What is a digital loyalty card?
It's the phone version of the stamp card. Customers create an account in the app, and every visit or order adds points. At a set threshold, they get a free item or a discount. You set the rules: points per lei or per visit, which rewards, how long points stay valid.
The difference from paper isn't just that it can't be lost. A digital card tells you how many customers come back, how often and what they buy. A paper card ends up in a wallet or the bin and tells you nothing. With app data, you can send an offer to exactly the customers who haven't been back in a month.
How do QR points from the receipt or table work?
The simplest setup: a QR code is printed on the receipt or on a stand at the table. The customer scans it from the app and gets the points. There's no extra step for the cashier and no longer queue. That's how the loyalty card in the Ciorbe și Plăcinte app works: points via a QR code on the receipt or at the table.
What matters is that a code can't be reused or photographed and shared with friends. Codes should be unique or expire, and the server checks every scan. Without that, a loyalty programme quickly turns into a discount scheme for whoever knows the trick.
What else should the app offer besides points?
A reason to open it on days when the customer isn't buying. A daily deal is the simplest: an offer that changes every day and makes people check the app. Exclusive offers available only in the app give a reason to install it.
The full menu, with photos and nutrition information, helps people who have already decided what to eat. For Ciorbe și Plăcinte we also added a nutrition calculator and a game, “Prinde Ciorba”. Not every restaurant needs a game; every feature should have a reason to exist.
- Loyalty card with QR points
- Daily deal
- App-only offers
- Full menu
- Push notifications, few and useful
App or paper cards?
Paper cards are cheap and need no technology, but they get lost, are easy to fake with a stamp and give you no information. Your offers only reach customers once they're already inside. You don't know who your regulars are, how often they come or what would bring them back sooner.
An app costs more up front and takes effort to get installed. In return, it gives you a direct channel to customers, free of delivery-platform commission, and data on who comes back. For a single small venue, a paper card may be enough. For a chain, an app makes more sense.
How do you get customers to install the app?
Give them an immediate reason: a reward on the first scan or an offer only available in the app. Put the install code where people wait: at the till, on the table, on delivery packaging. And ask staff to recommend it in a sentence, not recite a speech.
After install, the first week decides. If the first notifications are pointless ads, the app gets deleted. If the first deal is good and points show up quickly, the customer comes back. Track how many install, how many scan and how many redeem rewards.
What about personal data and GDPR?
A loyalty app processes personal data: name, email or phone, purchase history. You need a clear privacy policy, separate consent for marketing messages and a way for customers to delete their account. Apple and Google require in-app account deletion anyway.
Only ask for what you need. For a loyalty card, an email or phone number is usually enough; ask for a birthday only if you actually send a birthday offer. Less data means less risk, and a shorter sign-up form that more people actually complete.
Frequently asked questions
Do customers need to create an account?
For points, yes, otherwise there's nowhere to store them. Keep sign-up as short as possible: email or phone and done.
How do I stop the same QR code being used twice?
With unique or expiring codes that the server checks on every scan. A code that's already been used is rejected.
Can I change the daily deal myself?
Yes, if the app has an admin panel. You should be able to change the offer without a developer and without a new store release.
Is an app worth it for a single restaurant?
It depends on how many regulars you have. For a small venue, a web app or a simple card may be enough. For a chain, a native app makes more sense.
How much does a loyalty app cost?
Native mobile apps start from 1,500 RON, and those with loyalty and QR redemption from 3,000 RON. Websites and web apps also start from 1,500 RON, and the package from 3,000 RON includes loyalty and coupons.
Can the app send push notifications with offers?
Yes, a native app can send push notifications if the customer allows them. Use them rarely and only for real offers, or the app gets uninstalled.
Have you built a loyalty app before?
Yes, the Ciorbe și Plăcinte app for iOS and Android: loyalty card with QR points, daily deal, offers and menu. We also handled publishing on both stores.
