Short answer: the rewards that work best on a loyalty card are simple, immediately understood and tied to your own product: a free version of your bestseller after a fixed number of visits. A common cadence is 10 visits → 1 free product. Keep the first reward quick to reach, give something that costs you little but feels generous, and never make it complicated. Below: the rule of thumb for how many stamps to ask, five rewards that work, what not to do, and concrete ideas per type of business.
How many visits (or points) do you ask?
The question everyone asks first: how many stamps for a free coffee or roll? A simple rule of thumb keeps it healthy: let the reward cost about 5 to 10% of what your customer spent to earn it. A few examples that land neatly on that:
- coffee shop: a free coffee after 10 visits;
- bakery: a free roll or pastry after 10 purchases;
- chip shop: a free portion of fries after 8 to 10 visits;
- hairdresser: a free wash or a discount on the next cut after a handful of visits.
Ask too much and nobody cares about the card any more. Ask too little and you give away margin without extra visits. In BLOK you set how many points a reward costs. By default you give one point per visit: then “10 points” simply means 10 visits. Prefer to let customers save per amount spent (for example one point per 10 euros)? That works too.
Five rewards that work
- A free version of your bestseller. The classic, and not by accident: everyone understands what they are saving for and it feels generous.
- A free extra with the purchase. A biscuit with the coffee, an extra sauce, a small add-on: costs you little, completes the visit.
- A birthday surprise. Extra points or a small treat on the day itself. Personal, and customers remember it.
- A bonus on your quietest day. Double points on a quiet morning draws people to a moment you are open anyway.
- A quick first reward. Something small after 3 to 5 visits, so a new customer feels straight away that saving pays and does not give up halfway.
And what not to do
- Aiming too far. A free product only after 30 visits feels out of reach. Nobody starts.
- Vague discounts. “5% off” is too abstract to come back for; a free product is not.
- Too many tiers. Complicated point systems with bronze, silver and gold levels confuse more than they motivate. Stick to one clear promise.
- Changing the rules all the time. Pick a reward and let it stand for a while. Trust is half the work.
Ideas per type of business
The same rule of thumb, applied to what you sell:
- Coffee shop: a free coffee after 10, or a free treat with the coffee. More for a coffee shop →
- Bakery: a free roll or pastry, or an extra roll with the weekend bread. More for a bakery →
- Butcher: a free pack of charcuterie or a discount on the weekend roast. More for a butcher →
- Chip shop: a free portion of fries or a free sauce after a run of visits.
- Hairdresser: a free wash or a discount on the next appointment.
- Nail studio: free nail art with the next set, or a discount on a new set after ten appointments.
- Lash studio: a discount on an infill, or a free lash lift on a full card.
How you set up your rewards in BLOK
A reward in BLOK is three things: a name, an emoji and how many points it costs. You create one in a few seconds, and on the free plan you have up to three active rewards at a time: enough for a small one, a big one and a surprise. You can pause, replace or adjust them at any time, so you can safely test a seasonal action without rebuilding your whole card. And you do not have to do it alone: your digital staff propose rewards for your quietest day and surprise birthday customers with extra points; you approve with one tap.
It all runs on a free loyalty card without an app: your customer scans one QR code at the counter and saves in the browser, without a download and without an account. You keep nothing on paper: the counting runs by itself.
Ready to set up your own rewards? Your shop is online in five minutes. Start free →
Read the Dutch version of this article.