How to increase customer visit frequency

First, measure your current frequency

Visit frequency is how many times a customer comes in over a period, usually a month. If you don't measure it, you can't tell whether what you're doing works. With a loyalty program you get it for free: every points earn is a recorded visit. Write down three starting numbers: how many customers came this month, how many came more than once, and how many days on average before a customer returns.

7 ways to bring them back more often

1. Make the first reward come soon

If the first prize is 20 visits away, nobody starts collecting. Put it 3 or 4 visits away for a typical customer. The closer the goal looks, the harder people push to reach it: a customer one visit away from a reward comes back sooner.

2. Tiers earned by visiting

A tier (say Silver, Gold and Platinum) gives customers a reason to keep going after the first reward. Give each tier a benefit people notice, like a discount on redemptions, and don't take it away once earned: losing a tier feels like a punishment.

3. Bonuses at visit milestones

Bonus points at the 5th or 10th visit turn consistency into a game. It works best when customers know the bonus exists: mention it on the card and at the counter.

4. Double points on slow days

If Tuesdays are empty, a "double points Tuesday" notice shifts visits from busy days to slow ones and lifts total frequency. Don't run it every day: if there's always a promotion, it stops being a reason.

5. A reminder on their phone, not an email

Promotional emails barely get opened. A notice that shows up on the customer's Wallet card, on their lock screen, gets seen. Use it sparingly: one or two a week at most, always with something concrete ("you're 20 points from your free coffee").

6. A birthday greeting

A message on their birthday with a treat to redeem at your business is one of the strongest reasons to come in that week, and they rarely come alone.

7. A good experience every visit

No amount of points makes up for a bad visit. An unhappy customer won't come back however many points they have. Ask how it went after each visit and find out the same day when something went wrong; see how to reduce customers who leave without a word.

Mistakes that lower frequency

• Rewards your customers don't care about. Ask what they want before you build the catalog.
• Complicated rules. If the cashier can't explain them in one sentence, customers won't get them either.
• Too many notifications. If they arrive every day, customers delete the card.
• A card that needs an app download. Almost nobody installs it; an Apple Wallet or Google Wallet card is saved in seconds.

How SnapRate does it

• Apple Wallet and Google Wallet card with points, tiers and a rewards catalog, no app.
• Automatic flows: bonus points at a number of visits or on reaching a tier, and birthday greetings.
• Card notifications, scheduled and by segment (new, active, at risk, birthdays), and by proximity to your business on iPhone.
• Tier discounts on redemptions, so moving up is worth it.
• A survey after the visit with a WhatsApp alert when someone rates you poorly.