A loyalty card is a way to reward customer loyalty, encouraging customer retention and building brand affinity. They are a great way to increase the number of regular customers and sell more. This can be achieved through discounts, freebies, or other benefits on products and services offered by the customer’s favorite companies.
You are getting them excited about the process that they can gain something from it, whether it’s a discount or some reward. In this blog post, we will cover some of the best tips for creating your own loyalty cards and ideas for using them in your company to engage customers.
What is a Customer Loyalty Program?
A customer loyalty program rewards customers who purchase regularly or spend more money with the company. It is a tool that helps to keep customers happy and encourages them to continue spending with your business.
The key to the success of any loyalty program is the ability to identify who your customers are and how they use your products or services. This information can then be used to find ways that you can reward those customers and retain them as long as possible.
These programs can take many forms, and there’s no one-size-fits-all standard. Some reward customers for making purchases; others focus on providing services like free shipping or vouchers for future purchases; still others award points for visiting the store or filling out surveys.
Some programs offer discounts on future purchases, while others simply offer free stuff like gift cards or coupons once in a while.
Do You Need a Loyalty Card for Your Business?
The best part of having a loyalty card is that it will make your customers prioritize your business – especially if they get irresistible rewards. However, there are many other benefits of having one for your business. Here are some of the most important ones:
- Increase in customer retention, since they incentivize customers to shop from your brand
- Increase in purchase frequency, as they are rewarded for how much they shop
- Increase in average purchase value, since users can earn better rewards based on how much they spend
- Improve your competitiveness, since because of the rewards or points they might give preference to you rather than to a competitor who doesn’t have a reward or customer loyalty program.
Customer Loyalty Program Ideas
A well-thought-out and implemented rewards program can be vital in building loyalty and driving revenue for your business. Here are great customer loyalty program ideas that you might want to consider:
Points-based System
Points can be earned in various ways, such as shopping at the same store repeatedly or purchasing certain items on sale. Some loyalty programs also allow members to earn more points by completing surveys. Points are earned by using a credit card and can be redeemed for various rewards and discounts. Points can be redeemed for free shipping, samples, or cash back on purchases.
Points-based systems are flexible enough to allow retailers to create their own or partner with other companies to create a larger rewards network. For example, a retailer may want to partner with other retailers to share marketing costs and build on each other’s reach. They may also want to partner with non-retailers like airlines or hotels to provide customer points-based systems.
Referral Rewards Program
A referral rewards program is a great win-win situation in that you get more customers, and your customers get rewarded for recommending you. The best way to start a referral program is to give customers a reason to refer you. This can be done by offering them a discount or some other incentive on the first purchase they make with you.
A business can offer discounts on future orders if someone refers to someone else. This could be as simple as giving $10 off the next order or something more complicated like entering them in a drawing for free products or coupons. They can also give away free items, like pens or stickers, if someone refers to another person. This can also help build loyalty because it shows that you really care about your customers’ satisfaction and appreciate them referring to family and friends.
Cash back program
The program is simple, easy to use, and can be customized to fit any business. This can be done by providing customers with a card that they can use when they make an in-store purchase. The company then tracks the amount of money the customer spends and gives them a percentage back on each purchase. This allows customers to earn rewards while spending money in your store.
This type of loyalty program allows you to track customer activity and generate cash back as soon as it is spent. It also allows you to give back to your customers more than just a discount or free product; you can also offer them additional benefits.
Tiered System
A tiered loyalty program is a system in which you have different levels of membership, each with its own benefits and privileges. Members of the “Gold” level will have access to all the same perks as loyalty members of the “Platinum” level, but for a lower annual fee. Members of the Gold level get all the same perks and benefits as members of Platinum, but they get them for less money per year.
The customer’s level of loyalty is determined by the number of points or miles earned through repeat purchases, as well as other factors such as volume of consistent business. With this type of program, you may have different tiers for different types of customers, such as:
- Silver (Standard customer): 5 points per dollar spent
- Gold (Preferred customer): 10 points per dollar spent
- Platinum (Best customer): 15 points per dollar spent
5 Loyalty Card Ideas for Your Business
A good loyalty card design should be simple, memorable, and easy to use. Here are a few ideas you can incorporate when designing yours.
1. Starbucks
Starbucks’ loyalty card has a very modern and elegant look to it. The logo on the right corner of the card is one of the most important things in this design. This logo is also used as a background for the barcode on the back of the card when you are using it to pay for something at a store. This logo is what makes this card so unique because it has two different colors in it, red and green.
The other important thing about this card design is that there are no other words or phrases on it except for “Starbucks.” This allows customers to customize their cards as much as they want without having any other words on them. This also helps people remember their cards more easily because they do not have anything else on them besides “Starbucks.”
2. DSW
DSW’s card is sleek and modern, with a sleek black and white color scheme that looks great on the wallet or in a purse. The design features a small logo on the front of the card that says “DSW,” which should help customers remember where they got their shoes from. This is particularly important for people who may not know about DSW or have never shopped at the store before.
The card also has a unique feature that makes it easy to use: there’s an embedded chip inside each card that allows shoppers to access their rewards faster than ever before. The chip contains information about your account, including how much money is in it and how many points you’ve earned so far. It also contains information about any discounts or offers that are currently running at DSW, so customers can get even more value out of their purchases.
