Digital Loyalty Programmes for Local Councils: A Practical Guide

Local councils across the UK are rethinking how they engage with visitors to their cafés, country parks, leisure centres, and visitor attractions. Paper loyalty cards — once a simple solution — have become increasingly impractical. They get lost, they're environmentally questionable, and they offer no way to communicate with customers between visits.

Digital loyalty programmes solve these problems while opening new possibilities for customer engagement. But councils have specific considerations that private businesses don't face: data protection obligations, public accountability, multi-site coordination, and the need for transparent, defensible procurement decisions.

This guide covers how digital loyalty programmes work for council-run venues, addresses the data protection questions that public sector organisations rightly prioritise, and provides practical guidance for implementation.

Why Councils Are Moving to Digital Loyalty

Council-run venues face many of the same challenges as private hospitality businesses: competition for visitors, the need to drive repeat custom, and pressure to operate efficiently. But they also have unique motivations for adopting digital loyalty solutions.

Replacing Paper Cards

Paper punch cards have served councils well for years, but their limitations are increasingly apparent:

• Environmental concerns: Councils committed to sustainability targets find it harder to justify ongoing paper waste from loyalty cards that get lost, damaged, or thrown away.

• No customer data: Paper cards tell you nothing about who your customers are, how often they visit, or what brings them back.

• No communication channel: Between visits, you have no way to reach cardholders about events, promotions, or seasonal offerings.

• Administrative burden: Printing, distributing, and managing paper card stock across multiple sites creates ongoing work.

Digital cards eliminate these issues entirely. Customers save their loyalty card to their smartphone once and carry it indefinitely. Nothing to print, nothing to lose, nothing to throw away.

Promoting Events and Activities

Many council venues — country parks, heritage sites, leisure centres — run events, seasonal activities, and special promotions throughout the year. Getting the word out to interested visitors has traditionally relied on social media (limited reach), email newsletters (if you've collected addresses), or on-site signage (only reaches people already there).

A digital loyalty programme creates a direct communication channel to your most engaged visitors. Push notifications let you announce upcoming events, promote seasonal menus, share booking information, or highlight quiet visiting times — all reaching people who've already demonstrated interest in your venues.

Operating Across Multiple Sites

Councils often manage multiple venues — several countryside cafés, a network of leisure centres, or various visitor attractions. Coordinating loyalty across these sites has traditionally been complicated.

Digital platforms make multi-site operation straightforward. Customers can earn and redeem rewards across all your venues with a single card. You can run promotions at specific sites or across the whole network. And centralised reporting gives you visibility across all locations from one dashboard.

Demonstrating Value

Council services face ongoing scrutiny about value and efficiency. Digital loyalty programmes generate data that demonstrates engagement: how many visitors are participating, how often they return, which venues are most popular, and how promotions perform.

This evidence supports budget discussions, service reviews, and decisions about where to invest in improvements. Paper cards offer none of this visibility.

Data Protection: What Councils Need to Know

Public sector organisations rightly prioritise data protection. As a council, you're subject to GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act, and your residents expect you to handle their information responsibly.

Here's how digital loyalty programmes address these requirements.

What Data Is Collected?

Digital loyalty programmes typically collect minimal personal data:

• Basic identification: Usually a name or nickname and email address or phone number

• Optional demographics: Some programmes collect birth dates (for birthday rewards) or preferences

• Behavioural data: Visit frequency, stamp collection, reward redemptions

This is substantially less data than many council services already collect. Customers control what they provide, and collection is always voluntary — loyalty programme participation is never mandatory.

Lawful Basis for Processing

For loyalty programmes, the typical lawful basis is consent. Customers actively choose to join the programme, providing explicit agreement to data collection and communication. This is clear, unambiguous, and easily documented.

The consent model is well-suited to loyalty programmes because:

• Participation is entirely voluntary

• Customers understand what they're signing up for

• They can withdraw (leave the programme) at any time

• The value exchange (rewards for data) is transparent

Data Storage and Security

When evaluating loyalty platforms, councils should ask:

• Where is data stored? UK or EU-based hosting provides confidence that data remains subject to adequate protection standards.

• What security measures are in place? Encryption, access controls, and security certifications matter.

