Brands sell through layers: distributors supply dealers, dealers supply retailers, and retailers sell to the customer or the tradesperson. Each layer chooses how hard to push a brand. A dealer programme is how brands give them a reason to choose theirs, and how brands finally see which partners sell the most.

Who wrote this guide

This guide is written by the EZ Solutions team. We build Engage360, software that runs trade and influencer programmes for product companies. The checklist below applies to any programme; the final section shows how Engage360 supports it.

Who should a dealer loyalty programme enrol?

It usually enrols the trade partners between the brand and the end customer: distributors, dealers, retailers and sometimes sub-dealers. Each is a separate member type with its own rules, since a distributor and a small retailer buy in very different quantities.

Linking members in a chain helps too. A retailer can sit under the dealer who supplies it, so the dealer earns a share when its retailers buy. That rewards dealers for growing the brand’s reach, not only their own orders.

What to reward

The simplest rule is to reward what the brand most wants partners to do:

  • Purchases of the brand’s products, the base of every programme.
  • New ranges, with extra points while a launch builds stock in the market.
  • Seasonal volume, with a bonus for buying a set quantity before peak season.
  • Regional focus, with higher points in territories where the brand is weaker.

Avoid rewarding things that are hard to check. If a claim cannot be verified, it will be abused.

How dealers earn: invoices and codes

Most dealer programmes measure purchases through invoice claims. The member uploads the invoice; the claim is checked against the products and quantities; points are added once approved. Some brands also print product codes that partners scan on receipt. The QR code rewards guide explains how scan-based earning works.

Schemes by product and territory

Schemes are where a programme earns its keep. A scheme is time-bound and changes the points for a set of products or a territory: it can multiply the usual points, add a fixed bonus or replace the rate entirely. Previewing the effect of a scheme before it starts shows its cost before the bill arrives.

Payouts dealers trust

Trade partners judge a programme by how quickly and correctly it pays. Points can be redeemed from a rewards catalogue of goods and e-vouchers, or converted to money paid to a verified bank account or UPI ID. Approval steps before payout, and a ledger that cannot be edited, keep finance teams comfortable with the money going out.

Controls that keep claims honest

Invoice claims attract mistakes and cheating: the same bill uploaded twice, inflated quantities, or claims for another brand’s goods. Four controls handle most of it: duplicate invoices flagged automatically, every claim reviewed before approval, a second approver for manual point changes, and a full audit log. The influencer loyalty programme guide covers the same controls for tradespeople.

How Engage360 runs dealer programmes

Engage360 supports trade programmes alongside influencer and consumer ones:

  • Several programmes side by side, each with member types such as distributor, dealer and retailer.
  • Members and KYC with applications, upline relationships, territories and duplicate checks.
  • Invoice claims with proof upload and duplicate flags before approval.
  • Schemes that multiply, add or replace points, with a calculation preview.
  • A rewards catalogue with orders, fulfilment vendors and courier tracking, plus bank and UPI payouts.
  • An audit log of every action, and a points ledger that cannot be edited.

The result is a programme that shows the brand, territory by territory, which partners are really moving its products.

Explore Engage360