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 tobacco and newsstand shop is, above all, a neighborhood business: the same faces come back every day for their paper, their pack of cigarettes, or their lottery ticket. Yet many owners underestimate the loyalty potential of that daily flow. A simple digital loyalty program, with no paper involved, can help recognize those visits, encourage add-on purchases, and turn occasional customers into regulars.
This guide looks at why and how a tobacco and newsstand shop can use a loyalty program, which purchases can be included, and a few levers worth trying with minimal effort.
Table of contents
Why a newsstand shop can benefit from a loyalty program
A tobacco and newsstand shop has a particularity: it sells both regulated products (tobacco, alcohol) and unregulated ones (press, lottery games, drinks, snacks, small gift items). Regulated purchases can't legally be part of a loyalty program, but unregulated products are a real opportunity. Here's why a loyalty program is worth considering:
- Recognize your local regulars: your regulars come back every day. A loyalty program gives them one more reason to choose your shop over another one a few streets away.
- Encourage add-on purchases: a customer picking up their paper might also grab a magazine, a coffee, or a small item. Loyalty makes those extra purchases feel a bit more natural.
- Build a habit: a card that shows real progress, plus an automatic birthday gift, gives customers one more small reason to keep coming back.
- Reduce price sensitivity: a customer who feels recognized is less tempted by a competing offer down the street. They come back for the relationship, not just the product.
A good starting point: take a look at your customer list and note who comes in most often. A digital loyalty program lets you recognize them, reward them, and give them one more reason to keep choosing you.
Which purchases to include in your program
By law, regulated products (tobacco, alcohol) can't be part of a loyalty program. Unregulated purchases, on the other hand, all qualify:
A points system based on the amount spent works well on these categories — for example, 1 point per euro spent on press or games, with a reward once a threshold is reached (a free magazine or a small game, say). This kind of system rewards small, repeated purchases and gives customers something to work toward.
3 levers to bring loyalty to life day to day
A loyalty program isn't just a points system. Here are three concrete levers worth using:
1. The Wallet card: a constant, quiet reminder
With a loyalty card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, the customer's balance updates automatically after every eligible purchase, right there on their phone. It's a small, ongoing reminder that costs you nothing to maintain.
2. The automatic birthday gift
A customer who gets a small gift on their birthday (store credit, a free magazine) feels valued. It's a small gesture that reinforces the relationship and gives them a reason to come back and use it. EasyFid automates this: you set the amount once, and it's applied automatically, once a year, to any customer who's shared their date of birth.
3. A word at the register
EasyFid doesn't send automatic push notifications or reminders to customers — the closest thing to a nudge is a staff member mentioning, in person, that a customer is close to their reward. That kind of personal mention, delivered consistently, tends to matter more than an automated message would.
Tip: put a QR code in your window or at the register to encourage customers to scan it on their first visit and add the card to their Wallet. Once it's there, keeping their loyalty up to date is as simple as you scanning their card at each purchase.
A concrete example: setting it up with EasyFid
Take a newsstand shop with a steady base of regular customers. Here's what setting up EasyFid could look like:
In practice, with EasyFid:
- Staff scan the customer's Wallet card on each eligible purchase (press, games, drinks).
- Their balance updates automatically in their Wallet, so they can see their own progress.
- On their birthday, they receive the gift you've configured — a magazine or a small game, for instance.
- You check your customer list from time to time and adjust your reward threshold if needed.
The goal is straightforward: give your regulars a reason to feel recognized, without adding real work to your day. Whether it changes how often they come back or what they spend is something worth tracking in your own shop rather than assuming.
Start Rewarding Your Regulars from €9.99/month
A points program, a card in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, an automatic birthday gift: everything you need to turn occasional customers into engaged regulars. 14-day free trial, no commitment.
App Store → Google Play →Frequently asked questions
Why should a tobacco and newsstand shop set up a loyalty program?
This type of shop has a local, highly recurring customer base. A digital loyalty program recognizes those daily visits, encourages add-on purchases (press, games, small items), and gives an occasional customer one more reason to become a regular.
What kinds of purchases can be included in a loyalty program for a tobacco shop?
Only unregulated purchases (press, games, small items, drinks, snacks) can be included in a loyalty program. Regulated products (tobacco, alcohol) are excluded by law. A points system based on the amount spent on these categories works well.
How can a loyalty program increase how often customers visit a tobacco shop?
By making a customer's progress visible on their Wallet card, by offering an automatic birthday gift, and by mentioning their progress in person when they're close to a reward. A customer who can see their balance filling up has one more reason to come back.
Is a points system or a visits-based system better for a tobacco shop?
For this kind of shop, a points system based on the amount spent on eligible purchases tends to fit well: it rewards small, repeated purchases (a paper, a coffee) as much as bigger ones (magazines, small items), without disadvantaging frequent, low-spend customers.