Why a points scheme works for a small shop
A regular who buys a little every week is worth more than a stranger who spends a lot once. A simple points scheme gives them a visible reason to choose you over the shop down the road, and it costs you only what you decide a point is worth. There is more on turning first-time buyers into regulars.
How points work
In settings you choose two numbers:
- How much spending earns a point. For example, one point for every 1,000 spent.
- What a point is worth when it is spent. For example, 10.
Points are earned in proportion, so a 1,500 spend earns 1.5 points rather than being rounded down to 1. Nobody feels cheated by the rounding.
At the till, the cashier adds the customer to the sale, and their points balance appears. They can spend as many points as they like, up to the value of the bill, and pay the rest another way.
Store credit
When a customer returns something and would rather not have their money back, the value can go onto their account as store credit. They can spend it on any later visit, all at once or a little at a time. A 300 credit against a 1,200 bill leaves 900 to pay, and the rest of the credit stays on the account.
Store credit keeps the sale in your shop, which is why many shops offer it first. There is a guide to a returns policy that pays for itself.
Every movement is recorded
Points and store credit each have their own history. Every point earned, spent, taken back after a return or restored after a cancelled sale is recorded against the customer, with the sale it came from. So when a customer asks why their balance is what it is, the answer is on screen, line by line.
Returns are handled for you
If a customer returns part of a sale, the points that part earned are taken back, and any points they spent on it are given back. Cancelling a sale reverses its points too. You never have to fix a balance by hand.
Customer records
Every customer has a purchase history as well as their points and credit, so the cashier can see what a regular usually buys. Customers are optional on a sale: nobody has to give their details to buy something.