Loyalty Program
A structured way of rewarding customers for repeat purchases or continued custom.
A loyalty program sets a rule (visit ten times, spend a certain amount, hold a membership) and a reward for meeting it. The format can be stamps, points, cashback credit, tiered membership, coupons, prepaid sessions or gift value. The oldest versions were paper; modern versions run on a card in the customer's phone or inside a POS system.
It matters because it turns an occasional customer's next choice into a decision with something at stake. A customer with seven stamps toward a free tenth visit has a reason to choose you over the place next door. Example: a coffee shop offers the tenth coffee free; a gym offers a standing member discount; a car wash sells a five-wash pass.
The formats differ in what they reward. A stamp card rewards frequency, a points card rewards spend, a membership card rewards belonging and a coupon rewards a specific action. The program is also distinct from the technology that delivers it: the same stamp rule can run on paper, in an app, in a POS or as a wallet pass.
Loyal-T Cards configures the initial loyalty structure with you at setup, in any of eight formats, as a branded card for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. Your team runs it day to day with the scanner. There is no POS integration and no technical setup on your side.
Related terms
Digital Loyalty Card
A loyalty card that exists as a pass on the customer's phone, typically in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, instead of as a physical card.
Stamp Card
A loyalty card that records one stamp per eligible visit or purchase and gives a reward when a set number of stamps is collected.
Cashback Loyalty
A loyalty format that credits a percentage of what the customer spends as value to use on a future purchase with the same business.