by Jackie Johnson

Many people are looking for a bargain or an incentive for them to shop a particular store. Even though we may not be in a position to discount our entire inventory, there are ways we can offer incentives to frequent shoppers.

Some P.O.S. systems provide software that enables you to gather customer information simply by entering in each shopper's phone number. Names already in the system will automatically come up and their purchase will be recorded. If the customer isn't in the system, you can enter in the customer information in a matter of seconds.

Once you have this information, you can set parameters within the system to inform you when a customer has reached a particular incentive level-perhaps when they have spent $100 in your store. Then, you can design a coupon for a percentage off an entire purchase or off one item to reward them.

Some stores have chosen to create coupons that offer a dollar amount off of a purchase, such as $5 off a purchase of $25 or more or $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. Sometimes, customers prefer this type of coupon because they feel as though they've been given $5 or $10 to spend in your store.

Some P.O.S. providers have developed a purchase-tracking system that utilizes plastic loyalty cards-similar to the kind many grocery stores use-that can be customized with your store logo. Your customers can keep the cards on their key chains, which serves as a constant reminder of their affiliation with your store.

With this tracking system, you simply scan the loyalty card at the time of purchase, and customer information, criteria and rewards are tracked. This is a very convenient and popular tool to use in encouraging repeat business.

-Jackie Johnson is manager of Cornerstone Christian Bookstore at Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Bear, Del.

Read the complete article at http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/a.php?ArticleID=14055.

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