• Who has access to the data? Customer data should be accessible only to authorised staff at your organisation.

• What happens if the contract ends? Data should be exportable and deletable upon request.

Perkstar stores all data securely with industry-standard encryption, and council administrators retain full control over their customer information.

Customer Rights

Under GDPR, customers have rights regarding their data: access, rectification, erasure, and portability. Your loyalty platform should make it straightforward to honour these requests.

In practice, this typically means:

• Customers can view and update their own information through the app

• You can delete customer records upon request

• You can export data if needed for subject access requests

Data Protection Impact Assessments

Depending on your council's policies, you may need to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) before implementing a new system that processes personal data. The good news is that loyalty programmes are generally low-risk:

• Data collected is minimal and non-sensitive

• Participation is voluntary and consent-based

• Processing is straightforward (tracking visits, sending communications)

• There's no automated decision-making affecting individuals' rights

Your Information Governance team can advise on whether a DPIA is required and help you complete one if necessary.

Types of Council Venues That Benefit

Digital loyalty programmes work well across various council-run venue types.

Countryside Cafés and Tea Rooms

Country parks, nature reserves, and heritage sites often include cafés that depend heavily on repeat visitors. Regular walkers, dog owners, and families return week after week — exactly the customer behaviour loyalty programmes are designed to encourage and reward.

A stamp card offering a free drink after 9 visits gives these regulars a concrete reason to keep choosing your café over alternatives they might pass on the way.

Leisure Centre Cafés

Leisure centres serve customers who visit regularly for fitness classes, swimming, or sports. Many grab coffee or a snack before or after their activity. A loyalty programme captures this habitual behaviour and strengthens the connection between the café and the wider facility.

Visitor Attractions

Museums, heritage sites, and tourist attractions often include cafés or gift shops. While individual visitors may not return frequently, a loyalty programme can encourage local residents to visit more often and drives engagement with membership or annual pass holders.

Parks and Gardens

Council-managed parks with cafés serve a mix of locals and tourists. For local visitors especially, a loyalty programme creates ongoing engagement that extends beyond a single visit.

Libraries and Community Centres

Where these venues include cafés or refreshment facilities, loyalty programmes can increase usage while supporting the broader community engagement mission.

Programme Structures for Council Venues

The most effective loyalty programmes for council venues tend to be simple and immediately understandable.

Stamp Cards

The digital equivalent of the traditional punch card. Customers earn a stamp with each qualifying purchase; after collecting a set number, they receive a free item or discount.

Typical structure: Collect 9 stamps, get the 10th coffee free.

Why it works for councils:

• Universally understood — no explanation needed

• Clear value proposition for visitors

• Easy for staff to operate

• Minimal training required

This structure works particularly well for cafés with frequent, similar-value purchases.

Points Programmes

Customers earn points proportional to their spend, then redeem points for rewards at various thresholds.

Typical structure: Earn 1 point per pound spent; redeem 100 points for £5 off.

Why it works:

• Rewards higher-spending customers proportionally

• Flexible redemption options

• Works across varied price points

Points programmes suit venues with varied offerings where transaction values differ significantly.

Multi-Site Programmes

For councils with multiple venues, you can run a single programme across all sites. Customers earn stamps or points wherever they visit and can redeem across the network.

This approach:

• Encourages visitors to explore multiple venues

• Simplifies administration (one programme, one dashboard)

• Creates a unified brand experience across council catering

With Perkstar, you can manage multiple venues from a single account, with reporting available at both individual site and aggregate levels.

Communication Features for Events and Promotions

Beyond rewards, digital loyalty programmes provide powerful communication tools — particularly valuable for council venues with active event programmes.

Push Notifications

Send messages directly to loyalty members' phones. Uses include:

• Event announcements: "Family nature trail this Saturday — booking now open"

• Seasonal promotions: "New autumn menu launching this week"

• Quiet-time incentives: "Visit Tuesday–Thursday for double stamps"

• Weather-responsive messaging: "Sunny weekend ahead — our outdoor terrace is ready"

Push notifications reach customers who've already demonstrated interest in your venues — a more engaged audience than general social media posts.

