About the AIQ <> Cova Integration
Review our Integration Grid for supported features.
This article covers Cova connection for AIQ Marketing + Loyalty only. If you are looking for AIQ Ecommerce instructions, see Connect Cova to AIQ Ecommerce.
Connection Fee: Integrating with Cova costs $15 per month for each connected location.
How to Connect AIQ to Cova
Cova Steps
Email [email protected] and request your API keys be released for the purpose of integrating with AIQ. Cova will typically provide a data release form to sign before receiving your keys.
Cova will then send instructions to sign into their PROD environment with a the following information:
grant-type: password
client_id: YOURCOMPANYNAME.AIQ
client_secret: RANDOMSTRING
username: AIQ.COVA.APIUser.YOURCOMPANYNAME
password: [permanent password provided by Cova]
Permissions Required for Enhanced Integration
AIQ needs the following permissions enabled:
Manage Dispensary Specific Elements
View Loyalty Program
Edit Loyalty Program
AIQ Steps
Navigate to Settings > Integrations, search for Cova and click on it to open the integration card.
Enter all credentials provided by Cova
Click Add Credential
Click the Connect button in the top right
Additional AIQ Settings
The following additional settings are available on the Cova integration card in AIQ. To access them, navigate to Settings > Integrations, locate Cova and click on it to open the integration card.
Relevant market of credential
Optional State/Province(s) selection to sync shoppers from only the specified market(s).
When syncing Personas into this integration, force a Pricing Group ID
Set a pricing group ID you would like to force for all Cova creations made by Alpine.
Restrict imports by location ID
Restricts the location(s) the integration will pull sales from, based on Cova Location IDs.
Use AIQ's last backup
Freezes data from this source at the last audience run and stops AIQ from hitting the Cova API for new data.
⚠️ Warning: Do not turn this on unless you are switching POS systems and want to retain existing data.
Sync Personas / Sync Contacts
Enabling this setting allows AIQ to keep shopper records aligned between Cova and AIQ.
From POS to AIQ: Updates made to shopper profiles in Cova (e.g., name, email, phone number, or date of birth) will flow into AIQ.
From AIQ to POS: If a shopper signs up through an AIQ form and no existing match is found in Cova, a new shopper profile will be created in Cova automatically.
⚠️ Warning: The POS remains the source of truth — to change a shopper's contact info, update it directly in Cova so it flows through to AIQ. Syncing begins from the day it is enabled; existing records will not be retroactively synced.
Sync to relevant market / Sync to state
When enabled, AIQ will only sync contacts that belong to the region or state associated with the given credential.
Skip importing payment method
Enabling this will stop AIQ from attempting to pull payment method information if the field is blank. This can reduce data syncing time.
Send SMS double opt-ins to Personas who purchased after
Sends an SMS double opt-in request to shoppers with a phone number who had a sale on or after the date you specify. Takes 24 hours to trigger.
⚠️ Warning: If this setting is removed after it has been set, it can cause loyalty Personas to be lost if they only became a member through this setting and did not use a signup form. We do not recommend changing this after it is set.
Enroll Personas in loyalty program who purchased after
Automatically enrolls shoppers in the loyalty program if they had a sale on or after the date you specify. Enrolled shoppers earn points for sales on or after that date. Takes 24 hours to reflect.
Loyalty points imported on
If a date is filled in, AIQ will pull in loyalty points from Cova up to that date and stop afterwards. Use this in conjunction with Settings > Loyalty > Points accrual start date, setting that to the following day.
ℹ️ Note: This is a one-time sync. Once the date is set and points have been imported, this setting does not need to be updated again.
Mirror integration loyalty point values?
Pulls points from Cova but keeps loyalty settings managed within Cova.
⚠️ Warning: When Mirror Points is enabled, AIQ continuously overrides loyalty balances with values coming from Cova. Freezing or disconnecting the integration will not stop this behavior — it only leaves the last mirrored balance in place.
ℹ️ Note: Points mirroring is not supported by First In, First Out (FIFO) Point Expiration. Please use legacy Points Expiration setting if you would like to Mirror Points from your POS system.
