Frequently Asked Questions

Need some answers before signing up for your own loyalty or gift card program? Check out these frequently asked questions.

Gift Cards

What is a gift card program?

By “gift card program,” we mean everything that’s involved in selling prepaid cards that can be used to pay for products or services at any of your brand locations.

All you’ll need to do is design and order plastic cards with visuals and text of your choice and place them near your cash register. Customers who love your business will buy your prepaid gift cards and give them to their friends, colleagues and family, who get to try out your business for the first time. If they like your offering, you’ll score new long-term customers.

Learn more about our gift card programs

I sell gift certificates. Why would I need plastic gift cards?

That’s like asking why you would use the internet instead of a phone book, a calculator instead of an abacus, a car instead of a horse and carriage…

Plastic gift cards are the modern evolution of prepaid vouchers, just like credit and debit cards are the evolution of currency (unless you use cryptocurrency, but that’s another story). Consumers are always looking for the most convenient ways to pay, and if you don’t provide the modern options that they’ve come to expect, you’ll quickly fall behind your competitors.

Still not convinced? What if we told you that you’re probably losing money by selling paper gift certificates?

Read this blog post to find out more

Loyalty

What is a loyalty program?

A loyalty program (a.k.a. customer loyalty program or brand membership program) is a way to reward clients who visit your business more than once and encourage them to stay loyal to your business instead of spending their money elsewhere.

You’ll need to design a membership card for your brand and hand it out to your customers, who will sign up to your program online with their name, email address and other details.

Every time members of your loyalty program carry out a transaction at your business, you’ll swipe their unique member card. They’ll receive points or another cumulative reward of your choosing, and you’ll collect valuable information, such as how much they spent and what they bought.

You can then use that information to adapt your product or service offering, send personalized offers and get your customers to spend even more, while members will be happy to redeem their hard-earned rewards and keep visiting your business.

Find out more about our loyalty programs

I run a small, one-location local store. Why would I need a customer loyalty program?

Most big chains offer loyalty programs. They also offer lower prices (because they can buy things in bulk) and have a larger selection (because they have more square footage). They might even have free parking (which encourages people to stay longer instead of worrying about the parking meter) and multiple cash registers (which means shorter line-ups and quicker service).

As a consumer, given the choice and knowing all these things, would you go to the large chain even if it’s a bit farther or to a small store that’s near your home but has all the odds stacked against it?

Your small business has just as good a product or service offering as the big guys, so why wouldn’t you also have a loyalty program to compete with them? Consumers love convenience, so if they can visit your small local business and get rewarded to do so, why would they go out of their way to shop elsewhere?

I heard that signing up to a coalition loyalty program is less work. Why would I start a program on my own?

Technically, when you sign up with DataCandy, you’re never on your own. We’ve already built the software you’ll need and have helped hundreds of businesses like yours get started, so your program can be launched in a matter of days.

The main issue with coalition programs is that the consumers who use them are loyal to the program, no to the stores that are part of the program. You want your customers to love your business so much that they’ll join your brand’s membership program.

Find out more by reading this blog post

DataCandy

I already have a gift card or loyalty solution with another provider or that I host myself. Why would I switch to DataCandy?

If you already have a gift card or loyalty solution and are looking at our website, there’s most likely something you don’t like about your current solution.

Here are a few things that our clients have told us were major factors in choosing us:

The level of customer service we provide is well above what’s available with do-it-yourself and other solutions.
The ease of use and quality of data available with our dashboards and reports far exceeds industry standards.
Our software is compatible with most of our clients’ payment terminals and point-of-sale systems.
Our pricing is very competitive.

Read our clients’ testimonials and case studies to find out more

“DataCandy,” eh? Do you sell candy?

In a way.

One of the biggest advantages of running a structured, modern (i.e. non-paper-based) loyalty or gift card program is that every transaction made with a DataCandy loyalty or gift card is logged in a system to which you have unlimited access. That means that you can track customer spending and collect customer details, like names and email addresses, and use all that precious information to improve your marketing.

To us and to our clients, that customer data is so sweet that it might as well be candy.

Pricing and Options

How much will you charge me every time I swipe a customer’s loyalty or gift card?

Nothing at all! We don’t charge transaction fees because they’re hard to budget for. You’ll get unlimited transactions for the same price every month.

Read this blog post to find out why we don’t like transaction fees

How much do your premium gift card and loyalty programs cost?

That depends. Our premium programs are recommended for companies with many locations or who want to personalize their program with extra features, so no two programs are the same. We’ll discuss your needs in detail and come up with a solution that works best based on a fixed monthly fee per location that you’re sure to love.

Should I choose a basic or premium program?

We recommend our basic solutions for businesses with one to ten locations and our premium solutions for businesses with more than ten locations. That having been said, the choice all boils down to the level of reporting you’d like and how many features you want to make available to your customers. Our sales team would be happy to go over the differences with you and recommend the best option based on the functionality you’re looking for.

Cards

Can I design my own membership cards?

Absolutely. You can either use our online card design tool to add images, logos and text to your card visuals or design custom visuals separately and upload them to our tool. And if you don’t have time to design your own cards, you can always use our premade designs.

Will my customers need to use a different loyalty or gift card at each one of my business locations?

No. No matter how many locations or franchises you run, our loyalty and gift cards will work at all of them. We can help you configure your clearing house for exactly that purpose.

Will customers be able to use my gift cards as loyalty cards and vice versa?

Your cards can be set up to work as dual loyalty and prepaid cards with our premium loyalty program.

Reporting

Will you send me a weekly report so that I can know how many cards I’ve activated?

We won’t need to! You can access all your program data anywhere, anytime by logging into the DataCandy BackOffice, where you’ll be able to view detailed dashboards and reports.

Technology and Support

Do I have to buy new systems to be able to sell gift cards or swipe loyalty cards?

Nope! The DataCandy platform can easily be installed on most payment terminals and points of sale. Take a look at our partners to find out if your hardware is compatible with DataCandy software.

How long does the DataCandy platform take to set up?

Our basic loyalty and gift card programs can easily be launched in around 10 business days, depending on your payment terminal or point of sale provider. Premium programs can take a bit longer to set up depending on the program.

I’m not very tech-savvy. Will I have to hire an IT expert or set up my program on my own?

Of course not! Out support team will provide you with all the help and information you need to set up and run your program. We’ll do most of the heavy lifting on our end, and for everything else, we’ll be happy to walk you through the steps.

Who can I contact if I need help setting up my program?

In most cases, our clients can easily set up everything on their own, but our support team is always ready and willing to help. Just write to us at helpme@datacandy.com or give us a call at 1-877-632-6269.

Still Have Questions?

Get in touch with our team for details about starting a DataCandy customer loyalty or gift card program.