Digital stamp card for coffee shops and bakeries
In a coffee shop the customer doesn't decide where to have breakfast every morning: they decide once and repeat. A stamp program is there to win that decision, not to give coffee away.
Breakfast is a habit, and habits are chosen once. That's why a coffee shop or a bakery plays a different game from a restaurant: it isn't about people coming back sometime, it's about being the default stop on the way to work, five days a week.
The stamp card has worked in this sector for decades for a very simple reason: the product repeats, it costs roughly the same every time, and the reward needs no explaining.
How many boxes, and why ten isn't always the answer
- Daily customer (breakfast on the way to work): 8 to 12 stamps. The reward arrives in two or three weeks, a pace people feel.
- Weekend customer (the Saturday regular at the bar): drop to 6. At ten, the reward is two and a half months away and gets forgotten.
- Bakery with a daily visit but a variable ticket: if one day it's a loaf and the next it's the whole shop, points per euro beat stamps per visit.
The reward: something of yours, and no small print
"Tenth one's on us" works because it leaves nothing open to interpretation. If the reward is "a coffee or a pastry, your choice", better still: it costs you the same and the customer feels they're choosing.
What is worth settling from the start is whether a stamp goes per item or per receipt. At a counter with two coffees and a juice, that difference shows up in the till by the end of the month.
The moment for the stamp is the moment of payment
At peak time there's no room to explain anything, so the system has to resolve in seconds and the QR has to be where people pay, not on the door. If they have to find their phone, open an app and type a password, the person behind sighs and the program dies within a fortnight.
What knowing who comes in is good for
The interesting part of the digital version isn't the stamp, it's what you learn: which customers come on weekdays but not Saturday, who hasn't been in for a month, which time slot empties out. With that you can send something useful — there's a batch out at five, you're two stamps from the reward — instead of firing off blind promotions.
How Toldea fits in
The customer scans the QR on the counter with their camera, collects the stamp in the browser with no app to install, and sees how many are left. You get your customer list and can send a notification. The free plan includes one digital stamp card, so getting started costs €0.
Frequently asked questions
How many stamps should the free coffee take?
If your customer comes in most days, 8 to 12 works well: the reward lands in two or three weeks. If yours is more of a weekend customer, drop to 6 or the reward is too far off.
Can I give stamps by amount spent instead of per visit?
Yes. In bakeries, where one day it's a loaf and the next it's the weekly shop, counting euros (points or cashback) usually works better than counting visits.
Do my customers have to install an app to collect?
No. They scan the QR with the phone camera and collect in the browser, with nothing to install and no password to create.
How long does adding a stamp take at peak time?
The customer scans while you're taking payment; there's no cardboard card to find and nothing to write down. If your system takes longer than the sale itself, the team will stop offering it.
Set your program up this week
Find your business in the directory to complete its listing, or sign up and create your digital card. The free plan costs €0.
See which shops in your area are already published in the directory.
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