Rinkler for local businesses
Digital punch cards for local businesses.
Rinkler helps a local business keep track of repeat visits with a digital loyalty card. Choose your punch target, describe the reward, and record punches at your counter. Customers can view their progress in a browser without carrying a paper card.
Try the counter demoHow digital loyalty cards work in Rinkler
Set the card's rules
Enable the optional punch-card program for your business. Set the number of punches needed and enter a reward description customers can understand before they start collecting visits.
Record qualifying visits
Find the customer in your register and add a punch when their visit meets your program's rules. Rinkler stores their progress, so the next visit does not depend on bringing a paper card back.
Redeem the earned reward
When the customer reaches the required number of punches, staff can redeem the reward. Recording redemption keeps earning a reward and using it as separate steps in the customer's loyalty history.
What is a digital punch card?
A digital punch card records progress toward a business's repeat-visit reward. It follows the familiar paper-card idea: qualifying visits add stamps, and a completed cycle unlocks the stated reward. In Rinkler, the business records punches and redemption through a browser. The customer has a digital record of progress instead of a physical card to keep track of.
Make the reward easy to explain
Before setting up your loyalty program, decide what counts as a qualifying visit and which item or service the reward covers. Pick a cycle that makes sense for how often customers return and the cost of providing the reward. For a salon, that may mean defining a particular service clearly. Keep the description specific enough that the customer and the staff member at checkout understand the same promise.
When a digital loyalty card makes sense
Consider a punch card when repeat visits are easy for staff to recognize and customers can understand progress as a number of visits. Compare tools by how staff adds a stamp, how customers see progress, and how redeemed rewards are recorded. Rinkler fits an in-person counter workflow. Your team still decides whether a visit qualifies and records it; a customer opening their card does not automatically add a punch.
A few practical questions
- Is a punch card the same as a referral program?
- No. A punch card rewards a customer's own repeat visits. A referral program rewards that customer after a referred friend's visit is confirmed. Rinkler supports both workflows.
- Do I need a new checkout system?
- No dedicated hardware or point-of-sale integration is required. Your team uses Rinkler's register view in a browser on a phone, tablet, or computer.
- Can I choose the reward?
- Yes. The business chooses the reward description and a supported punch cycle. Decide what you can consistently provide and explain any qualifying conditions to customers.
Another part of the customer relationship
Explore referral programsGive regular customers a personal offer to share with their friends.