Lecy vs other solutions
Every loyalty solution presents itself in three steps. The summary hides what happens the first time, at every visit and on reward day, and what the team does meanwhile. This page counts everything, for every solution, Lecy included.
Three steps, really?
“Scan, add, earn.” “Download, scan, collect.” Every loyalty solution fits in three words on its homepage, and every one looks simple. The summary is honest about what it shows. It is silent on three things.
- The first time. A form, an account, a password, a text confirmation: “add” often hides five or six actions.
- Every visit. Open the wallet, find the card, present it, wait for the scan: the everyday gesture is rarely in the summary.
- The reward and the team. Who validates? Who scans? Who stamps? A programme that depends on a staff gesture stops at the first rush.
So we counted, with the same rule for everyone, Lecy included: an action is a gesture somebody has to make. Here is the result.
The count, over the whole journey
Number of customer actions at each moment, and what the team does at every visit. The detail of each line is a little further down.
| Solution | First visit | Every visit | Reward | The customer must have or type | The team, at every visit | To install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LecyHold up, open, done | 3 actions | 2 actions | 2 actions | Nothing: their phone, already in hand to pay | 0 actionNothing. The point comes from the customer’s phone on the tag. | A tag placed at the till, delivered already linked to the shop. No integration, no screen. |
| Card in the walletScan, add, earn | 6 actions | 3 actions | 2 actions | The card, to be found in the wallet | 1 actionScan the card with a reader or a tablet, at every visit. | A code reader or a tablet, an app on the team’s side, two card formats to generate. |
| Dedicated appDownload, scan, collect | 6 actions | 3 actions | 3 actions | The app, an account, a password | 1 actionScan the code, explain, help those who get stuck. | A scanner, often a till integration, and the development of the app itself. |
| Stamp cardTake, stamp, give | 1 action | 3 actions | 1 action | The card, on you, not lost | 1 actionStamp, at every visit, including at peak time. | A stamp and cards to reprint. |
| QR code at the tillScan, validate, earn | 4 actions | 3 actions | 1 action | The camera, often an identifier | 0 actionNothing, or validate the point to limit cheating. | A printed sign. |
| Number on a tabletType your number, collect | 3 actions | 1 action | 2 actions | Their phone number, typed in front of the queue | 0 actionNothing, or remind the customer to do it. | A dedicated tablet at the till, to power, one more screen. |
| Programme built into the tillGive your name, collect | 1 action | 2 actions | 1 action | Their name or number, said to the team | 2 actionsLook the customer up in the till, attach them to the receipt. | An integration to install, then maintain at every till update. |
The number does not say everything: “type your number in front of the queue” does not weigh the same as “hold up your phone”. That is why each line is detailed below, with what the summary does not say.
The detail, step by step
Open a solution to read each moment of the journey. Lecy is open, judged by the same rule.
LecyPresents itself as: « Hold up, open, done »3 first time2 every visit2 reward0 team
The first time
- Hold the phone to the tag at the till
- Open the notification that appears
- Tap “Create an account”, confirm with Face ID or fingerprint
At every visit
- Hold the phone to the tag
- Open the notification: the point is added
On reward day
- Open “Rewards” on the page
- Show the screen to the team: a video, the threshold reached, or the code received by text
- The team, at every visit
- Nothing. The point comes from the customer’s phone on the tag.
- The team, at the reward
- Look at the screen, hand over the reward. Points are deducted automatically.
- To install
- A tag placed at the till, delivered already linked to the shop. No integration, no screen.
- Anonymous customer
- Yes, by default. A phone number only to receive a code or news.
- Cheating
- Nearly impossible: every scan generates a unique, encrypted, short-lived link, and a minimum delay separates two points.
What we tell you anyway. Nothing to type, nothing to install, nothing to find: the customer is recognised by their phone for over a year. What we tell you anyway: after a very long absence, they tap “Log in” and Face ID recognises them, one more action, once. And a phone without NFC, rare today, cannot take part.
Card in the walletPresents itself as: « Scan, add, earn »6 first time3 every visit2 reward1 team
The first time
- Open the camera, frame the QR code
- Open the page
- Fill in the form: name, email or phone number
- Tap “Add to wallet”
- Confirm the add in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet
- Accept notifications
At every visit
- Open the wallet
- Find the card among the others
- Present it to the team’s reader or tablet
On reward day
- Present the card
- Ask for the reward
- The team, at every visit
- Scan the card with a reader or a tablet, at every visit.
- The team, at the reward
- Check the balance, validate the reward in their tool.
- To install
- A code reader or a tablet, an app on the team’s side, two card formats to generate.
- Anonymous customer
- Rarely: the form asks for an email or a phone number.
- Cheating
- Easy: the card’s code is static, a screenshot presents just as well.
What the summary does not say. “No app”: the wallet is one, and the team often has another to scan. The summary stops at “add”; it does not say that at every visit you have to open the wallet, find the card among the other passes, and wait for it to be scanned. Nor what becomes of the programme for customers who stop at the form.
Dedicated appPresents itself as: « Download, scan, collect »6 first time3 every visit3 reward1 team
The first time
- Search for the app on the store
- Install it, wait
- Create an account: email, password
- Confirm the email or the text code
- Accept notifications and location
- Log in
At every visit
- Unlock, open the app
- Go to “My card”
- Present the code
On reward day
- Choose the reward in the app
- Generate the code
- Present it
- The team, at every visit
- Scan the code, explain, help those who get stuck.
- The team, at the reward
- Scan or validate the reward code.
- To install
- A scanner, often a till integration, and the development of the app itself.
- Anonymous customer
- No: an account, an email address, often a phone number.
