Loyalty programs by industry

Updated 31 August 2026

The right loyalty mechanic is decided by three numbers: how often people visit, how much they spend each time, and what the margin is. Those numbers differ enormously between a bakery and a dental clinic, which is why copying another trade’s program almost never works.

High frequency, small basket

Cafés, bakeries, car washes, barbershops. People come often, spend little, and buy roughly the same thing every time. A stamp card is the right answer: it moves visibly on every visit, and the free item at the end costs a known fraction of the row that earned it.

Medium frequency, variable basket

Groceries, pharmacies, pet shops, petrol stations. The visit is regular but the basket swings, so a percentage-based points program keeps the reward proportionate without anyone doing arithmetic at the till.

Low frequency, large basket

Restaurants, clothing shops, opticians, dental clinics, hotels. Too few visits for a balance to accumulate into anything, so levels and coupons do the work — a status worth keeping, and a timed offer that arrives when the customer is due back anyway.

Pick your trade

Each page below takes one trade and works through the mechanic that fits it, the numbers to set, and what to watch once it is running.

CafeA coffee shop is visited daily and sells cheaply, so a stamp card beats points. How many stamps to ask for, what the free cup costs you, and how to run it without paper.
RestaurantA restaurant is visited rarely with a large bill, so points and levels fit better than stamps. Where to set tier thresholds and how to reward a booking, not just a bill.
BakeryBread is bought on the way home, every day, in cash. A stamp card on a phone survives what a paper card does not, and it tells you which hour of the day sells.
Bar and pubA bar lives on regulars and on quiet weeknights. Reward the visit rather than the spend, and use coupons to move the nights that need moving.
Grocery storeA grocery basket is frequent and varied, which is exactly what a points rate is for. How to set the percentage, and why the checkout queue decides the design.
ShopA small shop cannot ask people to install an app for it alone. Joining a network means the card is already in the pocket before the first purchase.
Clothing storeFashion sells in bursts and goes quiet between them. Levels hold the gap, and a coupon timed to a new arrival beats a permanent discount that trains people to wait.
Beauty salonA salon knows exactly when a client is due back. Reward the return within the window, and see which master keeps clients and which loses them.
BarbershopA haircut is a fixed price on a fixed cycle, which makes it the cleanest stamp card there is. What the free cut really costs, and how to stop it being shared.
Nail salonManicures run on a predictable cycle, so the whole program is about the client who books again before she leaves. Stamps for the cycle, a level for the year.
SpaSpa visits are occasional and expensive, so coupons for a specific treatment work where a points balance never accumulates enough to matter.
GymA membership is paid once and abandoned quietly. Reward the visit, watch who stops coming in week three, and reach them before the renewal is already lost.
PharmacyPharmacy loyalty is about the regular non-prescription basket and the customer who comes monthly. What to reward, and what a pharmacy should never record.
Dental clinicDentistry is high value and low frequency, so the program is a recall system with a reward attached. Referrals do more here than any discount.
Optical storeFrames are rare, lenses and solution are not. Split the program: a level for the frame purchase, points for everything bought between one pair and the next.
Car serviceServicing runs on mileage and season, not on impulse. The program that works is a reminder with value attached, plus a referral reward that fits how garages get customers.
Car washA wash is a fixed price bought often, which is a stamp card with no arithmetic to explain. The queue is short, so the scan has to be shorter.
Petrol stationFuel margin is thin, so the reward has to come from the shop beside the pump. Earn on litres, redeem on coffee and goods, and the maths works.
HotelEvery booking through an aggregator costs commission. A loyalty benefit given only on a direct booking is the cheapest channel a hotel can build.
Flower shopFlowers are bought for the same dates every year by the same people. A program that remembers last March is worth more here than any percentage off.
Pet shopA bag of food lasts a known number of weeks, so the repeat purchase is predictable. Points on food, a coupon timed to when the bag runs out.
BookstoreBooks are bought slowly and thoughtfully, so a level that unlocks a real benefit reads better than points that take a year to add up to one paperback.

Common questions

How do I know which loyalty mechanic fits my business?

Start with visit frequency. Weekly or more, with a similar purchase each time, means a stamp card. Monthly with a varying basket means points. A few times a year with a large bill means levels and coupons.

Can I change the mechanic later?

Yes. On One Bonus programs are turned on and off independently, and existing balances are not thrown away when a new program is added alongside.

Find the program for your trade

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