Paper or digital loyalty card?
Paper cards work for giving rewards, but they get lost, they are easy to fake and they tell you nothing about your customers. A digital card keeps the same simple idea and adds a list of who comes back, who stopped, and a way to invite them back.
What paper does well
It is cheap, everyone understands it, and there is nothing to set up. For a shop that only wants to give a free coffee now and then, paper is fine.
Where paper falls short
Cards get lost in wallets and washing machines. A stamp can be copied. And you never learn who your regulars are, how often they come, or when they stop.
What a digital card adds
The card lives on the customer's phone, so it is never lost. Each stamp is recorded with the date, so you can see who is close to a reward and who has not been in for a month, and send them a note.
What to look for
No app for the customer to download. A stamp that only staff can give. A reward that only the owner can hand out. A list you can export. Ekhtem is built around those four.
Questions
Is a digital loyalty card expensive?+
It costs more than paper, but most of the value is in the customer list, which paper cannot give you.
Will older customers manage a digital card?+
They only need to type their number once. After that, staff do the tap.