Blog
How many stamps should the card have? A guide for 12 trades
Too few stamps and the reward costs too much. Too many and the customer never starts collecting. Here is how to find the middle ground, with starting numbers per trade.
Two numbers decide
The first is how often a regular comes to you. For someone who has coffee every day, a ten-stamp card takes two weeks; for someone who comes for a haircut every six weeks, a year. The second is what the reward costs you: not its price, but its cost to you.
How quickly it should fill
A good aim is for a regular to fill the card in one to two months. If it takes much longer, the reward is too far away to bring them back; if it fills in a few days, you are giving back too much.
To get customers collecting early, put a smaller reward halfway along the card. In Loyaltee one card can carry several rewards, say a pastry for five stamps and a coffee for ten, and the customer's card shows a gift icon at both spots. Whoever redeems at five starts collecting again from there; whoever keeps going reaches the bigger reward.
Up to twenty stamps, dots on the card show how far the customer has got. On a longer card only the number shows, which is less of a pull to keep collecting.
Starting numbers for 12 trades
| Trade | Stamps | Reward | Why this many |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café | 8–10 | free coffee, a pastry halfway | regulars come several times a week |
| Bakery | 8 | free pastry | frequent but small purchases |
| Ice cream shop | 10 | a free scoop, halfway as well | frequent visits in season |
| Snack bar, sandwich bar | 8–10 | free sandwich | several lunchtimes a week |
| Pizzeria | 6–8 | free pizza | a pricier reward, less frequent orders |
| Restaurant, daily set lunch | 10 | free set lunch | set-lunch regulars come several times a week |
| Hair salon | 5–6 | a discount on the sixth visit | they come every four to eight weeks |
| Beauty salon | 5–6 | a free face mask or add-on treatment | once or twice a month |
| Massage | 5 | a discounted or free session | less frequent but pricier sessions |
| Gym, pay-per-visit | 10–12 | free class | two or three workouts a week |
| Car wash | 5–6 | free wash | every two to four weeks |
| Florist | points for spend | a discount paid for in points | a single stem and a bouquet differ hugely in price |
Starting numbers, not rules: how often your own customers come is more accurate.
Stamps or points?
If purchases are roughly the same, such as a coffee or a haircut, a stamp card is simpler: the customer sees at a glance where they stand. If they vary a lot, such as a single flower and a bridal bouquet, points for spend are fairer, because the bigger purchase counts for more.
There is a middle way too: stamps can be given for one product or one category only. Tie them to coffee, and two coffees earn two stamps while a pastry earns none.
If you change things along the way
The card is as long as your priciest active reward costs: reprice that reward and the card changes with it. The stamps customers have already collected stay, and their card shows the new layout straight away.
If you make a reward pricier, half-full cards move further away from it. It is worth announcing this in advance, or starting the change with a new reward alongside the old one.
So that nobody fills the card in a single day, you can set a daily maximum too: say, at most two stamps a day.
Try it in your own shop
Two minutes to sign up, no card required.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many stamps should a café loyalty card have?
8–10 stamps is a good starting point. Fewer brings the first reward sooner, more makes it cheaper for you. You can change the card's length at any time, and put a smaller reward halfway along it too.
Should I give a stamp for joining?
It is worth it, because customers are keener to keep filling a card that has already been started. In Loyaltee an automatic welcome campaign credits a stamp after someone joins.
What if someone fills the card in one day?
With a daily maximum that cannot happen: say, at most two stamps a day per customer.
How many stamps fit on a card?
As many as your priciest active reward costs: if the free coffee costs ten stamps, it is a ten-stamp card. Up to twenty stamps, dots on the card show the progress; on a longer card the customer sees the number.
Features