Loyalty Card App: How Destinations Turn Visitors Into Repeat Spend
- Andrew Applebaum
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
I was chatting with a BIA manager last week who was staring at a stack of printed "shop local" punch cards that had been sitting in his office for months. He looked at me and said, "I know people want to support our downtown, but I have no clue if these cards actually end up in wallets or just in the trash." It is a classic headache for tourism pros. You want to encourage that second visit, but paper-based systems are expensive to print, impossible to track, and most of us forget them at home.
The struggle for many community leaders is the "one-and-done" visitor. You work so hard to get someone to your town for a festival, but once they leave, the connection is broken. Without a loyalty card app to incentivize a return trip or track where they spent their money, you are essentially flying blind. By shifting to a digital tourism platform, you can finally bridge that gap between a first-time visitor and a lifelong local advocate.
How do digital rewards increase local economic impact?
A loyalty card app boosts economic impact by providing immediate, gamified incentives that make exploring a town feel like a rewarding quest. By rewarding visitors for digital check-ins, destinations can drive foot traffic to under-visited areas and collect real-time data on visitor spending habits.
I remember seeing this work beautifully in Bruce County. They launched a "Rewards App" campaign where people earned points for exploring the region. They didn't need a massive team to manage it (which is great for those of us wearing five different hats), but they saw over 18,000 visits and 1,300 downloads. It turned a regular road trip into an immersive travel experience where visitors were on a mission to collect points and win branded gear.
4 Steps to Launching Your Digital Reward Program
If you are ready to move away from the printer and into your visitors' pockets, here is a simple path forward using a platform like Driftscape:
Map Your Points of Interest (POIs): Pick 10–15 local businesses or landmarks that represent your town’s vibe. These are your digital check-in points.
Define a "Low-Hanging" Prize: It doesn't always have to be a $1,000 giveaway. Sometimes, a free ice cream (like they did at Brampton’s Party in the Lanes) or a localized sticker is enough to get people moving.
Gamify the Path: Use a self-guided tour app approach to tell a story. When the Crescent Heights Village BIA did this for their cultural tourism activation, they saved nearly $7,000 in printing costs by moving their campaign to a digital format.
Analyze and Adjust: Use your analytics dashboard to see which shops are getting the most foot traffic. If one corner of your BIA is quiet, send a "bonus point" notification to users to draw them that way.
Feature | Paper Punch Cards | Digital Loyalty Card App |
Data Tracking | Non-existent | Real-time analytics on foot traffic |
Cost | High (printing/reprinting) | Low (SaaS platform / no paper) |
Visitor Reach | Limited to physical handouts | Accessible via QR codes & app stores |
Engagement | Passive | Active (notifications & gamification) |
Pro Tip: Visitors are 70% more likely to return to a destination if they feel they are "progressing" toward a goal, like a digital badge or a physical reward.
Why Data-Driven Decisions Matter for BIAs
A digital shop local campaign isn't just a toy; it is a data goldmine. When you can see that 50% of your visitors are checking in at the local bakery but skipping the bookstore next door, you can create a joint promotion to balance things out.
For example, the Town of Riverview ran a "Business Bee" scavenger hunt and saw over 4,000 POI views in a single summer. They knew exactly which businesses were benefiting because the digital footprints don't lie. This kind of insight helps you report back to your board with hard numbers, making it a lot easier to justify your marketing spend.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tourism Loyalty Apps
Q: How much does it cost to start a loyalty program for a small town?
A: You don't need a massive budget. Many platforms are "free to start" or offer tiered pricing based on the number of locations. The real investment is the time spent chatting with local business owners to get them excited.
Q: Do visitors actually download apps for one-time visits?
A: If there is a clear "what's in it for me" (for example, a discount or a fun game) the answer is yes. Using a web-based app or a QR-code-first approach helps lower the barrier for those who don't want to visit an app store.
Q: How do we handle businesses that aren't "tech-savvy"?
A: The beauty of the Driftscape platform is that the business doesn't have to do anything. The experience lives on the visitor's phone and triggers via GPS or a simple QR code poster in the shop window.
If you are tired of wondering if your marketing efforts are actually moving the needle, it might be time to see how a digital passport could work for your streets. Using a loyalty card app ensures your destination stays top-of-mind long after the visitor has headed home.
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