Don’t Let Your Customers Walk Out the Door

Why Your Print Shop Needs a Gift Card and Loyalty Program (And Why Now Is the Time)

Let’s be honest. Running a print shop in 2025 isn’t what it used to be. Your customers have more options than ever. Online printing services promise quick turnarounds and competitive pricing. Big box stores are expanding their print centers. And your regulars? They’re being courted by everyone.

So how do you keep them coming back to your shop instead of clicking “order” on a website at 2 AM?

The answer might be simpler than you think: gift cards and loyalty programs.

$1.5T projected gift card market value by 2032

61% ticket lift when customers use gift cards

70% of sales generated by loyal customers

The Opportunity You’re Missing

Here’s something that might surprise you. The gift card market is projected to hit $1.5 trillion by 2032. That’s not a typo. Trillion with a T.

Even better? When customers use a gift card at a business, they typically spend 61% more than the card’s value. Think about that for a second. Someone walks into your shop with a $50 gift card, and they end up spending $80.50 because they find that perfect specialty paper or decide to upgrade their binding.

But here’s the real kicker: loyal customers generate 70% of sales for most businesses. Not new customers constantly walking through the door, but the same people returning again and again.

Why Print Shops Are Perfect for These Programs

You might be thinking, “Gift cards and loyalty programs sound great for coffee shops and restaurants, but what about my print shop?”

Actually, print shops are perfectly positioned to benefit from these programs. Here’s why:

Your customers already need you regularly. Small businesses need business cards. Event planners need banners and signage. Students need thesis printing. Real estate agents need brochures. These aren’t one-time needs, they’re recurring.

Your services make great gifts. Think about it: a gift card to a print shop is perfect for the entrepreneur starting a side hustle, the couple planning their wedding invitations, the parent with a college-bound student, or the small business owner who always needs more marketing materials.

You offer both quick jobs and big projects. This variety is perfect for a loyalty program. Small frequent visits (like picking up flyers) can earn points toward bigger rewards (like a discount on large format printing or premium finishing services).

“Loyal customers generate 70% of sales. Not new customers constantly walking through the door, but the same people returning again and again.”

How Payably Valutec Works for Your Business

Payably Valutec is a comprehensive gift card and loyalty solution designed specifically for businesses like yours. It’s not complicated, and you don’t need to be tech-savvy to make it work.

The Gift Card Program

With Payably Valutec, you can offer both physical and digital gift cards. Your customers can buy them in-store, and you can sell them online. During busy seasons like graduation, wedding season, or the holidays, gift cards become another revenue stream.

Here’s what makes them powerful: when someone buys a gift card from you, that’s immediate revenue. When the recipient comes in to use it, that’s a new or returning customer who typically spends more than the card’s value. And if they love your service? You’ve just acquired a new loyal customer.

The Loyalty Program

Your loyalty program can be as simple or sophisticated as you want. You can reward customers based on visits, dollars spent, or specific services used.

Some ideas for your print shop:

• Points per dollar spent that add up to discounts on future orders
• A free small job (like business cards) after ten visits
• Special perks for your top customers, like priority rush service or free design consultations
• Birthday rewards (because who doesn’t love free stuff on their birthday?)
• Referral bonuses when they bring in new customers

The platform handles all of this through an easy-to-use dashboard. You can track what’s working, see who your best customers are, and adjust your rewards to encourage the behaviors you want.

The Real-World Impact

Let’s paint a picture of how this works in practice.

Sarah runs a small marketing agency and comes to your shop every few weeks for client presentations and trade show materials. Without a loyalty program, she’s just as likely to try that new print shop that opened up across town or give an online service a shot.

But with your loyalty program, every purchase brings her closer to rewards she actually wants, like 20% off her next large format order or a free rush upgrade. She’s tracked her points on her phone, and she knows she’s just two more visits away from free business cards.

Now that new print shop has to work a lot harder to win her business. And that online service? Sure, it might be convenient, but it doesn’t know her by name, remember that she prefers the 100lb gloss cover stock, or give her points toward free services.

Meanwhile, John purchased a $100 gift card for his daughter who’s starting a small business. She comes in, spends $150 on her first order of business materials, signs up for the loyalty program on the spot, and becomes a regular customer. That’s one gift card creating multiple revenue opportunities.

Why Small Businesses Can Compete with the Big Players

One of the best things about Payably Valutec? It levels the playing field.

The big chains and online services have loyalty programs. They have sophisticated marketing. They have brand recognition. But now you can have the same tools, designed specifically for a business your size, at a price point that makes sense.

You get:

• Professional-looking gift cards (physical and digital) with your branding
• A mobile-friendly loyalty program your customers can access on their phones
• Dashboard reporting so you can see what’s working and what’s not
• The ability to engage customers through email, SMS, and push notifications
• Integration with your current systems

All without needing a dedicated IT person or a massive budget.

“It costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one. Yet many print shops spend all their energy on getting new people through the door and almost none on making sure the customers they already have keep coming back.”

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Here’s something to consider. Every day you don’t have a loyalty program is a day your competitors might be building stronger relationships with customers who could be yours.

It costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one. Yet many print shops spend all their energy on getting new people through the door and almost none on making sure the customers they already have keep coming back.

A loyalty program does the heavy lifting of retention for you. It gives customers a reason to choose you over the competition, even when the competition might be slightly closer or marginally cheaper.

Getting Started Is Easier Than You Think

The beauty of Payably Valutec is that you don’t have to figure everything out on day one. You can start with a simple gift card program and add loyalty features as you go. Or launch both at once if you’re feeling ambitious.

The platform is designed to be intuitive. Your staff won’t need hours of training. Your customers won’t struggle to understand it. And you won’t lose sleep trying to manage it.

Think of it as adding another tool to your shop, like upgrading to a better printer or adding a new finishing option. Except this tool brings customers back and increases what they spend when they’re there.

What This Means for Your Shop’s Future

The print industry has changed dramatically over the past decade, and it’s going to keep changing. But one thing remains constant: relationships matter.

The shops that thrive aren’t necessarily the ones with the newest equipment or the absolute lowest prices. They’re the ones that create genuine connections with their customers and give those customers reasons to stay loyal.

Payably Valutec gives you a systematic, professional way to build and maintain those relationships. It turns occasional customers into regulars. It turns regulars into advocates. And it gives you concrete data about what your customers want and value.

The Bottom Line

You already work hard to provide great service, quality products, and fair prices. A gift card and loyalty program doesn’t change any of that. It simply makes sure your customers remember why they chose you in the first place and gives them a reason to keep choosing you.

In a world where customer attention is scattered and competition is fierce, that’s not just nice to have. It’s essential.

The gift card market is booming. Customers increasingly expect loyalty programs. Your competitors may already be making these moves.

The question isn’t whether gift cards and loyalty programs work. The data shows they do. The question is whether you’re ready to give your business this advantage.