How onboarding works
Retailer onboarding has three phases. Preparation is mostly on Surfside’s side. Connection involves you, your providers, and Surfside. Launch is where we validate everything and go live together.
The three phases
| Phase | What happens | What we need from you | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Preparation | Kickoff with your representative. We confirm your goals, outputs, platforms, and participating stores, set up your Surfside account, and send the access requests that apply to you. | Platform names, store list, website address, a contact for your website and apps, and whether to include Surfside Ads. | A clear list of what access is needed and who provides it. |
| 2. Connection | We connect your website and apps, POS, and CRM or loyalty platform. If you’re including Surfside Ads, we also set up your product catalog and placements. | Introductions and authorizations as we request them. | Data flowing from each connected system. |
| 3. Launch | We check every connection, agree the campaign plan, go live, and review the first results with you. | Campaign goal, budget, timing, creative, and sign-off. | Live campaigns with measurement in place. |
Step by step
- Kickoff. Your representative confirms what you want to achieve, which outputs you’re starting with, which stores participate, and which systems you use.
- Access. We tell you exactly what each connection needs. For your website and apps, that’s usually an introduction to whoever manages them. For POS and CRM, it’s authorizing a connection or requesting API access from your provider.
- Connection. Surfside configures each data source and works with your website or app provider on the digital SDK. See Connect your website and apps, Connect your point of sale, and Connect your CRM or loyalty platform.
- Surfside Ads setup, if included. We set up your product catalog and work with your provider on placements. See Surfside Ads.
- Validation. We confirm that tracking, store data, and customer data are coming through as expected. Validate and launch shows what we check.
- Campaign setup. Together, we confirm your campaign goal, participating stores, budget, timing, and creative.
- Launch and review. We go live, then review results with you and explain what the reporting means.
Before we start
- A Surfside account, created by your representative during preparation.
- Your list of participating stores, including any you plan to add later.
- A contact for your website and apps, whether in-house or an agency or platform provider.
- Authority to approve data access for your POS and CRM or loyalty platform.
Who does what
| Task | You | Surfside |
|---|---|---|
| Share platform names, stores, and website and app details | ✓ | |
| Choose your outputs | ✓ | Recommends what fits your goals |
| Introduce your website or app provider | ✓ | |
| Approve or request API access from your POS and CRM providers | ✓ | Guides the request and provides a secure way to share credentials |
| Install the digital SDK | ✓ with your website or app provider | |
| Configure POS and CRM sources and imports | ✓ | |
| Set up the product catalog and placements for Surfside Ads | ✓ with your website or app provider | |
| Check data quality and connection health | ✓ | |
| Set campaign goal, budget, timing, and creative | ✓ | Recommends and configures |
| Report on results | ✓ |
What affects timing
Onboarding moves as fast as the connections do. The main variables are:
- Provider response time. POS and CRM providers vary in how quickly they issue API access, especially when keys are issued per location.
- Website or app provider availability. Installing the digital SDK is a small change, but it depends on your provider’s release schedule.
- Number of stores and platforms. Each additional platform is another connection to configure and check.
- Which outputs you include. Surfside Ads adds a product catalog and placements, which involve your website or app provider.
- Consent setup. If your website or apps need consent management for your region, we coordinate that alongside the SDK.
- Platforms we don’t connect to yet. If your POS or CRM isn’t listed, we build the connection. Your representative keeps you informed of timing.
Your representative will give you a realistic view once we know your platforms, outputs, and store count.
What’s next