Points program for local retail shops
In a local shop the purchase is neither daily nor predictable: some people come weekly, others turn up three times a year. The program has to cope with that spread.
A hardware shop, a clothes shop, a stationer's or a pet shop share one problem: customers buy when they need to, not when you'd like them to. Two weeks or five months can pass between visits, and in that gap sits the online shop, which does write to them.
You compete badly on price and very well on two things: judgement, and today. Loyalty is there to make them remember that when they need something.
With variable tickets, count euros
One stamp per visit rewards the person buying a packet of screws exactly like the one buying a shelving unit. In local retail, points or cashback almost always fit better: they accrue on what's spent, and the customer sees a balance in euros.
- Cashback if you want the next visit to have a date: the balance is only worth something here.
- Points if you'd rather redeem against specific products you choose and want to move.
- Stamps only if your purchase is small and repetitive, as in a greengrocer's or a newsagent's.
The heads-up beats the discount
In this sector the message that works best isn't a promotion: it's "the thing you were after has arrived". Noting what a customer asked for and telling them the day it lands turns a lost sale into a sale and a returning customer.
The same goes for seasons: whoever bought last year's school backpack from you wants to know this year's are in.
Being findable counts too
A lot of local shopping starts on a phone, looking for who has something nearby. Keeping a public listing up to date — hours, phone, where you are and what you sell — is half the job. Toldea's directory holds more than 800,000 published businesses across more than 8,000 towns, and claiming yours to complete it costs nothing.
How to start without tying yourself in knots
- Pick a cashback percentage that works with your margin, or a simple points equivalence.
- Decide what happens with returns and during sales, and write it in one visible line at the counter.
- Put the QR next to the till and mention it on every sale for the first month.
- After a month, look at how many customers signed up and how many came back. Adjust the percentage, not the mechanic.
Frequently asked questions
Points or cashback for a local shop?
Cashback if you want the customer to see a balance in euros they can only spend with you. Points if you'd rather redeem against specific products you choose. Both count euros, which is what fits when the ticket varies.
What cashback percentage makes sense?
The one that works with your margin: what you give back is redeemed against goods, so it costs you your cost, not your retail price. Do the sum with your own numbers before fixing it.
Is it any use if my customers only buy two or three times a year?
At that frequency the reward arrives too late and stamps don't work. Cashback without a short expiry fits better — and above all, being able to tell them when something they asked for arrives.
Do I have to register my shop from scratch?
Not necessarily: your business may already be published in the directory. You can claim the listing, complete it and start on the free plan, which costs €0.
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.
See Shops and retail businesses →