Definition
QR code
A QR code is a square barcode a phone camera can read. In a loyalty programme it does one of two jobs: on the counter it takes a new customer to the page where they add their card, and on a customer’s card it identifies them so staff can add a stamp.
Two codes doing opposite jobs
It is worth keeping them straight because they are easy to confuse. The café’s code is public, printed, and the same for everyone — it is an invitation to join. The customer’s code is personal, sits on their card, and is what staff scan to add a stamp. One is a poster; the other is an identity.
Why it beats typing a phone number
Phone-number lookup is the common alternative and it is slower at the counter, error-prone, and gives the customer nothing to look at between visits. A code takes a second, needs no keyboard, and leaves the customer holding a card with a balance on it — which is the thing that reminds them you exist.
Where to put it
At the point of payment, facing the customer, in reach. A code behind the counter or above head height requires somebody to move or ask, and that is enough friction to halve your signups. Small and near the card machine beats large and on the wall.
Questions
- Do customers need a QR scanner app?
- No. The camera app on every current iPhone and Android reads QR codes directly.
- Can the same code be used at several branches?
- The joining code can be shared across sites. Which branch issued a stamp is recorded from the staff account doing the scanning, not from the code.
Related terms
Enrollment
Enrollment is the point at which a customer joins a loyalty programme and gets their card. It is the single biggest determinant of whether a programme works, because every customer who never joins is one the scheme cannot affect.
Digital stamp card
A digital stamp card is a loyalty card that lives on a customer’s phone instead of in their wallet. Staff add a stamp by scanning a code at the counter, and once the card reaches a set number of stamps the customer has earned a reward.
Stamp
A stamp is a single credit on a loyalty card. Staff add one when a customer makes a qualifying purchase, and collecting the required number — often ten — earns the reward.
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