Late last month, Anodyne Coffee announced their new rewards program the “‘Dyners Club.” This new program promises to keep a tally of your purchases and give you points for every dollar spent. So, customers would get a $5 reward after spending $75. This made me think about the ways that different shops try to create and retain customers. And the more I thought about it, the more I started to notice the diverse ways that coffee shops employ a different approach to reward the coffee drinker.
Punch Cards
Places like Alderaan and Fuel Cafe offer a 10 drink punch card. There is a part of me that likes this concept. Is it practical? I think that it will depend on your capacity to remember your punch cards. While I appreciate the simplicity of this reward program, it is hard to keep track of the different cards. But realistically, I lose them all the time, and by the time I get to the 10th or 12th coffee, I am not particularly excited about my coffee anymore. Newline has my favorite punch card. If you buy a bag of coffee from them, you get a five-drink punch card that you can use to redeem a tea or regular coffee. Which means, every time you go you can cash in on a regular coffee or drink. I think that is a good way to bring coffee drinkers in.
Points and Apps
It is becoming a frequent practice to input your phone number on the digital touchpad when paying for your coffee. These reward systems remember tally your purchases and sometimes text you about rewards. While this may be a straightforward way for you to rack up points, I never really keep track of them. And oftentimes, I find myself muting the text messages I get from them. until after. I personally struggle with these systems because it feels mechanical. And honestly, sometimes I don’t feel like giving my phone number, but maybe that’s just me. But something is better than nothing…I guess.
Apps have changed so much in the last 10-15 years. And for coffee, apps have really changed the way we interact with coffee shops. Whether it is ordering online, customizing your order, and learning more about the new products. Coffee shops are using apps to create an interactive and immersive experience on your phone. I also think that apps are an effective way to keep track of your points while staying connected to the coffee shop. An app that I always use as a reference is Colectivo. Especially during the pandemic, the curbside feature was a great option. And the free coffee bag on your birthday is a nice surprise.
Final thoughts
As more coffee shops open in the city, I believe that they will be investing more on loyalty and rewards programs to better retain customers. But the question that is underlying this idea of rewards program is how to build a community. How do we build an experience that engages coffee drinkers?
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As always, we are interested in your perspective. What are your thoughts on rewards programs? Do you keep track of your punch cards? Please leave a comment, we would love to hear from you.
Just wanted to add I personally am a sucker for these. As my own birthday comes up, I have been going to Colectivo as much as I can to get to their birthday bonus. Free coffee from good places is always welcome!
I prefer registering rewards with my phone number. Empire Fush and Panera keep track of all of our purchases, this way. Also, my husband and I register only one phone number, so we can both bank our points together.
Thanks for introducing us to Newline. . Always looking for a new café. Going for coffee is our favorite way to give each other an ear. We do most of our household planning when we go for coffee.