Paper or digital stamp card: which suits your shop?
Paper is familiar and quick to set up. Digital does not get lost and shows you who your regulars are. An honest comparison, and how to switch without losing customers.
By Team Usuals4 min readShort answer
A paper stamp card is quick to set up and everyone understands it, but cards get lost and stamps are easy to copy. A digital stamp card lives in your customer's Wallet, counts one stamp per visit and shows you who your regulars are. If you have regulars and want to know who has stopped coming, digital is the better fit.
In this article
What is good about a paper stamp card?
Paper has real advantages, and they are worth weighing:
- Everyone understands it straight away, without explanation.
- Your customer does not need a phone.
- You need no technology at the till.
- Stamping a card feels tangible, and some customers enjoy that.
For a stall that is at a market a few times a year, or a shop that serves mostly tourists, paper is often enough.
Where does a paper card fall short?
For a shop with regulars it goes wrong in a few places:
- Lost or forgotten. The card is in another coat, or your customer has three half-full ones.
- Easy to copy. A stamp that looks like yours is easy to buy. You cannot tell the difference at the counter.
- No view of your customers. You do not know who your regulars are, or who has not been in for weeks.
- No way to tell them anything. A new product or a quiet Tuesday cannot reach the people who already come to you.
- Reordering. Cards run out and need printing again.
How do paper and digital compare?
| Paper card | Digital card in the Wallet | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Order cards and a stamp | Design a card and print a poster |
| Losing it | Happens often | On the phone, moves to a new one |
| Double stamping | Hard to spot | One stamp per visit, checked on the server |
| Knowing your regulars | No | Yes, in your overview and reports |
| Telling customers something | No | Messages as notifications, only with consent |
| What your customer needs | Nothing | An iPhone or an Android phone with Google Wallet |
| What you need | A stamp | A phone, tablet or laptop with a camera |
What does digital cost compared with paper?
What paper costs depends on your printer, the number of cards and how often you reorder. Count the time it takes to hand out cards and stamp them too.
Digital starts for free. Up to 30 customers you pay nothing. Starter costs €19 a month and gives you unlimited customers and messages. Business costs €29 a month and is meant for more locations or a second card. All prices include VAT and you can cancel monthly. They are on the pricing page.
How do you switch from paper to digital?
- Make your digital card. Use the same reward and the same number of stamps as your paper card. Then there is nothing to explain.
- Put the poster next to the till. Your customer scans the QR code and has the card in their Wallet within half a minute.
- Carry over half-full cards. If a customer has a paper card with five stamps, add those five to their new card in your dashboard. You give a reason, so you can see later why.
- Bring your team along. Let everyone scan once. Every member of staff gets their own login.
- Stop handing out new paper cards. Accept the old ones for a while, but do not give out new ones.
Who is paper still a good choice for?
If few of your customers come back, or they visit once a year, a digital card does little for you. For customers without a smartphone you can keep a few paper cards behind the counter. Most shops with regulars switch because they want to see who comes back, and who does not.
If you want to know exactly how a digital card works first, read what a digital stamp card is. What it looks like in your industry is on the industries pages.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use paper and digital at the same time?
Yes, and during the switch it helps. Accept the paper cards already out there and give new customers the digital card. After a few months most paper cards have been used up by themselves.
What do I do with half-full paper cards?
Carry the stamps over to your customer's digital card. In your dashboard you adjust the number of stamps and give a reason, for example: carried over from paper card.
What if a customer does not have a smartphone?
The digital card works on an iPhone or an Android phone with Google Wallet. For customers without a smartphone, keep a few paper cards behind the counter.
Is signing up hard for customers who are not confident with phones?
Signing up is scanning the QR code, typing a first name and tapping once. Help your customer the first time at the till. After that they only need to show their card.