Blog
The Loonine blog
Practical writing on customer retention, wallet cards and running a loyalty programme that people use.
How to get customers to join your loyalty programme
Enrolment rate is the number that decides whether a loyalty programme works, and it is set almost entirely by what you ask the customer to do at the counter.
23 loyalty programme ideas that work for small businesses
Specific, costed loyalty mechanics for independent shops, cafés and service businesses, with the ones that reliably fail and why.
How to add a loyalty card to Google Wallet
How customers add a loyalty card to Google Wallet on Android, what to do when the Add button does not work, and what a business needs in order to issue the cards.
SMS, email or wallet push: which reaches your customers?
The three channels a small business can use to reach its own customers, compared on open rate, cost, consent rules and what each is good for.
How to measure repeat customer rate (and what to do with it)
The formula for repeat customer rate, the window to measure it over, what a good figure looks like by industry, and the two numbers that are more useful.
Wallet card push notifications: what they can and cannot do
How Apple Wallet and Google Wallet notifications work, what a business is allowed to send, how often to send, and the limits nobody mentions before you buy.
Running one loyalty programme across multiple locations
How to run a single loyalty programme across two or more sites: one card or several, who pays for a reward redeemed elsewhere, and what changes with franchisees.
Do you need POS integration to run a loyalty programme?
Whether a loyalty programme needs to connect to your till, what integration buys you, and when running alongside the POS is the better choice.
What your loyalty programme terms and conditions need to say
The clauses a small business's loyalty terms need, the ones that cause disputes when they are missing, and why expiry is the most important decision in the document.
Digital loyalty cards in Germany: what independents need to know
How wallet-based loyalty works for a German independent business: DSGVO consent, competing with Payback and DeutschlandCard, Kartenzahlung habits and what it costs.
Discounts or loyalty rewards: which costs less?
A discount cuts margin on every sale including the ones you would have made anyway. A loyalty reward costs you once, after several visits. The arithmetic, worked through.
Referral scheme or loyalty programme: which should you run first?
Referrals bring new customers, loyalty keeps the ones you have. Which is worth more to a small business, and why running both at once usually means running neither well.
How much should a loyalty reward cost?
How to cost a reward properly using cost of goods rather than menu price, what percentage of customer spend is sensible, and the rewards that look generous while costing very little.
11 loyalty programme mistakes that quietly kill the results
The failures that do not announce themselves: thresholds nobody reaches, enrolment that decays after launch, rewards that read as mean, and messages that train customers to ignore you.
How to calculate customer lifetime value for a small business
A simple, defensible way to work out what a customer is worth over their whole relationship with you, and what to do with the number once you have it.
How to design a loyalty card that customers open
What belongs on a wallet loyalty card, what to leave off, and why the back of the card matters more than the front for the questions customers ask.
Birthday and seasonal rewards: worth it, or a distraction?
When a dated reward earns its place, what to collect and what not to, and why the seasonal message usually matters more than the reward attached to it.
Digital loyalty cards in France: what independents need to know
How wallet loyalty works for a French independent: RGPD and CNIL expectations, competing with the supermarket carte de fidélité, and what it costs in euros.
Digital loyalty cards in Spain: what independents need to know
How wallet loyalty works for a Spanish independent: RGPD and the AEPD, competing with the supermarket tarjeta de fidelización, the daily bar trade, and what it costs in euros.
Digital loyalty cards in Italy: what independents need to know
How wallet loyalty works for an Italian independent: the raccolta punti tradition, the manifestazioni a premio rules worth checking, the bar trade, and what it costs.
Digital loyalty cards in the Netherlands: what independents need to know
How wallet loyalty works for a Dutch independent: the spaarkaart habit, AVG and the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, competing with the Bonuskaart, and what it costs.
Wallet card vs loyalty app vs paper punch card
The three ways to run a loyalty programme, compared on enrolment rate, retention, cost and what happens at the counter.
How much does a loyalty programme cost a small business?
A full cost breakdown for digital loyalty in 2026: software, SMS, reward margin and staff time, and how to work out whether it pays for itself.
Do loyalty programmes work?
An honest look at the evidence: where loyalty programmes measurably change behaviour, where they only subsidise customers you already had, and how to tell which is happening.
Apple Wallet vs Google Wallet for loyalty cards
How the two wallet platforms differ for businesses issuing loyalty cards: updates, notifications, design limits and the practical gotchas.
Stamps or points: which loyalty mechanic should you use?
How to pick the right loyalty mechanic for your business based on ticket variance, visit frequency and what you want customers to do more of.
GDPR and loyalty programmes: what a small business must do
The practical compliance checklist for running a digital loyalty programme in the EU: lawful basis, consent for marketing, retention limits and data subject rights.
How to win back customers who stopped coming
A practical playbook for identifying lapsed customers, choosing the right moment to reach them, and writing a message that brings them back.
How to launch a loyalty programme in one week
A day-by-day plan for going from nothing to a running digital loyalty programme, including what to decide, what to skip, and how to brief staff.
Digital loyalty cards for cafés in the UAE
How wallet-based loyalty works for cafés and restaurants in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the Emirates, including Arabic support, local numbers and what the rules require.
The best digital loyalty apps for small businesses in 2026
A comparison of the main wallet-based loyalty platforms for cafés, salons and independent retailers, including where each one is the better choice.
How to add a loyalty card to Apple Wallet
A step-by-step guide for customers and business owners on getting a loyalty card into Apple Wallet, and what to do when the Add button does not appear.
Loyalty programmes that do not need a customer app
Why asking customers to install an app destroys loyalty enrolment, and how wallet cards deliver the same benefits without the download.
How to switch loyalty platforms without losing your customers
Changing loyalty platform means re-enrolling everyone, because wallet cards cannot be transferred. Here is the migration plan that keeps your regulars and their balances.
How many stamps should a loyalty card have?
Setting the reward threshold too high kills motivation and too low erodes margin. Here is how to pick the number for your business.
Why paper punch cards fail, and what to replace them with
Paper loyalty cards lose customers for three structural reasons. Here is what each one costs and how a wallet card fixes it.
What customer churn costs a small business
A worked example showing why a small improvement in repeat visits outperforms almost any acquisition spend for a local business.