How to Map a Store
Navigate to Settings -> Company Account > Retail Store
Click Edit on the store you wish you map
Under Store Mappings you'll see the Cova symbol
Click on the empty field to the right of the symbol and a dropdown will appear to "map" the key
Click Save settings and you are done mapping the store. Keep in mind this must be repeated for any additional stores that you add to the account.
AIQ \<> Cova: User Guide
AIQ Loyalty + Discounts (v1.20+ of Cova app required)
Loyalty discounts redeemed in the Cova app will update in real-time to deduct points from the shopper's persona. The appropriate discount will be automatically calculated, so staff do not need to apply manual discounts.
🚨 Important: Before enabling AIQ loyalty with Cova, it is required to disable any other active Loyalty Rewards including Cova Loyalty. Once enabled, AIQ must be the only active Loyalty Rewards program.
In Cova's new Hub, navigate to: Settings > Loyalty Rewards and click on the Alpine IQ tab.
Enter the Account ID (UID) and API Key; and decide if the discount offered by the reward will apply before or after taxes. Then, click the Save button to save the changes
Applying Discounts in Cova
When checking a shopper out, you should see options to apply an AIQ discount to the shoppers cart. Here you can select a maximum of one AIQ discount to apply to the order.
Points are deducted from the shopper's balance when the loyalty discount is applied.
⚠️ Important — no automatic reversal: If a Merchant removes the AIQ discount from an order before checkout, Cova does not automatically send a reversal to AIQ to correct points deduction. The points will not be restored automatically. To trigger a points update communication to be sent from Cova to AIQ, Merchant should remove the customer from the transaction in the POS and re-add them to the transaction to avoid losing points not redeemed.
If a sale is completed without the above step: A staff member must perform a manual point adjustment in AIQ Persona Card to correct points deducted with removed discount.
Supported Discount Types
Currently only flat ($) and percentage (%) cart discounts are supported on Cova
Opt-In Queue
When enabled, the Queue feature allows budtenders to see shoppers as they check in to your "waiting room" giving them the ability to easily pull up their profile to see things like product preferences, their AIQ wallet, and the shoppers' order history. It also shows the shopper's loyalty status. If not enrolled, it will show as the "Signup" button as shown for the shoppers above, but if they are a loyalty member it will show up as a red button that says "Enrolled".
In order to enable this:
Locate in your AIQ dashboard Settings > Retails Stores
On the store you want to enable, click Edit
Expand Additional Settings
Enable Alleaves Opt-in Queue
Save
From your Loyalty settings, enable Budtender can see waiting room queue
Select the purple Save settings button in the top right to save your changes
FAQs
Will points get returned to a shopper if a refund is made?
Points will not be removed from the shopper's persona if the shopper makes a refund that earned loyalty points. However, points can be manually removed for returns directly from their Persona card, based on your terms and conditions.
Can I track shoppers who placed an order for delivery?
Yes! Head to your Audience page and build a Delivery audience using the Performed Event > Purchase Fullfillment Type train. This trait should contain "delivery"
How long does it take before I start to see my POS data in AIQ?
Within 24 hours, you should see data populating in AIQ
How can I confirm that the integration is active and signups are being sent?
Look under your Personas page in AIQ. The integration is functioning properly if you see "Cova" under the Sourced from column
I am getting an account notification that I have unmapped stores, how can I fix this?
Once you see data coming through AIQ, you must "map" the API key to the store(s) to assign a "favorite store" to the shopper. See How to Map a Store above for directions on how to accomplish this.
Can I use Cova Pricing Groups to segment audiences in AIQ?
Yes! When selecting an audience trait, hover over Custom Brand Traits to see "CovaPricingGroup".
Can I use COVAs pricing groups to create audiences?
Yes, you can segment by 'Pricing Group' using Audience = All customers where -> Custom brand traits -> Pricing Group ID
Need Help?
If you need assistance, reach out to AIQ Support anytime via chat widget within your AIQ Dashboard.