Replacing paper punch cards with QR taps, early lessons building PointsCard
Hey IH
I’m building PointsCard, a lightweight loyalty platform for small businesses.
The idea is simple:
Instead of paper punch cards, businesses create a QR/NFC-powered loyalty card in minutes. Customers scan or tap to collect punches - no app download required.
Why I started this
I kept seeing:
Paper cards getting lost
Businesses not knowing who their repeat customers are
Expensive “custom app” solutions that no small café can justify
Customers refusing to download yet another app
It felt like loyalty needed a "Stripe moment" - simple infrastructure, not a bloated marketing platform.
What I’ve Built So Far
Business onboarding flow
Customizable punch rewards (e.g. Buy 9, Get 1 Free)
QR code generation
NFC tap support (physical stand optional)
Clean dashboard for businesses
Basic customer account system
Currently bootstrapped and self-funded.
What I’m Learning
1. Distribution is harder than building
Building the product was the fun part.
Convincing small business owners to try something new?
Much harder.
They:
Are busy
Already have "something that works"
Don’t wake up thinking about SaaS tools
Cold outreach has been humbling.
2. Simplicity wins
Every extra feature makes onboarding worse.
I’ve had to repeatedly cut:
Gamification features
Advanced analytics
Multi-location logic
Fancy automation
What small businesses actually want:
"Can I set this up in 5 minutes and does it bring people back?"
3. App-free matters
The biggest friction in loyalty is forcing customers to download an app.
Keeping this browser-based (but feels like an app) seems to resonate more.
Open Questions I’m Thinking About
Should I focus on one niche (coffee shops?) instead of “all small businesses”?
Is hardware (NFC stands) a distraction or a moat?
Should I optimize for self-serve or hands-on onboarding?
Would adding Apple Wallet passes increase conversion or add complexity?
Current Stage
Still early.
Pre-revenue.
Actively testing messaging and onboarding.
If you’ve built for small businesses before, I'd love your thoughts.
Happy to share more details or screenshots if helpful.
