Magnetic Stripe Loyalty Cards Provide Keen Edge for Smaller Retailers

We all have them in our billfolds. Punch cards. With every sandwich purchased at a sandwich shop you get a punch. So many punches gives you a free sandwich. Or, it could be free gasoline at a convenience store, a free night's stay at a hotel, a free video at a video store or a complimentary dinner at a nice restaurant. Retailers are constantly working to get you back in their door through punch card incentives.

The paper punch card requires extra time for the cashier. But, a magnetic stripe loyalty card quickly and easily swiped through the reader/encoder attached to the cash register records the transaction on one of the tracks of the magnetic stripe card. It can tell the store how many units the consumer purchased and, if needed, the amount of the transaction. The fulfillment is at the point of transaction.

Some retailers offer discounts based on a percentage of sale. Without knowing exactly what the consumer has purchased in the past, the retailer is taking a chance of giving too much of a discount to some and not enough to the good customer, resulting in a potential loss of unrealized revenue. The magnetic stripe loyalty card will automatically give the customer the proper discount immediately and accurately at the time of the transaction.

"The magnetic stripe loyalty card is very attractive to the small retailer seeking an affordable way to impress customers for a return visit," said Kiran Gandhi, vice-president of business development, Mag-Tek. "The franchise owner, with some latitude on POS applications, is our prime customer for reader/encoder applications."

While the smart card, or chip card, is also a vehicle for loyalty incentive cards, the magnetic stripe cards offer an economical alternative for these applications.

Loyalty cards are here to stay and their usage is growing. Affordable cards providing the professional image, accuracy and ease of use at the point of transaction will bring in more repeat business for the retailer. A customer is constantly reminded of the business with an attractively designed loyalty card every time the billfold is opened, and is more likely to return, again and again.

About Mag-Tek
Mag-Tek, a California-based manufacturer of card readers and encoders that pioneered the magnetic stripe card reader in 1972, realized the importance of loyalty cards for the small independent and franchised retailer. Since 1978, with the delivery of the first card encoder allowing customer-selected Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), Mag-Tek has continued to develop card readers/encoders for various, practical user needs. Among the most sought are the loyalty card encoders.

For more information on the extensive line of Mag-Tek card readers/encoders please visit www.magtek.com or call 888-624-8350.

Barry Shoultz