An innovative app which allows independent retail, leisure and hospitality owners to offer customers a digital loyalty scheme is being launched in the UK, and Leeds has been chosen as the city to unveil it.
Llama Points provides flexible promotions that can be set up in as little as 10 minutes. It is aimed at helping small businesses generate more footfall and giving customers a simple and convenient alternative to a paper-based loyalty scheme.
After launching in Switzerland in 2023, the app is now being rolled out to the UK with several businesses in Leeds being the first to sign up.
Llama Points was developed and created in Switzerland by BFM Solutions, a tech organisation, founded by British ex Pats, Fergus Rae and Bernadette Haslam with Swedish software engineer Pat Magnus Johansson. It offers a fully digital experience to small businesses, where bespoke digital solutions as offered by the big chains may be out of reach, now putting them at the same level of technology as their competitors for a fraction of the price.
Benefitting from the app is simple, all customers need to do is scan their phone each time they make a purchase, they will then be able to see when they have collected enough points to claim a free item or in-store promotion.
Llama Points co-founder, Fergus Rae said: “We created Llama Points to make a difference for all small businesses, by making a digital loyalty program available to everybody! The retail and hospitality sectors have faced huge challenges in recent years, customers are being much more cautious with their spending, and always looking for value”.
“We want to benefit both and keep the high street alive, by helping small business to drive footfall and contribute back to the local economy whilst enabling them to get greater visibility and easily reward their loyal customers.”
Llama Points aims to help put local businesses squarely in the hands of the community. It’s fast, it’s easy and there are no more forgotten stamp cards or lost rewards.
Early adopters of the app are already reaping the benefits. Owner of coffee shop Rand Coffee in Leeds, affectionately known as ‘Mr Rand’, said: “I have always been a great believer in being loyal to your customers before you can expect them to be loyal to you, this is another way we can show we value every one of them. Llama Points has been simple to set up and my team are finding it really easy to use.”
In-app messaging also allows businesses to communicate directly to customers with regular or one-off promotions and built in marketing packs provide free point of sale branded materials to use in stores and venues.
Speaking on the decision to launch the app in Leeds Fergus added: “Yorkshire is well renowned for its culture, great food and warm hospitality. After spending many years previously living in North and West Yorkshire, I was always impressed with the huge number of independent businesses here and how as a region Yorkshire is always happy to embrace something new, so it seemed like the perfect place to introduce Llama Points to the UK market.”
Llama Points will get its official UK launch in Leeds on October 3 at The Woods in Chapel Allerton at 6.30pm.
