One of the best ways to encourage customer loyalty and retention is to have loyalty cards. I've hear people complain about the cost of running a loyalty program ("It could cost as much as 5% of sales!", they shout.) But is costs five to six times as much to capture new customers. The value of the loyalty card is obvious.
So let's talk about different ways of doing this. There's the membership card where customers join a
club of some sort and get access to special information, or special deals, etc. There's also the ever popular rewards card. Customers earn points or cash back for spending money with you.
Think about your customers when deciding what kind of card will match up to your service. I use my CVS keytag for earning rewards. This means I go to the drive-thru, turn off my car, then get my prescription. Does this make sense? What a hassle! Keytags don't always make sense. Don't get them unless your customers will need them.
Consider what thickness of plastic cards you'll need. Everyone assumes 30 mil cards are what you should get, but as more companies start up their own loyalty programs, people carry more cards. It may benefit you to get something a little thinner that won't be such a nuisance to your customer. 20 mil Teslin laminated cards are just as durable as 30 mil - they're just more flexible (and not so bad for your back if you're sitting on a wallet full of them!).
UV coated paper cards are an option but in general won't hold up for very long. The card will begin to deteriorate pretty quickly. If you're just doing a "punch card" (the most basic form of loyalty card), then paper can work well. They're cheap. They just don't do as much as typical loyalty programs for encouraging loyalty.
Whatever your choice, there is little question that loyalty cards are a fantastic way to retain your customers.
Cheers,
Card Guru
