A QR stamp card customers actually use: design rules from the counter.
Most stamp cards are designed for the shop, not for the person holding a phone in a queue. That is why the paper ones end up in a drawer and the app ones end up uninstalled. This is a short, opinionated set of rules for a QR stamp card that people keep using, learnt at the counter: what kills a card, seven rules that keep it alive, how to print the stand, and a plain comparison of paper, apps and a phone-number card.
Why stamp cards die
Paper cards and app cards fail for the same five reasons. They just fail at different steps.
- Nobody has it when they need it. The paper card is at home in the other jacket. The app was never installed, or was installed and deleted to make room for photos.
- Joining is a chore. A paper card asks for nothing, but the shop learns nothing either. An app asks for a download, a sign-up, an OTP and three permissions before the first stamp, and every one of those steps loses someone in the queue.
- Stamping is slow at a busy counter. Finding the stamp, finding the card, finding the app, finding the scanner. Anything that takes longer than the payment gets skipped when there are six people waiting.
- The reward is vague or too far away. "Earn points towards exciting rewards" means nothing. Twenty stamps for a discount means never.
- It gives back nothing, or gives back too much. A paper card leaves the shop with no list and no numbers. An app sends the customer notifications until they switch them off, and then the card is as good as gone.
Seven rules
- No app. The card opens in the browser on the phone the customer already has in their hand. Nothing to install, nothing to update, nothing taking up space.
- No OTP. A phone number is enough. Waiting for an SMS while a queue watches is the single step that kills the most cards. The number is not verified, and for a stamp card that is fine: the controls below handle the rare abuser.
- One tap to a stamp. Scan the QR, type the number once, get the stamp. On the next visit the device remembers the number and the scan alone is the stamp. If the customer has to press more than one button, the card is too slow.
- The card is visible immediately. The moment the stamp lands, the customer sees the whole card: 3 of 8, the reward named at the top. Not a "thank you" screen, not an email later. The card itself is the confirmation.
- The reward named in plain words. "A free filter coffee." "A free plate of momos." Pick something people already order and say what it is. Put the conditions in a small terms line underneath, not in the reward.
- Redeem in front of the staff with a big code. When the card fills, the customer taps Redeem at the counter and the screen goes full-colour with a large 6-character code and a countdown. The staff can see it from across the counter, or type the code into the dashboard. No voucher to print, no email to search for.
- A scratch moment. A card is a promise; a scratch card is a surprise. After a stamp, let the customer scratch for a small prize with the odds you set. It takes ten seconds and it is the part people show the person next to them.
The printed stand
The QR needs to be where a person is standing still with their phone out: next to the UPI QR at the billing counter, at chest height, facing the customer. On SitesPlaced the print kit gives you two pieces:
- An A5 stand card for the counter. Any acrylic stand from a stationery shop, around ₹150, holds it. Put it beside the payment QR so the second scan follows the first.
- A table tent printed on A4 and folded in half, for tables, so people have something to do while the order comes.
- The QR image on its own as a PNG, for a sticker on the takeaway window or the packaging.
The wording is three words: "Scan to collect stamps". Under it, the card and the reward in one line, then the QR, then your logo. Nothing about downloading, joining or registering. The stand is an instruction, not an advertisement.
Height matters more than size
A big QR on the wall behind the counter gets fewer scans than a small one at chest height by the card machine. People scan what is in front of their hands, not what is in front of their eyes.
Paper card, loyalty app or phone-number stamp card
| Paper card | Loyalty app | Phone-number stamp card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Print cards, buy a rubber stamp. An afternoon. | Pick a vendor, sign up, configure, wait for a stand, train staff. Days. | Switch it on in the dashboard, print the stand card. An hour. |
| Cost to the customer | Wallet space, and remembering to bring it. | A download, storage, a sign-up, an OTP, notification prompts. | Typing a 10-digit number once per device. |
| Drop-off | Cards get lost or forgotten; a half-full card in a drawer is the usual ending. | Every install step loses some people, and the ones who install can switch notifications off and forget the app exists. | The fewest steps, but a customer who changes phones has to type the number again. |
| Abuse control | None. A similar rubber stamp from a stationery shop works, and staff cannot tell. | Usually an OTP-verified phone number and limits set by the vendor. | A cooldown per phone and per device, optional staff confirmation, a rotating secure QR, undo and block. The number itself is not verified. |
| Data you keep | Nothing. The card leaves with the customer. | A dashboard on the vendor's system; whether you can export your members depends on the vendor. | Phone, name, visits, stamps and rewards for every member, a WhatsApp link per row and a CSV export. The list is yours. |
The phone-number column describes SitesPlaced loyalty as built in September 2026. The app column describes standalone loyalty apps in general; check the one you are comparing.
On SitesPlaced
Loyalty is part of the Growth plan at ₹499/month; the website underneath it is free, with WhatsApp orders, UPI and cash on delivery included at 0% commission. The Loyalty tab has six panels: Today (confirmations, activity with undo, redeem by code, a manual stamp, the secure QR screen), Set up (stamps, reward, stamp rule, minimum order, cooldown, staff confirmation, secure QR, colour, welcome line, terms), QR kit (PNG download and the A5 stand card plus table tent), Members (search, WhatsApp, block, CSV), Scratch cards (prizes, odds, expiry, winners) and Locations (a QR per branch).
Customers open the card at /rewards on your store address. A paid online order or a confirmed cash-on-delivery order with the same phone number adds a stamp to the same card, and the reward code from a full card works as a coupon at checkout, worth the percentage or amount you choose. The full story, including the price comparison with standalone loyalty apps, is on the cafés and local shops page; the longer playbook is how to run a loyalty programme for a café in India.
FAQs
Why not just use a paper stamp card?
Paper works until the card is forgotten, lost or faked, and it leaves you with no list and no numbers. A QR stamp card tied to a phone number costs the customer ten seconds once, cannot be left at home, and gives you a members list you can message and export.
Do customers need to install anything?
No. The card opens in the phone's browser when they scan the QR and type their number. On SitesPlaced there is no app and no OTP; the device remembers the number, so the next visit is one scan.
How big should the QR be, and where should it go?
An A5 stand card at the counter, next to the UPI payment QR, at chest height, is the spot that gets scanned. A table tent works for dine-in. Wording: "Scan to collect stamps" and nothing else. Height and placement matter more than size.
What happens when the card is full?
The customer's phone shows the reward with a 6-character code. They tap Redeem at counter, the screen goes full-colour with the code and a 60-second countdown, and the staff sees it. The staff can also type the code under Today in the dashboard. Online shoppers can use the same code as a coupon at checkout.
A stamp card people keep on their phone.
Free website from a photo of your menu; the loyalty QR stand, scratch cards and locations on the Growth plan at ₹499/month. No app, no OTP, and the print kit is ready in the dashboard.
See SitesPlaced for cafés and local shops →
