The four options
| Option | How it works | Typical cost | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Printed card with a stamp | The classic | £30 to £80 a batch | Half are lost; you learn nothing |
| Till loyalty module | Your POS vendor's add-on; the customer gives a phone number | £100 to £300 a month | Expensive; often tied to the till |
| Loyalty app | A branded or shared app the customer downloads | £50 to £300 a month | The download is where customers leave |
| Wallet card | A card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet from a tap or scan | £15 to £90 a month | Needs a smartphone; the newest option |
Questions to ask any supplier
- Where does the customer's data live, and who owns it? The answer should be a country and "you do". Ask for the data processing agreement.
- What happens to my customers if I cancel? You should be able to export every member and tell them yourself.
- Can I count stamps per staff member? If not, you cannot catch the Saturday student stamping friends.
- What exactly can you measure? Anyone who promises to count people walking past your shop from a Wallet card is inventing the number. Apple and Google do not report it.
- What does the customer have to install? For a Wallet card, nothing. For an app, everything.
- Is the review feature fair? Steering unhappy customers away from Google is against Google's policy and UK law since 2024.
- What is the total monthly cost for two locations? Per-location pricing adds up fast.
What to expect in the first month
Expect a third of regulars to join in the first fortnight if staff ask, and far fewer if the stand just sits there. Expect to change your reward once. Expect the dashboard's "about to lapse" list to be more useful than the total member count.
Ask us the seven questions
We will answer every one of them on the call, including the ones that do not flatter us.