Paper stamp cards have been the default for decades, and they still have things going for them. Digital cards fix most of their problems but cost more than a box of cards. Here's a straight comparison to help you decide.
What paper does well
Paper cards are familiar, so nobody needs them explained. They're cheap to print and there's no technology to set up. If you're testing whether a loyalty card is worth doing at all, paper is a reasonable place to start.
The problems tend to show up once the scheme is running.
Where paper falls down
- Cards get lost: they're left at home, lost in wallets or put through the wash, and a lost card is a reward that never gets claimed.
- Stamps can be faked: a similar rubber stamp is easy to buy online, and staff can't always tell the difference.
- You learn nothing: paper tells you nothing about who your customers are, how often they come in or when they stopped.
- Reprinting: you need new cards when you run out, change the offer or update the design.
- Waste: most cards end up in the bin, finished or not.
How a digital card works
The card lives on the customer's phone. With RewardForge, customers scan your QR code once to join and sign up with their name and email. When they visit, they open their card and show a code, and your staff scan it to add a stamp. The card opens in the browser, so there's no app to download.
Android users can add the card to Google Wallet. Stamps are stored online, so a new phone doesn't mean starting again.
Side by side
The card is always with them
The biggest practical difference is that people always have their phone and rarely have a particular paper card. A card that's there at the till gets stamped. One that's in a drawer at home doesn't.
Seeing the card also reminds people it exists. On Android it can sit in Google Wallet next to their bank cards, and on any phone it's a tap away once they've added it to their home screen.
What each costs
Paper is cheaper up front. A few hundred printed cards doesn't cost much, though you'll reprint when you run out or change the offer, and some cards will be lost before they're finished.
RewardForge is $18.99 a month after a 30-day free trial, with no limit on customers and nothing to print except the QR poster. Whether that's worth it depends on how many regulars you have and how much lost or faked cards are costing you.
Switching from paper
Switching is simple. Set up your digital card, print the QR poster and put it by the till. When a customer hands over a paper card, offer to move them across, and add a stamp or two for the ones they'd already collected.
You don't have to stop accepting paper overnight. Honor existing paper cards until they're finished, and sign new customers up to the digital card.