How do you run a digital loyalty card for a coffee shop in Saudi Arabia?

Updated: 2026-08-20 · Dawwerni team

A digital loyalty card for a Saudi coffee shop is a stamp or points card that lives on the customer’s phone through a link or QR code, with no app and no account. The barista finds the customer by phone number, or purchases flow in from the POS, and the customer works toward a free 10th cup or a VIP tier. Keep the reward simple, fast and compatible with the morning rush and the drive-through lane.

Why does a digital card suit Saudi coffee shops in particular?

Short answer: Saudi coffee customers buy often, pay mostly by card or phone, and rarely keep paper cards. A paper stamp card gets lost in the car or forgotten in a wallet. A digital card sits on the phone the customer is already holding to tap a mada card or a phone wallet at the counter.

Speciality coffee has changed the market. Customers know the difference between a V60 and a flat white, compare a roastery in Olaya with one on Tahlia Street, and try a new place every week. Good coffee alone does not keep them. A small, concrete reason to come back to you does, as long as it never slows the queue.

Drive-through windows add another constraint: there is no time to explain a programme. Sign-up must take two seconds, phone number only, or a QR code printed on the cup sleeve or bag that the customer opens later at home or in the office. City-by-city examples are on the Saudi Arabia loyalty page.

Stamps, points or VIP tiers: which one fits a coffee shop?

Start with stamps if your main product is a cup at a similar price. Move to points if the basket varies (coffee, desserts, pastries, beans for home). Add VIP tiers once you have a clear group of daily regulars.

Stamp card: “buy 9, the 10th is on us”

The simplest system, understood at a glance. Every cup is a stamp and the tenth is free. It fits small cafés, kiosks and drive-through windows because the barista calculates nothing. Decide in advance whether the free cup is any drink or a drink up to a set price, and write it on the digital card so there is no debate at the window.

Points: for example, one point per riyal

Points reward people who spend more and let you push a product: double points on a bag of roasted beans, or on desserts during quiet hours. Example: 200 points equal a free drink. Points are fairer to the customer who orders for a whole group in the evening.

VIP tiers: Silver, Gold and VIP

Tiers give regulars status: a higher points multiplier, a welcome bonus and a birthday treat. In speciality coffee this matters, because a slice of your customers comes almost daily and deserves to be treated as a house regular.

What does a loyalty card cost, and how many cups cover it? An SAR example

Answer: the real cost is the free drink at its cost price, not its menu price, plus the yearly subscription. Dawwerni in Saudi Arabia costs 750 SAR a year for Standard and 900 SAR for Premium (which includes loyalty points, CRM and birthday offers), with a 7-day free trial.

The table below is an illustrative example with assumed numbers; replace them with your own.

How do you handle the morning rush and the evening crowd?

Answer: design for two different moments, because customer behaviour is completely different. In the morning people are rushing to work along King Abdullah Road or King Fahd Road. In the evening, especially in summer, they go out once the heat drops and sit with friends for much longer.

• Morning: a quick stamp by phone number at the window, no game, no explanation. Print a QR code on the cup or receipt so the customer can play later.
• Evening: put a QR code on tables for a short game such as a spin wheel or scratch card, with the prize valid on the next visit.
• The dead afternoon slot: double points between 2 and 5 pm to move sales during the heat.
• Ramadan: shift offers to after iftar until suhoor and use the Ramadan game theme.
• Occasions: Founding Day on 22 February, National Day on 23 September and Riyadh Season are good moments for double stamps or a special prize.
• Delivery apps: slip a small card with a QR code into each order. A delivery customer never sees your counter unless you invite them in.

How does Dawwerni work in a coffee shop, step by step?

Answer: the customer scans a QR code with the phone camera, plays a short game and wins a reward valid on the next visit. They are then invited, optionally, to follow you on Instagram and leave an honest Google review. The reward never depends on the review, and every customer sees the same invitation. Their profile (name, phone, birthday if given) is saved in your own CRM. Module details are on the Dawwerni page for cafés.

1. Pick the card type: stamps (“buy 9, the 10th is free”) or points per riyal, and switch on VIP tiers if you want them.
2. Connect purchases: with the Foodics or Loyverse integration, points are added automatically; any other POS can connect through the REST API, or you can use the Dawwerni POS itself.
3. No integration? Cashier mode finds the customer by phone or QR, adds the stamp and sends a WhatsApp receipt.
4. The customer keeps the card on the phone as a web wallet card, with no app.
5. At redemption a unique winning code is checked by QR at the counter, with anti-fraud play limits.
6. Review the dashboard weekly: who came back, who has been away 30 days, who is close to Gold.

Which mistakes kill a coffee shop loyalty programme?

Answer: complicated rules, slow sign-up and a reward that is too far away. If a customer needs 20 cups to reach the first prize, they forget the programme halfway.

• Do not ask for an email and password; a phone number is enough.
• Do not make the first reward distant; give a welcome stamp on sign-up.
• Never tie any reward or discount to writing a Google review; it breaks Google’s policy.
• Do not change the rules midway without telling customers.
• Train every barista on one sentence: “Shall I add this cup to your number?”
• Large competitions and prize draws may need a permit from the Saudi Ministry of Commerce; check with the authority or a lawyer before launching.

A 14-day plan to launch your digital card

Answer: launch a simple version within a week, measure in the second week, then adjust. Before you start, estimate how many customers you lose each month with the lost-customers calculator, and see neighbourhood examples on the Riyadh loyalty page.

1. Day 1: a remote setup call of about 10 minutes where the team configures your first game and stamp card with you.
2. Day 2: print QR stickers for the window, tables and cup sleeves.
3. Day 3: train baristas to register a phone number in two seconds.
4. Days 4 to 7: offer the card to every customer with the same sentence, morning and evening.
5. Days 8 to 14: watch the share of returning customers and adjust the prize or the quiet-hours multiplier.
6. End of week two: switch on birthday messages and a win-back campaign for absent customers.