Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have:

Required Permissions:

The personas page is available to staff members with the following permissions:

Staff
Manager
Analyst
Marketing
Marketing Analyst
Operator
Owner

How Automatic Merging Works

AIQ merges personas when matching PII is detected. The system uses a strict priority order to determine when Personas represent the same shopper.

Merge Priority (Highest → Lowest)

Phone number
Email address
First + Last Name + Date of Birth (if enabled in Loyalty Settings)
Government ID number
Medical ID number

When identical values are detected for these fields across multiple Personas, the system triggers an automated merge process. This ensures that shopper data, such as loyalty points and purchase histories, is consolidated into a single Persona. The automated process typically runs overnight and can take up to 2–3 days to fully complete after data upload or import. Additionally, sales history remains intact when previously merged Personas are separated. This ensures that all transaction records remain associated with their original shopper Personas, even if a merge is undone.

Examples

Example 1: Shared Phone Number

A shopper signs up for loyalty with their friend’s phone number. Phone number has the highest priority → AIQ merges both profiles under that phone number.

Fix: Update the incorrect PII in the persona (see Manual Merging doc). The system will unmerge and correct itself within 24 hours.

Why Merges Happen

Duplicate Signups: Same phone number used with different names or emails

Shared PII (Contact Information): Family members or friends sharing phone/email will be automatically merged

Partial Updates: POS, Ecommerce, or signup form data updating only one field

Multiple systems syncing into AIQ: We unify all shared PII into the master persona

Important Notes

⚠️ Merges run overnight and can take up to 24 hours to process

Old emails remain visible in the Merges tab, but only the most recent email or phone receives your marketing message

POS updates may require the shopper to make another purchase before syncing

Why Merges Do Not Happen

AIQ does not merge personas based on:

Same first and last name only

Similar names

Typos or formatting differences

Incomplete PII

Recent transactions (merge may not have processed yet)

If Name + DOB merging is enabled in Loyalty Settings, profiles will merge only when both match.

How to View Merge History

Navigate to Customers > Personas
Open a persona
Go to the History tab
Click the Merges tab

If the persona has zero merges, the merges tab will not appear

What You’ll See in the Merges tab

AIQ Universal ID

List of merged personas, including:

Platform source (POS/Ecom/Loyalty/etc.)

AIQ ID

Date Imported

Source ID

PII used for merging

Steps to Resolve Incorrect Merges

1. Search for the Merged Personas

Use the merge search operator:
- merge:[phone] merge:[email]

Examples:

merge:3087726563
merge:[email protected]

Remove all dashes, spaces, and special characters.

Tip: This is the fastest way to find “missing” personas that were merged into another shopper.

2. Correct the Shared Identifier

Update the phone number or email address in the History > Merges tab to ensure each profile has unique identifiers.

3. Submit Changes and Wait for System Refresh

Changes will typically take effect after the overnight data sync. Profiles will unmerge or merge correctly by the next day.

Limitations and Exceptions

It is important to note:

The system does not support the ability to manually check for duplicate shopper Personas in bulk. Therefore, proactive measures to ensure accurate data entry across Personas are crucial.
Personas without matching identifiers cannot be automatically detected as duplicates, meaning such accounts will not be merged.

Best Practices for Preventing Incorrect Merges

To minimize errors during the merging process, follow these recommendations:

Keep Shopper Information Up to Date: Ensure that contact details such as phone numbers and email addresses are accurate and consistent across shopper Personas.
Use Unique Identifiers Where Possible: When possible, utilize unique fields such as Medical ID to further differentiate Personas and prevent unwanted merges.
Review Uploads Thoroughly: Before importing shopper data into the system, verify the information to match it with existing records accurately.

For correcting merges, see: Manual Persona Merging.