3. Bed Bath & Beyond
The company’s customer loyalty program allows users to earn points for every dollar spent at Bed Bath & Beyond stores. The loyalty card design looks like a credit card. It features a unique design with white lettering and numbers on a blue background.
It looks like the standard plastic credit card you would use when paying for goods or services in a store, but it also has an embedded chip that allows you to make purchases at Bed Bath & Beyond stores using your phone or tablet as long as you have a free account with them.
4. Active Leisure
The Active Leisure loyalty card design is basic and easy to understand. The design appeals to the customers by giving them a sense of value and luxury. This card’s design has been designed so that it can be easily carried in your wallet or purse. This way, you can surprise your friends by giving them this fancy gift card.
5. Dicks Sporting Goods Loyalty Card Design
The idea was to create a card that looked like a credit card and would have a unique design. The design would be simple and attractive, but also functional. The customer could use this card at the cash register to gain more savings points and rewards on their purchases.
This card can be used digitally, just like other digital cards such as Monetha – which is a digital loyalty card that lets you reward your customers for their loyalty. It’s simple, secure, and it works on smartphones too.
Monetha has partnered with various brands to offer loyalty rewards programs in exchange for using its platform. This means that you’ll be able to offer customers discounts or special offers based on their loyalty history or any other criteria you choose.
Easy Tips to Create Great Loyalty Cards
Building a loyalty card program might sound like a tedious and time-consuming task. But, it’s more manageable with the following tips:
Keep it Simple and Easy to Use
Your customer should be able to complete their purchase on the first visit. If it’s too complicated, they may never come back again. You need to ensure that the process is easy enough for anyone to use, whether a smartphone or a tablet computer. Make sure the information displayed on the card is clear and concise.
Design Your Loyalty Card to Look Attractive
Use an attractive design for your business logo. A beautiful, eye-catching logo will help get your customer’s attention and make them want to use the card.
The design of your loyalty card should stand out from other cards in the same category as yours. Try using colors that match your brand’s colors or incorporate icons that represent what makes your business unique. For example, consider using an image of coffee beans if you’re a coffee shop.
Include an Offer They Can’t Refuse
One of the biggest reasons people join a customer loyalty program is because they want something they can’t get anywhere else, like free shipping or a free gift with purchase. This makes them feel special and valued as a customer, but it also helps you build brand loyalty.
If you’re offering a free gift with purchase, make sure that the free gift is something your customers will use. Otherwise, they’ll just throw it away and forget about it. The best way to ensure that people actually get excited about getting their free gift is to add value by making it something they can’t live without.
Make Sure People Can See Your Offer
When designing your card, make sure that the main offer is visible on the front side of the card, where anyone looking at it will see it first. It should be large enough so that it’s easy to read and understand at a glance but small enough so that it won’t get lost in other information on the card.
Don’t Compromise on the Quality
You want your customers to feel that they’re getting something special when they redeem their points, so don’t make any compromises on the quality of the card itself. A high-quality card design will help increase customer confidence in your brand and encourage them to use their points more often.
Don’t Forget a Call to Action
Include a call to action on your card if possible — maybe something like “visit our website” or “get free shipping.” This will keep people coming back and hopefully lead them to other parts of your site that might be interesting.
The main thing is that you want your customer to take some kind of action after they’ve viewed their card. Whether it’s making an online purchase, calling a specific number, or returning an email, you need to ensure that these actions will lead to a positive outcome for your brand and the customer.
Include Your Business Information
Your company name, address, phone number, and email address should be placed on the front of your loyalty card. It’s also important to include which of your products or services are being promoted in the card. This will help customers remember why they purchased from you in the first place.
Add Important Terms and Conditions
Include important terms such as expiration dates and any additional rules that need to be followed by recipients of the card. These rules should be clearly stated in easy-to-read language so that anyone who gets the card knows exactly what they’re getting into when they accept it as payment for a purchase or service rendered at your establishment.
Consider Using a Card App Instead of a Physical Card
Instead of printing out paper cards, consider using an app that can be downloaded on your smartphone or tablet. This will allow you to create more than one type of loyalty card and share them with multiple vendors.
You can also provide customers with the option of sending their cards via email or text message, so they don’t have to carry their plastic cards all day long. Customers can use a card app to track spending and see what they have left at any time, ensuring they don’t overspend on items or services.
Use the Back of the Card
Your loyalty card is a great way to get customers to start using your service. You can use the back of the card to help build excitement and drive new customers to you.
A good way to do this is by highlighting some of the benefits you offer and mentioning how easy it is for customers to get started with your business.
Here are some ideas for using its back:
- Add a coupon or promotion with an expiration date
- Encourage customers to share their cards with family and friends
- Offer a discount on future purchases at your business if they bring their card in as well
Conclusion
People love free stuff, and when they can get a little something extra just for coming back to your store, they’ll be happy to become loyal customers. However, like any other marketing tactic, it’s important to devise a plan that will work best for your business before you begin implementing customer loyalty programs.
It is therefore wise to use unique loyalty cards that will give you a distinct advantage over your competitors and overcome marketing challenges. You may not be able to afford to offer freebies every two weeks.
However, you can still offer a loyalty card that gives your customers something special that they won’t find anywhere else. Therefore, you should focus on being unique to keep your customers attached.