Go digital with your loyalty card to make it more accessible
A loyalty card gets lost, torn, left in another bag, or forgotten at the bottom of a wallet. Paper isn't built for this. At the register, the customer experience suffers: shoppers forget their points, and your retail chain misses out on useful data.
By contrast, a digital loyalty card can take the form of a QR code, a barcode, a card in a customer account, or a mobile app. It can also be added to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, so it stays right on your customer's smartphone.
That's why taking your loyalty card digital has become essential for a store network. The card serves as a mobile access point to benefits, coupons, customer status, and other useful information. For a retail chain, that's a major asset.
Centralize customers from every store
A customer of your retail chain shouldn't become a new customer every time they switch stores. The upside of multi-location loyalty program software is that it brings your data together in one place:
- number of members;
- points earned;
- benefits available;
- purchases made;
- stores visited;
- coupons redeemed;
- overall program activity.
A purchase in Lille, a visit in Lyon, a coupon redeemed in Strasbourg: every action can feed the same customer history.
Your loyalty software, CRM, or POS system does the centralizing. The mobile wallet then shows customers the information they need (points, status, any available coupon or reward).
Build one program for the whole chain
A multi-location loyalty program should be easy for your customers to understand. If each store applies its own rules, customers get confused at the register, and staff spend time explaining, correcting, or settling disputes.
Loyalty program software lets you set shared rules:
- points earned per euro spent;
- reward threshold;
- points expiration period;
- Silver, Gold, or Premium tiers;
- coupon terms of use;
- benefits reserved for certain segments.
The same goes for a franchise network. Franchise loyalty software keeps the network's identity consistent while leaving room for local needs (key sales periods, one-off in-store events, and so on).
Let customers earn points and benefits across stores
A customer can be loyal to your retail chain yet shop at several locations. They might buy near the office, come back on the weekend in another neighborhood, order online, then pick up in store. Your program has to follow them wherever they shop.
With multi-location loyalty software, your customers can:
- earn points at several stores;
- check a shared points balance;
- redeem a reward at a different store;
- get the same benefits online and in store;
- keep their status across the whole chain.
On your end, you no longer need a separate card for each location. Loyalty belongs to the customer, not the store.
Automate points and reward calculations
Manual processes create gaps: a missed step, a miscalculation, a reward that never triggers. Customer loyalty software automates your program's rules. It can trigger:
- points after a purchase;
- a stamp or a visit;
- cashback;
- a rewards balance;
- a coupon;
- a reward once a threshold is reached;
- a move to a new loyalty tier.
Automation also helps store teams, because the software applies the rules you've defined. Your loyalty program becomes more reliable, for your staff and your customers alike.
Personalize offers for each customer
A retail chain's loyalty program does more than hand out points. It helps your business activate its customer base. With CRM-connected loyalty software, for example, you can segment customers by several criteria:
- purchase frequency;
- amount spent;
- favorite store;
- product category purchased;
- date of last purchase;
- loyalty status;
- reward available;
- time in the program.
A Premium member gets an exclusive benefit. A customer close to a threshold gets a nudge to complete a purchase. A personalized message is always relevant.
Automate loyalty campaigns
Connect your software to your marketing channels and your loyalty efforts scale up. Beyond recording points, a retail loyalty platform can automate campaigns triggered by:
- signing up for the program;
- a first purchase;
- a points threshold being reached;
- a coupon about to expire;
- a birthday;
- a move up to the next tier;
- a period of inactivity;
- a new store opening.
The software spots the right moment, then sends the message you planned. Email, SMS, push notification, wallet coupon: the channel depends on the type of customer loyalty strategy you're running and on your customers' profiles.
In a retail chain, headquarters sets the main program rules and can leave some adjustments to individual stores.
Connect your loyalty card software to the POS
Loyalty card software connected to the POS system makes the loyalty program much easier to run day to day:
- The cashier scans the card,
- the customer redeems a coupon,
- the points change,
- the status updates...
Everything flows back into the loyalty software automatically.
The connection can extend to your CRM, ERP, website, e-commerce platform, business software, or marketing automation tool. With a REST API, your loyalty stack can create, update, and distribute wallet passes from the tools your teams already use.
Compare performance across stores
A retail chain needs reliable metrics to measure the overall success of the program, and to understand the gaps between stores.
Loyalty card software can track:
- number of members;
- sign-up rate;
- number of active customers;
- purchase frequency;
- average basket size;
- reward redemption rate;
- coupons issued and redeemed;
- revenue from members;
- number of customers won back;
- retention rate;
- performance by store;
- program cost and profitability.
These KPIs give your marketing, sales, and store operations teams concrete data to act on. A store attracts many customers but activates few? Review its follow-up messages. Another converts coupons into sales especially well? It can set an example for the rest of the chain.
How do you choose loyalty card software for your business?
| Criterion | What to check |
|---|---|
| Loyalty features | Points, visits, rewards balance, cashback, tiers, coupons, gift cards, referral program, rewards, and local benefits |
| Ease of use for marketers | Simple card, campaign, and design creation, with no developer needed for every change |
| Multi-location management | Stores, customer accounts, home store, shared or local rules, consolidated results |
| POS integration | POS compatibility, sync, API, coupon verification, and automatic points updates |
| CRM and e-commerce integration | Accounts, purchases, points, consents, segments, coupons, campaigns, online store data, and delivery to the wallet pass |
| GDPR compliance | Legal basis, customer notice, consents, retention, rights, hosting, and data processing agreement |
| Real cost | Subscription, cost per store, customers included, campaigns, setup, API, training, support, and maintenance |
The loyalty features give the program its structure, and ease of use for marketers lets your team run it without waiting on developers for every action. Multi-location management keeps the experience consistent across your stores, while letting you adapt some rules locally. Integrations with your POS, CRM, and e-commerce keep the data reliable. Finally, GDPR compliance and the real cost let you scope your project before launch.
Find all the criteria in our article How to choose loyalty card software
What are the alternatives to loyalty card software?
Loyalty card software is already an alternative to the paper loyalty card. But there are other options, depending on your budget and the level of customer relationship you want:
- A loyalty mobile app brings together the customer account, bookings, and purchase history.
- An online customer account centralizes profile details, orders, points, and benefits.
- A CRM on its own helps you segment and re-engage customers.
- Email or SMS campaigns let you inform customers and follow up.
For a retail chain, loyalty card software remains the most complete option. It centralizes customer data from every store and lets you track how your loyalty program performs.
Loyalty card software FAQ
The main benefit is centralization. A customer can earn points, redeem rewards, and keep their status across the whole chain. The retail chain tracks the program as a whole, without losing the store-by-store breakdown or losing sight of its customers.
No. A digital loyalty card can work without an app of your own, for example through Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, a QR code, or a customer account. A mobile wallet gives customers a card on their smartphone, connected to your loyalty program, with no need to build or maintain an iOS and Android app.
The budget depends on the number of cards, campaigns, integrations, support, and channels you use. With eldo wallet, for example, pricing starts at €9.90/month.
Sources
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/111112
https://developers.google.com/wallet/retail/loyalty-cards?hl=fr
https://cnil.fr/fr/conformite-rgpd-information-des-personnes-et-transparence
