How do you replace a paper loyalty card with a digital one?

To replace a paper loyalty card with a digital one, work in stages. First create the digital card and put a QR stand at the till, keep paper cards valid for a transition period, and decide how to handle part-filled cards. No regular has to start from zero, and your team has time to get used to it.

Here is a step-by-step plan for a small shop, from day one until the paper is gone.

Step 1: create the digital card

Create the card: reward, number of stamps, colours and logo. With Fidelia you do this in the dashboard and see a preview of the card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet before you publish it. Ideally keep the same reward and the same number of stamps as on the paper card, so your customers recognise it. A stamp card is included in Essential, at €29 per month excl. VAT, with a 14-day free trial.

Step 2: make signing up easy

The customer should be able to sign up in a few seconds. Put the QR stand where they already are: at the till, not by the door. The first stand is included. The customer scans the code, enters their first name and email, then adds the card to their phone. No app to install.

Ask the team to offer it at payment: “Would you like the card on your phone? It takes ten seconds.” One sentence is enough.

Step 3: decide what happens to paper cards

This is the step that decides whether your regulars stay. Three common approaches:

1. Carry over the stamps. The customer gets as many stamps in the digital card as on the paper one, and you keep the old card. Simple, but it means trusting what is written on it. See the details in transferring the stamps from a paper card.
2. Transition period. Paper cards stay valid until a set date, and new stamps are only given digitally. The customer finishes their paper card, then switches.
3. Welcome gesture. Every customer who switches to digital gets a starter stamp as a thank-you.

Pick one and put it up at the till. The worst outcome is each team member saying something different.

Step 4: train the team

The team needs to know three things: how to scan a card, what to do when a customer cannot find their card, and what the rule for paper is. The scanner is a web app that runs on a phone, with no special hardware. The team sees the customer’s first name and number of stamps, so they can greet them by name.

Run a small test before launch: two colleagues sign up and stamp each other.

Step 5: tell your customers

Announce it in several places: on the QR stand, at the till and out loud. A short post on your social media helps too. Lead with the benefit for the customer: the card is always on their phone and never left at home.

Step 6: set an end date for paper

When the transition is over, stop stamping paper. Allow a reasonable margin for people who missed the change, but stick to the date, otherwise paper lives forever and you are running two systems.

What about customers who do not want to switch?

Some will prefer paper, and that is fine. Let them carry on during the transition and offer help at the counter. Fidelia has a web card for phones without Wallet. Do not count on everyone switching: most of those who come often do so when it is quick. For the differences between the two Wallets, read Apple Wallet vs Google Wallet.

Checklist

1. The digital card is published with the same reward as the paper one.
2. The QR stand is at the till.
3. You have decided the rule for part-filled cards.
4. The team has practised scanning.
5. Customers have been told, in store and online.
6. An end date is set for paper.

For more, read the real cost of a reward, the price of a digital loyalty card and the pricing page.