- Cheating
- Variable, depending on validation at the till.
What the summary does not say. The summary starts at “download” as if it were a given. Some customers will never do it, and among those who do, a forgotten password, an update or a full phone sends them back to step one. The app is excellent for those who opened it this month; the programme does not exist for the others.
Stamp cardPresents itself as: « Take, stamp, give »1 first time3 every visit1 reward1 team
The first time
- Take the card
At every visit
- Remember you have it
- Find it in your wallet
- Hand it over
On reward day
- Hand over the full card
- The team, at every visit
- Stamp, at every visit, including at peak time.
- The team, at the reward
- Count the stamps, take the card back, hand out a new one.
- To install
- A stamp and cards to reprint.
- Anonymous customer
- Yes, but nothing is measured: not who comes back, nor when, nor how often.
- Cheating
- Easy: a friendly stamp, a borrowed card, a copied stamp.
What the summary does not say. The simplest on paper, and the most fragile: forgotten at home, the visit does not count; lost, everything is lost. The shopkeeper learns nothing about their customers, and the point depends on a gesture from the team, so on their availability and their goodwill.
QR code at the tillPresents itself as: « Scan, validate, earn »4 first time3 every visit1 reward0 team
The first time
- Open the camera, frame
- Open the page
- Identify yourself: phone or email
- Enter the code received
At every visit
- Open the camera, frame
- Open the page
- Identify yourself again if the session expired
On reward day
- Show the screen
- The team, at every visit
- Nothing, or validate the point to limit cheating.
- The team, at the reward
- Check the screen, validate.
- To install
- A printed sign.
- Anonymous customer
- Depends on the solution; most ask for a phone number or an email.
- Cheating
- Easy: the QR code is an image, photographed once, it gives points from home.
What the summary does not say. The gesture looks close to the tap. The difference is invisible on the summary: a QR code is a fixed image. To stop it being scanned from home, solutions add validation by the team, and the team is back in the loop. Without validation, the programme rewards those who cheat.
Number on a tabletPresents itself as: « Type your number, collect »3 first time1 every visit2 reward0 team
The first time
- Type your number on the tablet, in front of the queue
- Receive a text, enter the code
- Accept the terms
At every visit
- Type your number, in front of the queue
On reward day
- Type your number
- Choose the reward on the tablet
- The team, at every visit
- Nothing, or remind the customer to do it.
- The team, at the reward
- Apply the reward.
- To install
- A dedicated tablet at the till, to power, one more screen.
- Anonymous customer
- No: the number is the identifier.
- Cheating
- Moderate: a friend’s number types just as well.
What the summary does not say. One action per visit, true. But it is the most intimate one: giving your phone number, in front of the queue, to a screen. Fear of spam makes some customers refuse from the very first time, and the shopkeeper does not see it; they only see those who accepted.
Programme built into the tillPresents itself as: « Give your name, collect »1 first time2 every visit1 reward2 team
The first time
- Give your details to the team
At every visit
- Say you are a member
- Give your name or your number
On reward day
- Ask for the discount
- The team, at every visit
- Look the customer up in the till, attach them to the receipt.
- The team, at the reward
- Apply the reward on the receipt.
- To install
- An integration to install, then maintain at every till update.
- Anonymous customer
- No: a customer record, with name and contact details.
- Cheating
- Variable: depends on the team’s rigour.
What the summary does not say. Few actions on the customer side, because everything rests on the team. At peak time nobody gets attached and the visit is lost. The day the till changes, everything is redone. It is also the only family that rewards the amount: useful if the basket varies a lot, pointless elsewhere.
The real criterion: the gesture the customer already makes
Two actions per visit is not what sets Lecy apart. A stamp card asks for three, a QR code too. The difference is in the nature of the gesture: holding your phone to the counter is the one you have just made to pay. Nothing to find, nothing to type, nothing to remember, nobody to wait for.
And the gesture depends on nobody else: not a stamp, not a scan, not an entry at the till. That is what keeps it happening at peak time, on a Saturday, with a new team. To our knowledge, Lecy is the only solution where neither the customer nor the team does anything but that gesture, and where the customer stays anonymous.
- Nothing to type, ever
- Nothing to carry, nothing to find
- Nothing for the team to do
- Recognised for over a year
- A customer who stays anonymous
- Proof of presence with every point
What you will be told, and what remains
A comparison that concedes nothing is worth nothing. Three objections, what we grant, what we answer.
“Lecy rewards the visit, not the amount”
We grant True. One visit, one point, whatever the basket: that is what makes a till unnecessary, and it is fair to the regular. If your basket varies from €1 to €300 at every visit, a programme built into the till is better suited.
What remains For the occasional large order, the manager credits points with one tap on the screen, logged in the back office. It is the exception, not the way it works: the gesture Lecy asks for once in a while, other solutions ask for at every visit. And where the stamp card worked, one point per visit is exactly what is needed.
“A wallet card is a notification on the lock screen”
We grant Also true: the card stays visible in the phone, next to the bank cards. Lecy adds nothing to the phone, that is the principle, so nothing stays displayed there.
What remains For reminders, both do the job. Lecy sends notifications from the browser to customers who accepted them, and a text to those who asked, with no app and no card to add. The difference: with Lecy, the customer chooses, and they had nothing to install for it.
“An app can go further”
We grant True: ordering, payment, booking, a dedicated app does more than a loyalty programme. A large chain that sells ordering ahead has good reasons to have one.
What remains But who wants to download yet another app for one of their fifteen favourite shops, with an account, a password and notifications? The café, the hairdresser, the baker: nobody. For them, Lecy is the whole programme. For a brand that already has its app, it is the layer for customers who will never download it.
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