How to start a loyalty program for your shop in one week
You do not need a project plan or new hardware. A loyalty program is one reward, one QR code and one sentence your staff repeats. Here is a week that gets it live.
Day 1 — pick one reward
Choose a single reward and the number of visits to earn it. Resist tiers and points on day one; they confuse customers and you can add them later once you know your repeat rate.
Day 2 — set up your shop
Create your account, add your shop name, category and branch address, and configure the reward. Your 10-day free trial needs no payment card and lets you welcome up to 10 customers. This part takes minutes, not days.
Day 3 — print and place the QR
- Counter stand where payment happens — the single most important spot.
- Table tents if people sit down.
- Window or door sticker so passers-by see the offer.
Day 4 — train the one sentence
Staff make or break loyalty programs. Agree on one line and use it on every transaction: 'Scan this code — after ten visits your coffee is on us.' Nothing more complicated than that.
Day 5 — invite the regulars you already have
Your best first customers are the ones already walking in. Mention it at the counter, post the QR on your social accounts, and add it to your receipts if you can.
Days 6-7 — read the first numbers
- Scans per day, to see whether staff are actually asking.
- New customers versus returning ones, so you know if the reward is pulling people back.
- Busiest hours, which tell you when a double-stamp promotion would help.
Then improve one thing at a time
After two or three weeks, change a single variable — the stamp count, the reward itself, or where the QR sits — and compare. Small, measured changes beat redesigning the whole program.
Choose a simple plan after your trial
Growth is $8/month for up to 50 new registered customers per month and 2 locations. It includes unlimited QR scans, digital loyalty stamp cards with no app needed, scratch rewards, real-time analytics and standard email support.
Growth+ is $18/month for up to 200 new registered customers per month and 3 locations. It adds GPS branch matching, the AI digital menu creator and QR link, multi-outlet analytics and priority support. Existing customers can keep collecting stamps without counting again against the monthly new-customer allowance.
Pay yearly to save 10%: $86.40/year for Growth or $194.40/year for Growth+. Download your QR code and arrange printing yourself.
Keep customer messaging outside rtnflw
rtnflw focuses on loyalty and customer insights, not built-in email, SMS or WhatsApp broadcasts. Shop owners can download customer phone numbers and emails from Customers → Export CSV and use their own services outside rtnflw. Only contact people with the appropriate consent and follow your local privacy rules.
