Customer loyalty is everything a business does to make its customers come back and buy again and again. For local shops it usually means a stamp card, a points card or a giveaway that rewards repeat visits. Today you can run it all from your phone, with no paper cards, for less than €6 a month.
· Socios Team
According to Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer costs between 5 and 25 times more than keeping one you already have. And according to Bain & Company, increasing customer retention by 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%.
In a neighbourhood business you notice this straight away: a customer who comes in twice a week instead of once doubles their annual spend without you spending an extra penny on advertising. Loyal customers also recommend you, and that word of mouth is exactly how to get more customers.
| Programme | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp card | One stamp per visit or purchase; complete the card and get a reward («9 coffees = 1 free») | Cafés, bakeries, hair salons: frequent visits and a similar spend |
| Points card | Every euro spent earns points that can be exchanged for discounts or gifts | Restaurants, grocers, fashion, hardware stores: the spend varies |
| Giveaways | Every purchase is an entry into a regular prize draw | Any business that wants to encourage visits between purchases |
| Coupons and promotions | A one-off discount for a date or a product | Launches, quiet days, clearing stock |
| Tiers (VIP) | More perks the more the customer buys | Very frequent customers with a high spend |
Rule of thumb: if your customers always spend about the same, use stamps; if the spend varies a lot, use points; add giveaways to keep interest high.
| Paper card | Digital loyalty (app) | |
|---|---|---|
| Lost or forgotten | All the time | It lives on the phone |
| Fraud (fake stamps) | Easy | No: every stamp is validated with a QR code |
| You know who your customer is | No | Yes: frequency, last visit, redemptions |
| You can get in touch | No | Yes: notifications about rewards and offers |
| Cost | Reprinting every few months | From €5.99/month |
With Socios, steps 2 to 5 take about 5 minutes in the Socios Plus app, and your customers use the Socios app, which is free. See the details in how it works.
Loyalty keeps customers, but it also attracts new ones:
Want to know what it could earn you? Try the return calculator.
Every business has its own rhythm. These guides explain how many stamps to use, which rewards work and which campaigns to run:
Comparing tools? Take a look at our loyalty app comparison.
Socios is already live in more than 10 businesses in Spain and Mexico, which have created more than 50 promotions and given more than 100 rewards to their customers.
It is a system that rewards customers for coming back: stamps per visit, points per purchase, giveaways or exclusive discounts. The aim is for customers to return more often and spend more over time.
With Socios, the customer app is free and businesses get a 14-day free trial. After that, the Pro Plan costs €5.99 a month, with no long-term contract.
A stamp card works best when customers spend a similar amount on each visit (cafés, bakeries, hair salons). A points card is better when the spend varies a lot (restaurants, grocery shops, fashion or hardware stores).
No. With Socios all you need is your phone: scan the customer’s QR code with the camera in the Socios Plus app and the stamp or points are added instantly.
Yes. In fact, that is where it makes the biggest difference: in a neighbourhood shop every regular counts, and a simple programme makes them come back more often.
Usually, within the first month you will see the first customers completing their card and redeeming their reward.