Trade is slow, so you send a message to your whole customer list. "We miss you! Come see us." It feels like doing something. It mostly is not.
Your best regulars got that message too, and they were in yesterday. Now they are wondering why you missed them. The customers who left months ago ignored it, because a generic nudge was never going to bring them back. The one group that would have responded, the people sitting one stamp from a free coffee, got the same message as everyone else, so it did not land.
This is Problem 1 in our series The 10 Problems Every Local Business Has With Loyalty, and it has the simplest fix of the lot.
Why one stamp away is the message that works
A customer with nine stamps on a ten-stamp card has already decided they like you. Nine visits say so. They are not weighing you up against the place next door. Life just got in the way.
That customer does not need convincing. They need reminding. A short message that says "you are one visit away from your free coffee" is not marketing in any real sense. It is a favour, and it converts like one.
How Lekka sorts your customers for you
Lekka automatically splits your customer list into five groups based on what each person has actually done: almost at a reward, reward ready, new members, haven't visited in 30 days, and everyone.
You never maintain these groups. They update themselves as stamps are earned and rewards are claimed. When you open Broadcasts, you just pick the group you want to reach.
Sending your first broadcast takes ten minutes
Open Broadcasts in your dashboard. Pick "Almost at a reward". Write something short and human: "Hi {name}, you are one visit away from your free coffee. See you this week?" Lekka drops in each person's name and referral link automatically.
Before anything sends, you see a preview of exactly who will receive it and how many people that is. No surprises. Messages go out by email and in-app notification.
There is also a fairness rule built in: no customer hears from you more than once in seven days, no matter how many broadcasts you send. Your list stays worth being on, which is the whole point of having one. More on the thinking behind this in the marketing tool built into your loyalty card.
What this costs
Broadcasts are available on Starter and up. Lekka itself is free for your first 50 customers, with no per-transaction fees and nothing changing at your till.
Create your free loyalty programme in about ten minutes and let it start sorting your customers from day one. Start free at lekkacard.co.za/vendor/signup.
