The figures and scenarios in this article are illustrative: adapt them to your margins and your own data. They are not EasyFid customer results. See how to measure your results.
A poorly designed loyalty program always ends the same way: a stack of cardboard cards forgotten at the bottom of a register drawer. Yet when the mechanic is simple and the format is right, loyalty stays one of the most cost-effective levers for a local business: keeping an existing customer usually costs less than winning a new one.
Bakery, hair salon, restaurant, salon or shop: the method for building a loyalty program that works stays the same. Here are the 5 steps, in order, with concrete examples and mechanics you can copy today.
Table of contents
1. Define your goal and your reward mechanic
Before choosing a tool or designing a card, ask yourself a simple question: what do I actually want to get out of this program? The most common goals for a local business are:
- Increase visit frequency: get a customer who comes once a month to come twice a month.
- Increase the average basket: encourage an extra item or service on every visit.
- Reduce churn: keep customers who are starting to space out their visits.
- Reward your best customers: recognize those who already spend the most with you.
Once your goal is clear, pick a mechanic you can explain in one sentence. The two models that work best in local retail:
- Points per euro spent: 1 point per euro, an automatic reward at a set threshold (for example a discount or a free product). Ideal for shops, grocery stores, florists.
- A free visit after X visits: the 10th coffee free, the 6th haircut at half price. Simple to understand for businesses with a fairly regular basket (café, hair salon, dry cleaner).
Avoid multi-tier mechanics or ones with conditional rules: the simpler it is, the faster the customer engages.
2. Choose between a paper card and a digital card
The stamped cardboard card has one advantage: it costs almost nothing to print. But it has three flaws that hurt it over time: it gets lost, it gets left at home, and it gives you no data on your customers. As a result, real usage of a paper card among enrolled customers tends to stay low.
A digital loyalty card solves these three problems: it lives directly on the customer's phone (Apple Wallet or Google Wallet), it can't be forgotten since it's on a device the customer always carries, and it gives you real-time visibility on visits and points earned. To see concretely how this kind of card works day to day, the EasyFid homepage walks through the full journey, from the scan at the register to the points balance updating.
3. Set up your program and your rules
Once you've decided on the mechanic, the technical setup takes just a few steps: creating your merchant account, defining the reward threshold, and customizing the card's look (logo, colors) in the EasyFid app.
With EasyFid, the Starter plan at €9.99/month covers up to 500 customers with 1 user, which suits an independent shop running its program alone. The Pro plan at €19.99/month goes up to 1,500 customers with 3 staff accounts in addition to the admin account, suited to a team scanning cards at several registers. See the full details of both plans on the pricing page.
Practical tip: set a reward threshold a regular customer can reach within a few weeks. A threshold that's too high discourages engagement from the first weeks; one that's too low makes the reward feel worthless.
4. Launch the program with your customers
The launch happens at the counter, not on social media. The most effective moment to offer sign-up is right after payment, when the customer already has their phone in hand. One sentence is enough: "Want to collect points on your next purchases? I'll add you now, one scan and you're set."
- Train your team: every staff member should be able to introduce the program in under 15 seconds.
- Mention it at the register: a short sign inviting customers to ask for the card, and a mention on the receipt if your system allows it.
- Do the first scan together: show the customer how to add the card to their wallet before they leave the shop.
- Don't require a minimum purchase to sign up: the easier it is to join, the faster your base of enrolled customers grows.
Practical tip: the first two weeks matter most. Offer sign-up to every customer during this period rather than occasionally: that's what builds the critical base of cardholders.
5. Track and adjust your program
A loyalty program is never set in stone. Once launched, keep an eye on three simple indicators: the sign-up rate (share of customers at the register who take the card), the return rate (share of cardholders who come back and scan again) and the average time before a first reward is earned.
With a digital card, this tracking happens from the EasyFid app, with no manual re-entry. Another concrete benefit: points update live in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet as soon as a customer pays, without them needing to reopen an app or refresh anything. The balance shown in their Wallet is always accurate, which builds trust in the program and avoids back-and-forth at the register to check a points total. To go further on structuring a full program, see our guide to loyalty programs for shop owners.
If a threshold looks too hard to reach after a few weeks of observation, adjust it without hesitation. A loyalty program that evolves with your customers' actual behavior always stays more effective than a mechanic frozen at launch.
Ready to launch your loyalty program?
Create your digital card and let your customers collect points directly in their wallet.
Download EasyFid → Get it on Google Play →Frequently asked questions about creating a loyalty program
How long does it take to launch a loyalty program?
With a digital solution like EasyFid, creating the account and setting up the points mechanic takes under an hour. The real work then lies in presenting the program consistently at the register during the first few weeks.
Which loyalty mechanic should a small business choose?
The most effective mechanics are the simplest: a point per euro spent with a reward at a fixed threshold, or a free visit after a set number of visits. Avoid multi-tier systems, which are harder for the customer to understand and remember.
Should I keep a paper card alongside a digital card?
It's not necessary. The digital card avoids lost cards, updates automatically and gives you real-time visibility on visits, which a stamped card can't offer.
How much does a digital loyalty program cost with EasyFid?
The Starter plan is €9.99/month for a business with up to 500 customers and 1 user. The Pro plan is €19.99/month for up to 1,500 customers with 3 staff accounts in addition to the admin account.
How does a customer add the loyalty card to their phone?
You create the customer in the EasyFid app, then they scan their own QR code, shown on your screen, to add the card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Its points balance then updates live on every visit, with no extra app to install.