Many businesses use paper loyalty cards to encourage customers to return multiple times to purchase their products and services. Repeat purchase programs such as “Buy 10 get 1 free” offers entice the customer by keeping them in a state of anticipation for their reward, and people simply love to see the card get punched – it makes them feel like they have gained something tangible each time it happens. What many businesses are coming to realize, however, is that plastic loyalty cards can be even more effective at boosting sales than paper ones. Here are a few tips that you can use to increase your bottom line with plastic loyalty cards.

• Use multiple types of cards, each with its own bold, glossy color, to keep the loyalty offers fresh. For example, the first card can have a simple “Buy 10 get 1 free” offer. But when that card gets redeemed, switch it out for a “10% off on 10 purchases” card. Make each reward a little more interesting and/or valuable than the last, and your customers will stay with you longer.
• Plastic loyalty cards allow you to use thermal printing to put your customer’s picture on the front of the card. By making it “their” card, you increase their perceived value of it, especially if you specify your product in a caption. For example, if you’re running a music shop, you could print “Music Lover” under the customer’s picture.
• Consider making a “mystery loyalty” card that uses special scratch-off overlay panels instead of punch holes. Have different one-time discounts under each panel that must be scratched off by the cashier to be redeemed. Your customers will feel the suspense of wondering what the next discount will be, but they will have to walk into your store to find out!
• Use an encoded magnetic strip to make the loyalty card an easy way to track customer sales over time – something you can’t do with an ordinary paper card. By recording the price of the purchases that your customer makes, you can offer them incentives such as discounts or gift cards as they reach certain purchase thresholds. You can also discover who buys particular types of products and use that information to target your marketing more precisely.

Plastic loyalty cards also have many additional benefits over their paper counterparts. Plastic cards are sturdier than paper ones by nature, which means they will not only be easier to slide in and out of wallets without creasing, but they will also not tear after being hole punched. They also have a more “credit card” or “gift card” feel to them because of size, shape and texture, so customers associate them as being more valuable than easy-to-lose pieces of paper.

Finally, you can count on the uniqueness of a plastic loyalty card that uses any of these tips to draw in more repeat purchases. Very few people are using these strategies and you can benefit from having an interesting twist on the familiar. When you are planning your next loyalty card program, consider the benefits of plastic cards and make your marketing strategy one that has the highest chance of making your customers repeat buyers for years to come.