Startup revitalizes the cafe punch card: “More data and more verticals for small independents”

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The smell of freshly brewed coffee and strawberry pie in the glass case is irresistibly enticing. MIBBageri on Trøjborg in Aarhus is one of the cafés that has adopted Regulars’ concept to keep customers coming back again and again. So should you join the Coffee Club?

Many of you have probably tried to empty your wallet of small cardboard stamp cards that were never filled in, so the free cup of coffee was triggered. The concept is far from new, but startup Regulars believes they have cracked the code to make punch cards and customer clubs make sense in 2024. They should be on the cell phone that we all carry around in our pockets.

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“You don’t need another app on your phone, as the stamp card is directly in the wallet. It’s the simplest solution for both the café and the guest, and it’s much more at eye level and not cumbersome,” says Alexander King, co-founder and Head of Sales at Regulars.

It is not a Regulars card

Initially, the founders of Regulars were working on a subscription concept for restaurants. However, it soon became clear that the simple idea of stamp cards and membership clubs directly in the mobile wallet was worth working on.

“The competition for customers is fierce for cafés. We want to create a solution that can help them stand out and do something extra,” explains Alexander King.

He points out that the cards are unique and customized to the individual company, which is free to put together their stamp card or membership club as they wish. Regulars launched their digital solution for stamp and loyalty cards in October 2023 and now has over 150 customers across the country. Not only cafés, but also hairdressers, for example, have bought into the idea.

Data-driven marketing is for everyone

The revival of the simple punch card is not an end in itself for Regulars. The ambition is to give small businesses the same opportunities for data-driven revenue management as large companies.

“Big coffee chains have a lot of data that small, independent cafes don’t have. Our concept enables us to collect a lot of data that we pass on to the cafés. You get access to a dashboard where you can follow customers’ use of offers. Based on the data, we also provide advice on how to best attract and retain regular customers,” says Hans Christian Angel, co-founder and Head of Customer Success at Regulars.

The collection and dissemination of data is precisely what Regulars sees as their primary product going forward.

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“With more data, you can plan your offers better. There are simply more verticals to work with. Abroad, they are much further ahead in terms of member benefits, and we want to push that here at home,” says Hans Christian Angel.