Using Stamps for Your Loyalty Program

As a business owner, discovering ways to increase sales is the cornerstone of your work. One way to grow your sales is by both tapping into your existing loyal customer base and also expanding it. Forming a relationship with your customers is an essential part of maintaining and growing your customer base.

While there are several ways to nurture customer retention, implementing a loyalty program is an excellent way to do so. A loyalty program is similar to offering discounts and promotions, but it’s specifically targeted at those who have already purchased from you before. Below, we go through the ins and outs of loyalty programs and how you can use custom-made stamps to make your program effective.

What is a Loyalty Program?

A loyalty program is a reward for your customer base and can take many different forms. It can look like a price discount, free shipping, a free item, an extended warranty, and much more. You can also tailor the frequency of offerings. A customer might receive one of these “gifts” after 5 visits to your restaurant or 3 purchases to your shop—or you might choose to offer one after only their first purchase.

Some businesses may specifically choose to alter the value of the “gift” to the lifetime value of the customer. For example, if a customer visits your cafe frequently, has recommended your business often, or has bought several items from your store, you might decide to provide them with a token of appreciation that is more valuable.

Types of Loyalty Programs

There are several different kinds of customer loyalty programs that small and large businesses alike utilize. Many of these have a similar premise but are presented differently to customers. Here are some of the most popular forms:

1. Reward-based or Tier-based: Customers receive loyalty points for spending money, such as points, stars, or stamps. Once they’ve received certain amounts—or reached a new “tier”—they’re offered a reward such as a discount or other gift.
2. Membership Program: Customers join a membership program which can either be free or cost a certain amount per month or year. They’ll receive regular perks just for being a member, or you may choose to offer a specific reward program for members.
3. Gamified Offering: In this type of loyalty program, customers might complete simple challenges, such as a social media sharing competition or a trivia question where customers earn points that can be exchanged for rewards. They also might collect badges or be required to do certain actions that are fun and engaging on a regular basis to maintain their status as a member.
4. Personalized Benefits: Some programs provide certain benefits and incentivized actions that target specific groups of customers. For example, a company might target younger customers and older customers with different promotions or gamified offerings that are more relevant to their interests.

Using Stamps for Your Loyalty Program

Given the many automated and built-in loyalty programs that come with commonly used software and point-of-sale systems, customers are getting accustomed to well-known loyalty program formats. Additionally, some customers might not feel driven to join a program that lacks individuality, feels cookie-cutter, or appears “salesy.” This is why presenting your loyalty program differently is so important—and stamps can help you do so. Below we take you through 5 different ways you can use stamps for your loyalty program.

Idea #1: Use stamps that are custom-made with your logo to stamp customer reward cards.

This gives a more personal feel over a simple star or smiley face. Including your logo also reinforces brand recognition over time. Customer reward loyalty cards work well for businesses that have physical spaces, such as an ice cream shop, restaurant, or clothing store.

A simple small self-inking stamp with your logo fits perfectly onto the squares of your loyalty card.

Idea #2: Provide customers with stamp-made art as a freebie item that reflects your brand.

Consider creating art featuring an image and quote that expresses your brand story and mission as well as your business’s logo. Stamps, especially self-inking ones, are ideal for creating large quantities of high-quality items with a distinct impression. This makes it easy to create many small or postcard-sized artworks at once.

However, you can also choose to make prints from your art—or design a digital artwork to make prints out of—and only stamp your signature or logo on each one. Whether you’re only hand-stamping one part of the freebie item or choosing to stamp all of it, your customers will enjoy the hand-made, personable aspect of these items.

Idea #3: On a similar note, offer stamped t-shirts, tote bags, and even growlers as loyalty program rewards.

Getting custom-made items can be costly, but crafting them yourself is much more affordable. Purchase shirts, tote bags, or even quilt patches in bulk, and customize them with fabric stamps. You can include your logo as well as an image that depicts your brand’s essence. For example, include a line drawing of a coffee mug on a tote if you sell coffee beans or an affirming quote on a t-shirt if you sell self-care products.

If you operate a bar and offer a beer loyalty program, you can even offer growlers or tumblers with your logo stamped on. These are all great giveaway ideas or rewards for customers who have moved up a “tier,” accrued a certain amount of points, or joined your membership program in general. If you’re an artist or designer, you can even offer your buyers or clients a custom-made stamp itself with your own designs as a gift or reward.

Idea #4: Provide a certificate of authentication along with a discount.

If your handmade items, such as art or wood-carved pieces of furniture, include a certificate of authentication with a membership offering or discount included. This makes the buying experience special by exuding the essence of specialty and even exclusivity.

It also emphasizes the value of your product. Add a quintessential touch to these certificates with an embosser seal. You can even get creative and use certificates of authentication for less commonly thought-of items, such as baked goods, custom-designed wedding dresses, craft beer, and much more.

Benefits of Using Stamps for Your Loyalty Program

Using stamps for your loyalty program entails using print marketing materials, which is extremely valuable in this day and age. Why is that? With the digital experience taking over, developing a truly strong physical presence is even more important—and all the more memorable. Below, we expand on why using stamps for your loyalty program can help your business.

1. It increases visibility: With your brand outfitting physical objects, your customers will be exposed to your brand in their homes, cars, or closets. This builds brand loyalty and will regularly remind customers of your offerings. In addition, however, it will expose your brand to new potential customers who might see these items.
2. It conveys a more personal element: Giving customers a freebie gift or even a physical rewards card strengthens the personal aspect of your brand. It’s something they can touch, feel, and see in real-time that invokes a homier essence and can make customers feel more connected to your brand.
3. It’s unique and timeless: Many customers might opt for a mere digital presence or, if using print marketing materials, they may only choose to print out standard brochures and posters. Using customized stamps is a stand-out addition to any marketing material — enhancing your brand’s impression on your customer base.

Setting up a loyalty program for your business is an excellent marketing strategy to retain your customers over time and to grow your existing customer base. By adding elements of exclusivity, excitement, and engagement to your marketing tactics, customers will feel more connected to and driven to interact with your brand. When putting a loyalty program into place, it’s always a good idea to think through what kind of programs will resonate the most with your audience and to evolve your program when gaining new customer insight over time.