What is Loytu and how does it work?

Instead of giving customers a paper card that can be lost, damaged or forgotten, Loytu gives each customer a digital card they can open on their phone and save to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

Businesses create their own loyalty programme, decide how customers earn stamps and choose the reward they receive. Customers collect stamps when they make qualifying visits or purchases and redeem their reward once they reach the required number.

Customers do not need to download a Loytu app or create a complicated account to take part.

Who is Loytu for?

Loytu is designed for independent businesses that rely on customers returning regularly.

This includes:

• Nail technicians
• Hair salons
• Barbers
• Lash and brow artists
• Beauty salons
• Mobile beauticians
• Dog groomers
• Coffee shops
• Food vendors
• Personal trainers
• Other appointment-based and local businesses

Loytu works for solo business owners as well as businesses with a small team.

What does Loytu help your business do?

Loytu gives you a simple way to:

• Create a branded digital loyalty programme
• Reward repeat appointments or purchases
• Give customers a card without requiring an app
• Share your programme through a QR code or link
• Stamp customer cards by scanning their phone
• Offer rewards at different stages of the programme
• Track stamps, completed cards and reward redemptions
• Manage customer card records from your account
• Give staff controlled access to stamping and redemption tools
• Understand how customers are using your programme

The aim is not simply to replace a paper stamp card.

A visible and achievable reward gives customers another reason to return to your business rather than choosing somewhere else for their next appointment or purchase.

How Loytu fits alongside your other business tools

Loytu does not replace your booking system, payment provider, website or customer messaging tools.

Instead, it works alongside them as a customer-retention layer.

For example, a beauty business might use:

• Fresha, Booksy or another platform to manage appointments
• Stripe, SumUp or a card terminal to take payments
• Instagram or WhatsApp to speak to clients
• Loytu to reward visits and encourage clients to return

You can share your Loytu programme link through the tools you already use, including appointment confirmations, booking reminders, emails, social media profiles and direct messages.

Your booking system manages the appointment. Loytu gives the client another reason to make the next one.

How Loytu works for businesses

The basic Loytu journey has six stages.

New to the terminology? Start with Understanding Programmes, Cards, Stamps, Milestones and Rewards before following the journey below.

1. Create your loyalty programme

Start by creating a programme in your Loytu dashboard.

You choose:

• The programme name
• Your branding and colours
• How many stamps a customer needs
• What counts as a qualifying visit or purchase
• The reward the customer receives
• Any additional reward milestones
• The terms attached to the programme

For example, a nail technician could create a programme where clients collect six stamps and receive a complimentary gel upgrade.

A hair salon could reward regular appointments with money off a future treatment.

The reward and qualification rules are controlled by your business.

2. Publish and share your programme

Once your programme is ready, Loytu provides a public link and QR code that customers can use to join.

You can share these:

• At reception
• At the payment desk
• On a printed sign or poster
• Through Instagram
• In a WhatsApp message
• In an email
• In a booking confirmation
• In an appointment reminder
• On your website
• Through a link-in-bio page

Customers can scan the QR code while they are with you or open the link from a message.

You can also send a digital card directly to a customer by email.

3. The customer collects their card

When the customer opens your programme, they can collect their own digital loyalty card.

They do not need to download a separate customer app.

Their card can be:

• Opened through its web link
• Saved from an email
• Added to Apple Wallet
• Added to Google Wallet

Each customer receives their own card and QR code for your programme.

The card shows their current progress and helps them keep the reward visible between visits.

4. You scan and stamp the card

When the customer completes a qualifying appointment or purchase, they show the QR code on their digital card.

Your business scans the code using Loytu and issues the appropriate stamp.

The customer’s card is updated to show their new progress.

For a beauty business, this could happen:

• After the appointment has been completed
• While the customer is paying
• Before the customer leaves
• While discussing their next booking

The process is designed to become a quick part of the normal checkout routine.

5. The customer reaches and redeems a reward

As the customer collects stamps, they move closer to the reward configured by your business.

If your programme contains an intermediate milestone, the customer may become eligible for a smaller reward before completing the full card.

When a reward is ready, your business confirms and records the redemption through Loytu.

The customer can then continue according to the structure of your programme.

6. You review programme activity

Loytu records activity digitally, so you do not have to count paper cards or manually record every reward.

Depending on the area of the dashboard you are using, you can review information such as:

• Cards collected
• Stamps issued
• Rewards reached
• Rewards redeemed
• Programme activity
• Recent customer card activity

This helps you understand whether customers are joining the programme and progressing towards their rewards.

How Loytu works for customers

The customer experience is deliberately simple.

Join

The customer scans your programme QR code, follows a link or receives their card by email.

Save

They can open the card on their phone and save it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

Collect

They show their card when they complete a qualifying appointment or purchase.

Earn

Your business scans the card and adds a stamp.

Redeem

Once the customer reaches a milestone or completes the card, they can claim the reward offered by your business.

There is no paper card to carry and no separate customer app to install.

What is the difference between a programme and a card?

A programme is the loyalty scheme created by your business.

For example:

Collect six appointment stamps and receive a free gel upgrade.

A card is the individual digital card collected by one customer for that programme.

One programme can therefore have many customer cards attached to it.

Each customer card has its own stamp progress, reward status and QR code.

Can a business have more than one programme?

Yes, depending on the limits of your account.

You might create separate programmes when different services have different visit patterns or reward values.

For example, a salon could operate:

• A haircut loyalty programme
• A colour treatment programme
• A beauty treatment programme

However, you do not need a separate programme for every service. A simple programme that customers and staff can easily understand is often the best place to begin.

Do customers need to download an app?

No.

Customers can access their card from a link or QR code and can save it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

The Loytu business tools are used by the business to manage programmes, scan cards, issue stamps and redeem rewards.

Can Loytu replace paper loyalty cards?

Yes. Loytu can be used instead of printed stamp cards.

Digital cards are kept on the customer’s phone, while the associated stamp and redemption activity is recorded through Loytu.

This removes the need to print replacement cards or rely on customers remembering to carry a physical card between visits.

Can staff use Loytu?

Loytu includes kiosk and staff-access tools that allow team members to perform everyday actions such as scanning, stamping and redeeming without giving them unrestricted access to the full business account.

This can be useful for salons, barber shops and other businesses where several people need to serve loyalty customers.

How much does Loytu cost?

You can begin on Loytu’s free Zero plan, which includes a monthly stamp allowance.

When you purchase your first additional stamp pack, your account automatically moves to Flexi.

Flexi has no monthly subscription requirement. You purchase additional, non-expiring stamps as your business needs them.

Enterprise arrangements are available for businesses requiring larger-scale or custom setups.

See Understanding Loytu Pricing, Plans and Stamp Top-Ups for the complete explanation.

Getting started

To start using Loytu:

1. Create your business account.
2. Add your business details.
3. Create your first loyalty programme.
4. Choose the required stamps and reward.
5. Publish the programme.
6. Share its QR code or link.
7. Ask a customer to collect a card.
8. Issue your first stamp.

Once the programme is live, make offering and stamping the card part of your normal customer checkout process.

Continue with Create Your First Loyalty Programme, then learn how clients collect their card, how to scan and stamp it and how to redeem a reward or milestone.

The more consistently your business introduces the programme, the more useful it can become as a tool for encouraging repeat visits.