Loyalty app development for cafés, shops and venues.
Loyalty app development gives your customers a branded app with a stamp card or points, rewards that unlock, and offers on their phone, plus a simple staff side for scanning and rewarding. We work as a loyalty app development company for cafés, shops, venues and small chains. Event schedules and check-in are a separate module, covered further down. You get a written scope and quote first, and the loyalty app scope guide shows what a first version includes.
Built for
- Cafés and restaurants replacing paper stamp cards
- Shops with a points or rewards programme
- Small chains that want one programme across a few sites
- Venues that reward regulars and run events
- Festivals and conferences that need a schedule and check-in
- Pricing
- Written quote after scope
- Platforms
- iOS and Android
- Staff side
- Scan and reward from a phone
- You own
- Files and original assets
A café customer earns a free coffee
- 1The customer installs the app, signs up and sees an empty stamp card.
- 2At the till, the barista scans the customer's code with the staff app and adds a stamp.
- 3The app checks the stamp limits you set, such as one per visit, to stop misuse.
- 4On the last stamp the reward unlocks and the customer gets a notification.
- 5The barista scans the reward, it is marked as used, and the visit shows in your admin numbers.
What a sensible first version includes
- Sign-up and profile. Quick sign-up with optional marketing consent.
- Stamp card or points. One loyalty mechanic with clear rules.
- Staff scanning. A staff mode to add stamps, points or redeem rewards.
- Rewards. Rewards that unlock, expire and are marked as used.
- Push notifications. Offers and reward reminders to all users or a segment.
- Admin. Rewards, users, staff and simple numbers.
Integrations
- POS system
- Awarding points from the till automatically depends on the POS having an API; otherwise staff scan in the app.
- Ticketing
- Importing tickets from an existing ticketing tool depends on its export or API.
- Email or SMS marketing
- Pass members with consent to your marketing tool.
- Wallet passes
- Apple Wallet and Google Wallet cards can be added as a scoped extra.
Costs after launch
- Hosting and database for members, stamps and events
- Apple Developer Program, 99 USD a year, and a Google Play developer account, 25 USD once (both in your name)
- Push, SMS or email provider fees above free levels
- Ticketing or POS subscriptions you already use
- Maintenance and seasonal updates, agreed separately
Event features, scoped as their own module
Venues, festivals and conferences can add event features to the loyalty app, or commission an event app on its own. Event scope is quoted separately from the loyalty programme. For a single one-off event, an event app platform is usually the better buy, and the event app scope guide explains when custom makes sense.
- Event scheduleA programme, favourites and venue info.
- Tickets or check-inA QR code checked at the door, or tickets imported from your ticketing tool.
- Event updatesPush messages for schedule changes, sent to everyone or one segment.
- Event adminEdit sessions, venues and check-in lists.
What changes the quote
Every app gets a written scope with assumptions before any price.
- Loyalty mechanic
- One stamp card is simple; tiers, points and partner rewards add rules.
- POS integration
- Automatic points from the till depend on the POS and add testing.
- Event features
- Schedules are simple; ticketing, seating and live updates add work.
- Fraud controls
- Limits, staff PINs and audit logs add screens and rules.
- Number of sites
- Several locations need per-site staff and reporting.
When to buy existing software instead
If a standard digital stamp card or points scheme is all you need, a loyalty platform or the loyalty feature in your POS will be cheaper and ready today. For a one-off event, an event app platform usually beats a custom build. A custom app fits when the rewards, events and brand are a lasting part of how you keep customers, or when you need to combine both in one place. The loyalty build vs buy guide covers this in more depth.
What you own
After full payment, you receive the project files and the original assets created for your app. Third-party services, SDKs, fonts and licensed assets remain subject to their own license terms, and accounts like your developer, hosting and payment accounts stay in your name.
Before you commission: loyalty and event apps
- Guide · 6 minLoyalty app scope and cost: one reward loop and its tradeoffsHow to scope a loyalty app around one visit and reward loop: redemption limits, what the admin does, where the POS boundary sits and what moves the quote.Read more
- Guide · 4 minEvent app first release: what to scope for the day itselfWhat a first event app needs (schedule, check-in, maps, announcements) and why ticketing, live streaming and attendee networking are separate scope.Read more
- Guide · 4 minCustom loyalty app vs loyalty platform: build or buy?Choose between a custom loyalty app and a rewards platform by integrations, data ownership, redemption controls and a three-year operating cost model.Read more
More app guides: Mobile app development cost · Code and art ownership · App brief template
Loyalty and event apps: FAQ
Can staff stamp cards without a POS integration?
Yes. Staff use a scanning mode in the app, which works with any till and is the usual starting point.
Can the app sell event tickets?
It can, but ticket sales add payments and refunds, so many clients keep an existing ticketing tool and import tickets for check-in.
How do you stop people from cheating the stamp card?
Version one includes limits such as one stamp per visit and staff-only scanning, and more controls can be scoped if needed.
Is an event app worth building for one festival?
Often not; an event app platform is usually the better buy for a single event, and the event app scope guide explains when custom makes sense.
How do I get a quote?
Send a short brief or the full questionnaire through the app quote form and you receive a written scope and quote.
Other apps we build
- Custom appBooking app development built around your scheduling rules.Booking app development for salons, clinics, tutors and rentals: slots, deposits, reminders and staff calendars, scoped and quoted in writing.Read more
- Custom appMembership app development for clubs, gyms and communities.Membership app development with sign-up, member cards, gated content, perks and check-ins for iOS and Android. Scoped and quoted in writing.Read more
- Custom appA marketplace app development company for focused first versions.Marketplace app development company for founders testing a two-sided idea: listings, requests, messaging and split payments in a scoped iOS and Android MVP.Read more
Tell us the workflow. Get a written scope.
About four minutes. Assumptions, timeline and quote come back in writing.