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.