Friday, May 6, 2011

Punch Cards Create Customer Loyalty

They say that there is no such thing as a free lunch - but that is not always true when you think about punch cards and how they sometimes do create an offer for a free lunch or free merchandise - depending on what type of business is offering the punch cards.

Punch cards have been around a long time and are often called customer loyalty cards as they create as easy way to get repeat customers coming back to purchase a car wash or a latte so that when you have purchased ten you get a free car wash or a free cup of coffee. These loyalty cards do not really offer something for nothing as you have to keep coming back in order to qualify for the free product or service - but businesses use these cards because often a person doesn't just buy the coffee when they get their card punched. Customers may purchase a pastry or muffin to go with it, so they are spending more than the price of the coffee.

Punch cards are incentives for customers to return and get rewarded for their loyalty. Sometimes businesses offer something completely unconnected with their own products or services in order to incentivize the return of customers - such as a dry cleaner offering a Starbucks gift certificate after they punch their card a certain number of times. Whatever the incentive, it is worthwhile to the business owner to use punch cards as an inexpensive, yet effective marketing tool that gets customers to return and also attracts new customers.

Customers love to feel like they are getting something for nothing even if the reality is not quite true - it still makes them feel good about returning to a shop or a restaurant because they offer something in return for their loyalty. It is a win-win situation for everyone - the business owner gets return customers as well as new ones and the customers get something "free."

When looking for a company to help you design and print your punch cards, it's important to find one that uses heavy card stock and uses high quality offset printers. Remember, your customers are going to use these cards multiple times in your store - so you don't want them to be flimsy and fall apart. Whether the customer keeps your loyalty card in their wallet, in a pocket of their purse or clipped to the visor of your car, you want it looking good until it's ready to be redeemed.

Color Card Administrator is the parent company of PrintBusinessCards.com and several other innovative business card websites, we're eager to share with you what it is we do. Give us a call today at 858-522-9335 or email at Author@CardAdmin.com. We look forward to discussing your comments, suggestions, or hearing any ideas for future article topics you may be interested in regarding cheap business cards design or business card management.

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