A discount card is one of the easiest ways to turn a one-time visitor into a regular customer. Such a card is a tool that entitles the client to a discount at a particular institution (beauty salon, sports club, store, etc.). Modern technologies make it possible to produce discount cards of any complexity and appearance. The materials used in the manufacture are mainly polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyplastic, laminated cardboard and polyester. Thanks to the application of a magnetic tape or a barcode on the card, it is possible to encode any information on it - about a discount, a client, a loyalty program, etc. The mechanisms of cumulative discounts and individual discounts are also actively used.
The bonus card is a fairly new tool in the domestic market and much more promising in terms of customer loyalty. After all, bonuses cannot be spent in another institution, they are like internal currency, valid only where they were issued. The bonus card itself is a plastic card with a barcode or magnetic tape, which contains the client's code, which allows you to find his bonus account in the database and accrue a bonus. The bonus system works on the principle of a savings account, that is, the client is served in your salon or sports club, buys goods, for which he receives a certain amount of bonuses - real money that he can spend in your own establishment. This allows you to significantly reduce the cost of the loyalty program, which, with the current discount program, can reach up to 50% of the customer's visit amount. The bonus program is different - the amount that is sent to bonuses is up to 10% of the visit amount. Yes, and your client is more interested, because the bonus is not limited only to crediting "money" to the account, but also allows you to receive pleasant gifts (for example, a free procedure with a beautician, or an individual lesson with a trainer as a gift, etc.).
Club card - Increased requirements are imposed on the appearance of club cards. Such cards are designed not just for visitors, but for club members - a special category of clients who are often considered VIP clients. In places closed to public access, such cards are used as passes to avoid visits by unauthorized persons. In addition, such a card gives the holder certain benefits and personal discounts. If you decide to apply this practice to your club-type establishment, it is better to make them from polyplastic, which guarantees high quality at a good price and practicality.
The gift card is also an innovation for the domestic market. But for the one who produces them, it is quite profitable. And that's why. First, a gift certificate ensures that your company's services are paid in advance. Secondly, a gift card (certificate) is a very effective way to attract customers, both new and those who have already been served in your salon or sports club. Thirdly, if your regular client presents such a gift to his friend who is not yet familiar with your services, he will certainly come and use them, which will help you to find a "new" regular client by 99%. Gift certificates can be single-use and reusable (assuming that their denomination is exchanged for goods / services not in one visit, but gradually, in several). In the second case, the card must be magnetic (with a magnetic stripe or barcode). Naturally, such a card, being inherently a gift, should look appropriate. Therefore, it is better to make it from polyplastic, which has a presentable appearance and an optimal price.
Brand (co-brand) cards are a tool for a collective loyalty program, in which companies - sellers of goods and services unite within such a program in order to satisfy the demand of the same target audience (customer group). As a rule, the essence of this program boils down to the fact that sellers of different goods and services provide customers with various rewards for purchases. This is done to study the consumer behavior of customers. In general, the nature of such a loyalty program does not really matter - it will be bonus, discount or mixed. However, marketers recognize that loyalty programs based on a cumulative bonus system are the most promising from the point of view of developing a stable loyalty to a specific range of services. Plastic cards are also used for this type of cards, often with a barcode or magnetic tape.
A smart card is a plastic card with a microchip (microprocessor), which we are used to seeing on a card for a mobile phone, bank card, and public transport passes. This type of card is universal, because the microchip allows you to use a large amount of information about the cardholder and much more.
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