How much does a loyalty program cost?
Most owners we talk to have thought about running a coffee shop loyalty program, but never quite get round to setting one up.
It’s not because they don’t like the idea. It’s because somewhere along the way, a question turns up that’s genuinely hard to answer: what is my loyalty program going to cost me?
Because both ways of getting it wrong are expensive. Too generous, and you’re funding free coffee for regulars who were walking through your door anyway. Too stingy, and nobody bothers collecting, and you’ve built something your guests ignore. And unlike most decisions in your shop, you can’t taste-test this one first. You find out whether the numbers worked about six months after you committed to them.
So we built you something to check the ROI first, before you launch your coffee shop loyalty program.
Calculate your returns before you launch it.
Set your points and what your guests receive in exchange. The calculator will show you what your loyalty program costs each month, and how much extra business it needs to bring in before it’s paying for itself.
Just set the slider inputs to see what kind of ROI a loyalty program could generate for your coffee shop.
Loyalty Program ROI Calculator.
Guests earn point per $1 spent. points gets them a drink you sell for $, which costs you $ to make.
Change any highlighted number.
| Free drinks handed out | |
| What those drinks cost you to make | |
| Craver platform fee | |
| Total cost |
| Extra revenue from members visiting more | |
| Gross profit on that extra revenue | |
| Net impact |
What this assumes about the café
Configure these inputs based on your coffee shop numbers.
- Monthly revenue
- $
- Share of sales through the app
- %
- Gross margin
- %
- Points that expire unused
- %
- Sales lift among members
- %
Most loyalty programs deliver somewhere between a 10% and 20% lift in member spend.
Coffee is a habit for your guests, loyalty helps them choose you.
Quick word on why any of this is worth the effort.
Think about how hard most businesses have to work just to get someone back through the door a second time. You don’t really have that problem. Your guests already want to come back—there’s a morning routine, a usual, a three o’clock walk that needs somewhere to end up. Nobody’s deciding whether to have a coffee tomorrow. They’re deciding whose counter they’ll get it from.
So you’re not talking anyone into anything. You’re just giving a habit they already have somewhere to land.
Punch cards are great, but your guests expect more.
You’ve probably run one. You’ve probably also watched a guest pat their pockets, give up, and start a fresh card.
Digital loyalty programs mean that every visit matters. With a Craver app, points sync straight through your Square POS either way—and when you want people back in, unlimited push notifications put you right on their home screen.
It’s the same machinery the big chains spent years and millions building.
Craver is the all-in-one ordering and loyalty app for coffee shops.
Online ordering, loyalty programs, promotions and offers – they all have to work together in perfect harmony. That’s where Craver comes in. Your own branded app, your loyalty rules, your guests, all talking to the POS you already run.
Book a free demo and we’ll show you exactly how.
