Saw a coffee shop kill it with a super simple customer loyalty card

I visited a busy local coffee shop in Portland last week and noticed they just use a stamp card that gives you a free drink after 7 purchases. No app, no points system, nothing fancy. Has anyone else swapped out their complicated loyalty program for something this basic and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin4691mo agoMost Upvoted

Swapped our point system for a plain punch card last year. Same deal, 8 punches gets a free drip coffee. Way less headaches for my staff and customers actually remember to bring them back. Our repeat visits went up about 20% in three months. People like simple.

roberts.leo1mo ago

@gavin469 smart move, bet that 20% bump is from people actually finishing their cards instead of losing points lol.

drew_hart41mo ago

That 20% bump is interesting. Did you track if those extra visits were from people who already came in regularly or if you actually pulled in new customers? Because I've seen some shops say the simpler card just converts more casual one-off visits into repeat business. Also curious if you kept the same redemption item (drip coffee) or if people seem to want something different after 8 punches lol. Just wondering if the simplicity of the reward matters as much as the simplicity of the system.