Automated Messages

Set up communications that send automatically based on triggers:

• Welcome messages: Greet new members and explain programme benefits

• Birthday rewards: Automatic offers on members' birthdays

• Milestone celebrations: Acknowledge loyal visitors reaching visit milestones

• Re-engagement campaigns: Reach out to members who haven't visited recently

Automation means these communications happen consistently without ongoing staff effort.

Scheduling

Plan communications in advance. Schedule event announcements for optimal timing, coordinate messages across venues, and maintain consistent engagement throughout the year.

Implementation: A Practical Approach

Implementing a digital loyalty programme across council venues involves several stages.

Stage 1: Planning and Approval

Before implementation, you'll typically need to:

• Secure internal approval (management, finance, procurement as appropriate)

• Complete any required data protection assessments

• Define programme structure (stamps or points, reward thresholds)

• Identify participating venues

• Allocate staff for setup and training

Stage 2: Platform Setup

Configuration typically includes:

• Creating your digital loyalty card with council branding

• Setting up venue locations

• Configuring reward structures

• Establishing user accounts for venue managers

• Setting up any automations (welcome messages, birthday rewards)

With Perkstar, setup is straightforward and doesn't require technical expertise. Most councils can configure their programme within a few hours.

Stage 3: Staff Training

Front-line staff need to understand:

• How to explain the programme to visitors

• How to help visitors sign up (typically a QR code scan)

• How to issue stamps or points

• How to process reward redemptions

• Basic troubleshooting for common questions

The simpler your programme structure, the less training required.

Stage 4: Launch and Promotion

Announce your programme through:

• On-site signage at all participating venues

• Council website and social media

• Staff actively mentioning it to customers

• Any existing newsletters or communication channels

Stage 5: Ongoing Management

Once running, ongoing tasks include:

• Monitoring participation and engagement metrics

• Sending communications about events and promotions

• Reviewing and adjusting reward structures if needed

• Periodic staff reminders about promotion

Cost Considerations for Councils

Council procurement requires transparency about costs. Here's what to consider when evaluating loyalty platforms.

Subscription Fees

Most platforms charge monthly or annual subscription fees based on features and scale. Perkstar's pricing starts at £15/month for a single venue, with options for multi-site and enterprise needs.

What Should Be Included

Standard features (no additional cost) should include:

• Unlimited loyalty card members

• Unlimited stamp/point issuance

• Push notifications (unlimited with Perkstar)

• Basic analytics and reporting

• Customer support

Potential Hidden Costs

Ask about:

• Per-transaction or per-stamp fees (these can add up quickly)

• Charges for push notifications or communication volume

• Setup or onboarding fees

• Fees for additional venues

• Data export or migration costs

Perkstar operates on straightforward subscription pricing with no per-transaction fees, no message limits, and no hidden costs.

Contract Terms

Consider:

• Contract length (monthly vs annual commitment)

• Free trial availability (to test before committing)

• Cancellation terms

• Data portability if you decide to switch

Perkstar offers 14-day free trials without credit card requirements, allowing you to evaluate the platform before any commitment.

Getting Started

If you're exploring digital loyalty for your council venues, here's a practical path forward:

1. Identify stakeholders: Who needs to be involved in the decision? (Catering management, IT, Information Governance, Procurement)

2. Define requirements: What do you need the programme to do? (Replace paper cards, enable event communication, work across multiple sites)

3. Evaluate platforms: Look at options that meet your requirements, with particular attention to data protection, pricing transparency, and ease of use.

4. Run a trial: Test with a single venue before rolling out more broadly. Most platforms offer free trials.

5. Plan rollout: Based on trial results, plan implementation across all venues with appropriate training and promotion.

Final Thoughts

Digital loyalty programmes offer council venues the tools to engage visitors more effectively, replace outdated paper systems, and communicate directly with their most regular customers. The data protection considerations are manageable, the implementation is straightforward, and the benefits — both for visitor experience and operational efficiency — are tangible.

For councils already running paper loyalty cards, the transition to digital is a natural evolution. For those without any loyalty programme, digital platforms make starting one more accessible than ever.

Your visitors are carrying smartphones. Your loyalty programme should meet them there.

Interested in exploring digital loyalty for your council venues?

Start your free 14-day Perkstar trial — no credit card required. Or contact us to discuss your specific requirements.