Short answer
The simplest coffee shop loyalty program is a digital stamp card: buy ten drinks, get the next one free. Customers save it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet by scanning a QR at the counter, and your baristas add each stamp in a second from a phone or tablet at the register.
Coffee is a daily habit, and habits are what a café lives on. The customer who stops by every morning on the way to work is worth more than a hundred one-time visitors. A loyalty program gives that customer a small reason to choose you again tomorrow, instead of the café on the next corner. This page covers what rewards work for coffee shops and how to run the program without slowing down the line. For the basics of how a Wallet card works, read our guide to the digital loyalty card.
Why a loyalty program matters more for cafés
- Visits are frequent and tickets are small. A free drink every ten visits costs little and rewards your best habit.
- Competition is a block away. When two cafés are equally good, the one with the stamp card in your Wallet wins.
- Regulars bring regulars. The people who come every day are the ones who bring coworkers and friends.
Reward ideas that work for coffee shops
- The classic: ten drinks, the next one is free.
- A faster first win: a free pastry on the fifth visit, then a free drink on the tenth. New customers stick around long enough to reach the big reward.
- A size upgrade: cheap for you, and people love it.
- Points for bigger orders: if some customers buy a coffee and others buy breakfast for the office, points can be fairer than one stamp per visit.
- Rewards in tiers: a small reward at a few points and a bigger one further on.
Pick one reward and keep it for a while. A program people can explain in one sentence is a program they talk about.
Fast at the counter, even in the morning rush
The biggest worry for a busy café is the line. A digital card shouldn't add seconds to every order.
- One scan per stamp. Your barista scans the customer's card and the stamp arrives on its own. Nothing to punch, nothing to write.
- Registers with a PIN. Connect a phone or an iPad at the counter with a PIN, so anyone on shift can stamp without logging in.
- Works offline on Android. If the Wi-Fi drops, the scanner in the Zolu Android app keeps working and syncs when the connection is back.
- Several locations. If you have more than one café, one account covers up to 10, and each stamp can record which one it came from.
Getting customers to join
- Put the QR where people wait. Next to the register, on the pickup counter and on the table tents.
- Give your team one line to say. "Want a stamp card? Scan this, it goes in your Wallet."
- Mention it for a few weeks. Most people join the second or third time they hear about it.
- No app to download. Customers join with their email and save the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. It also works as a web page.
What you learn about your regulars
Paper cards tell you nothing. With a digital card you see how many customers came back in the last 30 days, how often they visit, who hasn't been back in 30, 60 or 90 days, and how many people joined and how many rewards you gave each week. When a regular stops coming, you notice.
Switching from a paper card or another app
- From paper: keep honoring paper cards for a while and invite people to switch at the register.
- From another loyalty app: you can import your customers from a CSV file, and they claim the stamps they had at your register.
What it costs
Zolu Loyalty is one price per account, not per location, and the first 14 days are free. Every account includes 2 loyalty cards and 3 registers.
FAQ
What is a good reward for a coffee shop loyalty program?
A free drink after ten purchases is the most common, and it works. A small first reward, like a pastry on the fifth visit, helps new customers stay until the big one.
Will a digital stamp card slow down my line?
No. Your barista scans the card once and the stamp arrives on its own. You can stamp from a phone or an iPad at the register.
Do my customers need an app?
No. They scan a QR at the counter, join with their email and save the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
Can I use it in more than one café?
Yes. One account covers up to 10 cafés, and each stamp can record which one it came from.