The short answer

Measure additional paid visits, the contribution from those sales and the full cost of the program. Subtract rewards, discounts, service fees and staff work. Compare suitable cohorts or periods, allowing for seasonality and purchases that would have occurred without the program.

Program economics — StampiGram
Actual app components · sample data

1. Set a meaningful baseline

Compare equivalent weekdays, locations and hours. Record holidays, menu changes, pricing changes and other marketing. Comparing members with non-members can be biased because regular customers are more likely to join. Where practical, define a control group and consistent measurement rules in advance.

2. Separate footfall from retention

Total visits, unique customers and the proportion returning are different measures. Define a return, such as a second paid visit within 30 days. Thirty days is an analysis choice, not a universal standard. Include only cohorts for which the full observation window has elapsed.

3. Include the full cost

Count the cost of all redeemed rewards, discounts, service fees, messages, setup and incremental staff time. Do not automatically treat certificate face value as profit. Do not count every member purchase as an incremental sale. Existing customers can redeem rewards on visits they would already have made.

4. Calculate additional contribution

Additional visits × average paid check × contribution margin before program costs − reward costs − program expenses. This is a simplified scenario formula. If discounts are already reflected in the paid check, do not subtract them twice. Add any extra fixed costs the program creates.

5. Pilot before expanding

The homepage calculator lets you change the assumptions. It does not forecast customer behaviour: you supply the additional visits. Evaluate zero-uplift, cautious and higher scenarios, then replace assumptions with observed data after your pilot.

Action plan

  • Choose a metric and observation window.
  • Record a baseline and control where practical.
  • Separate revenue, contribution and costs.
  • Include all redeemed rewards, not only incremental visits.
  • Use pilot results to decide whether to expand.

What to measure

Additional visits required to break even = program and reward costs / (average paid check × contribution margin). This is a scenario threshold, not a promise.

Open the calculator

Where StampiGram fits

The StampiGram calculator helps discuss pilot economics before spending. A verified StampiGram-specific uplift percentage has not yet been published.

FAQ

Why not use an uplift percentage from another study?

A study relates to a specific sample, mechanism and metric. Its result cannot automatically become a forecast for your venue’s sales.

What if visits increase but profit falls?

Recalculate reward economics, check displacement from full-price purchases and review operating costs before expanding the offer.