The visit to the till is the only proof that counts: understanding proof-of-presence loyalty

Every loyalty programme rests on the same promise: reward the customers who come back. But very few ask the question that comes first: how do you prove the customer really came?

A promo code gets shared. A QR code gets photographed and passed around a WhatsApp group. A stamp card fills up with an obliging stamp. As soon as a programme can be cheated, it is cheated, and the shopkeeper pays for rewards on visits that never took place.

Proof of presence: the tap at the till

Lecy awards points on a simple principle: the point is earned at the moment of paying, with a physical tap on an NFC tag placed on the counter. The customer holds their phone near it, one second, done.

Each tap generates a unique, encrypted, short-lived link. It cannot be copied, shared or reused. The point only exists if the phone was physically in front of the tag, in the shop, at that moment. It is tamper-proof proof of presence.

That is the fundamental difference from QR code or wallet card solutions: where an image can be duplicated endlessly, an NFC tap happens only once, in only one place.

What it changes in practice

For the shopkeeper: every reward handed out matches a real visit. The statistics (visits, active customers, frequency) reflect real footfall, not noise.
For the customer: no constraints. No card to get out, no code to show, no account to create. The most natural gesture in the world: holding their phone out for a second.
For the shop team: nothing. No manual validation, no extra screen, no training. Loyalty runs by itself while the team takes payments.

What about the first time?

On the first tap, the customer simply confirms it is them, by passkey: Face ID or fingerprint, their own phone's security standard. One second, once. After that, every visit is automatic: tap, point, done. No password, no account, no form.

Loyalty in shops has long been a trade-off between simplicity and reliability. NFC proof of presence removes the trade-off: it is both the simplest gesture for the customer and the strongest proof for the shopkeeper.

The Lecy way: put yourself in the customer's shoes

Your loyal customer is also loyal to the coffee shop, the butcher, the baker, the fishmonger, the cheesemonger, the hairdresser, two or three restaurants. Fifteen shops. Should they carry fifteen cards, download fifteen apps, receive texts from fifteen brands? Put yourself in their shoes: that is the whole spirit of Lecy.

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