How to Create a Successful LoyaltyProgram for Your Coffee Shop

Coffee shops and bars around the country are thoroughly enjoying the second wind of popularity. From 2016 to 2017 alone, the marketplace grew nearly 70 percent, with demand for ready-to-drink coffee connections increasing by over 400 percent. So, suffice to say that if you’re in the business of roasting and brewing beans, you’re in good company.

Want to capitalize on your caffeinate brewings, even more? Well, consider creating a digital loyalty program for your customers.

Here’s a few good reasoning why you should, and how to go about creating one using our digital stamp card solution, Loopy Loyalty.

Why Should I Use a Digital Loyalty Program for My Coffee Shop, Anyway?

While coffee shops are still crowd favorites among virtually every demographic, so are loyalty programs.

In fact, 80 percent of customers say they are much more likely to choose a brand that offers them rewards for being a good customer (and 89 percent of millennials say the same) and twice as likely to recommend the brand to others. Also, more people are using their mobile wallets each and every year, making this transaction a great avenue to both help promote and cross-channel your business.

Push notifications are a great way to increase visits outside of peak hours.

But when asked, the majority of consumers say they are unaware if a brand offers any rewards. And even: Most don’t sign up, due to the long-winded process, requiring filling in forms and either waiting in store for the application to be processed or waiting for days for the plastic loyalty card to arrive in the post. This is where digital loyalty programs come into the picture.

Unlike plastic loyalty cards and paper coupons, digital loyalty cards and digital coupons (commonly known as “Passes”) can be promoted and distributed via a multitude of channels.

So, just like how plastic straws seem to be on their way out, ditch those physical punchcards in favor of a digital loyalty program. Your bottom lines will appreciate it and your customers will soon demand it.

How to Create a Digital Program Using Loopy Loyalty

Unlike so many other software that overcomplicates the process, we’ve distilled our process into four (well really, three) easy-to-follow steps.

1. Design your Digital Stamp Card

First things first: You’ve got to create your coffee shop’s own unique “stamp,” i.e. loyalty card. Once you select the stamp card type that’s right for your business and customize it with your own text, images, and colors. For more ideas on how to do this, check out our blog post on the subject and check out these 10 cafe’s and coffee shops that already went digital with their loyalty program for some inspiration.

Sharing your digital card on social media is always a good idea.

2. Enroll Your Customers

After you’ve gone about creating your own digital loyalty card for your customers, the next thing to do is connect with them, spreading the word about your new digital loyalty program.

Make it easy for them to sign up for your loyalty program by placing a tent card on your countertop and share the QR code on your social media channels. If you have an email list you can send out a mailing that includes your unique card url that your customers can click to enroll and install your card into their mobile wallet.

3. Engage & Reward Your Customers

With the ability to send targeted push notifications to customers that have your digital card installed, you now have an entirely new marketing channel to remind your customers to visit your coffee shop any time you want. For example, send a targeted message to customers who have only visited your coffee shop once. Get them to come back to your coffee shop with an enticing special, a complimentary snack or dessert perhaps?

You can issue stamps and rewards in a single scan, via our Stamper app for iOS or Android.

4. Now Measure Your Digital Loyalty Program Results

Now that you’re wheeling-and-dealing rewards and messages, you can track key metrics and optimize performance to drive loyalty.

Get to know who your most loyal customers are through to further strengthen relationships, crafting programs around those insights to build an engaged, profitable consumer base. After all, your ROI is in direct relationship with how well your coffee shop is vibing with its audience.

Some Ideas for Coffee Shop Loyalty Programs:

Many coffee shops around the world currently offer the ‘Buy 10 get 1 coffee free’ paper stamp cards. But you don’t necessarily have to be like the rest, right? Coffee shops today are hip (some are pretty #hipster), embrace technology, and have their own personality.

Here are some coffee shop digital loyalty card ideas:

• Buy 9 coffees, and get 1 free
• Get 1 stamp for every pastry you purchase. Collect 5 stamps to get 1 free slice of cake
• Order breakfast from us 8 times and your next one’s on us
• Collect a stamp every time you bring your own cup. Collect 10 stamps to get a free coffee and muffin
• Buy 10 bags of coffee beans, and get 2 bags free
• Visit us 20 times, and get 50 percent off a tumbler

In Summary: Value Your Customers, And They’ll Value Your Coffee Concoctions

If it isn’t clear by now: A loyal, engaged customer base is priceless. Creating a customer loyalty program will not only help drive up your sales but aid in fostering a loyal customer base that can lead to years, if not decades, of loyal service. That’s worth cheersing a recyclable to-go coffee cup to, don’t you think?

Feeling inspired and want to create digital loyalty cards for your business? Check out Loopy Loyalty, the world’s leading digital stamp card solution for Apple Wallet & Google Pay.