A digital loyalty card for your boutique or independent shop

An independent shop competes with the web on price and with the big chains on reach. What it has instead is a person behind the counter who knows what you bought last time. A loyalty card gives that personal service a memory: who your best customers are, when they last came in, and a reason to pick you over a click on a screen.

What to reward, and after how many points?

Where prices run from a 60 kr card to a 2,000 kr jacket, a stamp per visit rewards the cheap purchase as much as the expensive one. Points per krona fix that.

• 10100 kr off your next purchaseExample: 1 point per 100 kr spent. Easy for customers to understand.
• 3Free gift wrapping and a handwritten cardA cheap early reward for gift buyers.
• 6A small gift from the shopA candle, a tote bag or a product sample you want people to try.
• 8Early access to the new collectionCosts nothing and makes regulars feel like insiders.

Example calculation: if customers earn 1 point per 100 kr and a 100 kr reward needs 10 points, the reward is worth 10 % of what they spent to earn it, before your margin. With a retail margin of, say, 50 %, the real cost of the reward is about 5 % of sales. These are example figures. Choose your own rate with the reward cost tool.

Which card type fits a boutique?

• Points card (Pro). You set how much a customer must spend per point and add up to 6 rewards, each with a point cost and a label. Staff type the amount at payment and the customer earns points. When a reward is available the pass shows it, and staff tap the reward to redeem it.
• VIP levels (Pro). Up to three levels, for example “Silver”, “Gold” and “Insider”, each with a perk such as early sales access or a free alteration. The new level shows on the pass and on the scanner.
• Stamp card (Essential). One stamp per purchase, a reward at the end. Fine for shops with a narrow price range, such as a gift shop or a zero-waste store.

Cashback, a percentage of the amount credited as a balance the customer can spend, is another Pro card type. It holds credit for the customer, so check the prepaid and gift card rules with your accountant before you use it.

How does the card work at the till?

The customer pays as usual, by Swish, card or cash. Then staff scan the pass and, on a points card, type the amount. The screen shows the points earned and the total, for example “Linnea · 340 points”. The pass on the phone updates within seconds.

• Staff: each person logs in with a PIN, and every scan records who did it, on which device and at which location.
• One scan per purchase: a cooldown between scans, 5 minutes by default, prevents double-scans. You can change it.
• Mistakes: the owner or a manager corrects the card in the dashboard with Adjust stamps; the reason and who made the change are logged.
• Reward ready: the pass shows it and the customer gets a lock-screen notification.

If you run a pop-up, a market stall or more than one shop, a staff account can scan at each location.

Seasonal and occasion ideas

• Spring collection and new-in weeks: early access for VIP levels.
• Mors dag and Fars dag: gift ideas and free wrapping.
• Midsommar and summer sales: a note before the sale starts, to customers who opted in.
• Back to school and autumn collection: a new season, a new reason to visit.
• Black Friday: compete with the chains with early access rather than only a price cut.
• December and julhandel: gift wrapping, gift cards and late opening hours.
• January sales (rea): a reminder for your best customers before everyone else.

What to send by push or e-mail

Push messages (Pro) show on the lock screen and only reach customers who opted in to news. E-mails suit longer stories, such as a new collection. Examples:

• Example · title: “New in this week” · message: “The autumn jackets have arrived. Show your card for first pick.”
• Example · title: “You are a Gold member” · message: “Thank you. Your next visit includes a free alteration.”
• Example · title: “Sale starts Friday” · message: “Our regulars get in an hour early.”

E-mail idea: a note once a month to customers not seen for 60 days, with a photo of the newest arrivals. Replies land in an inbox in your dashboard.

Common objections

“I already have a till system with a loyalty module.” If it works for you, keep it. Fidelia is separate and sits next to payment, which suits shops that want a card in the customer’s Wallet without changing the till.

“Points are complicated.” Pick one simple rule, for example 1 point per 100 kr, and one reward everybody understands. The pass explains the rest.

“My customers shop a few times a year.” The card is most useful for your regulars and for gift buyers who return each season. Add a push message before each season.

“I do not want to give discounts.” Then reward with early access, free wrapping, an extra or a VIP level, none of which show as a price cut.

What does it cost?

Essential costs 299 kr a month excl. VAT: one location, one stamp card, unlimited customers and scans, the scanner for your whole team and your first QR stand. Pro, at 599 kr a month, adds points, VIP levels, push messages, e-mails and several cards at once, with a 14-day free trial.