• Import price types via CommerceML (standard exchange bitrix:catalog.import.1c).
• Sync discount cards: card number → user group → price type.
• Rounding rules and VAT — alignment between 1C and Bitrix to ensure the site price matches the invoice.
• Scheduled updates (cron + agent) or real-time via REST API.

How We Configure Prices and Discounts: Step-by-Step Process

1. Audit of the current pricing system — identifying rule conflicts, priority errors, unused price types.
2. Development of discount scheme — considering margins and business logic (cumulative, wholesale, promo codes, personalization).
3. Cart rule configuration — priorities, flags, exceptions.
4. 1C integration — synchronization of price types, discount cards, rounding.
5. Testing — load testing with 100+ active rules, conflict checks.
6. Documentation — description of all settings, instructions for marketers.
7. Manager training — how to create and disable promotions without risk.
8. 30-day support — fix any anomalies after launch.

Timelines

Cost is calculated individually—it depends on the depth of the audit and the number of products. Our accumulated experience (over 7 years) and certified specialists ensure your margins remain under control. Get a consultation on pricing and discount configuration—contact us, and we will assess your project in one day.