Getting your customers to install and join

Nobody installs an app because a poster asked them to. They install it because someone gave them a reason at a moment when they were already paying attention. That moment is at your counter, and it lasts about four seconds.

Ask after the first reward, not before

The instinct is to ask at signup. It is the wrong moment: they have nothing yet, so the app would show them an empty card.

The right moment is the first time they redeem something. They have just received a free coffee for being a regular, they are pleased, and now an app that tracks it is obviously worth having. Same sentence, ten times the conversion.

If your programme is new and nobody has redeemed yet, use the second-best moment: when someone asks "how many do I have?". They have just told you they want to know without asking.

What to say

Short, specific, and about them:

"You're eight points off a free one — want it on your phone so you can check?"

That works because it contains a number, a reward and a reason. Compare it with "we have an app", which contains none of those and gets a polite nod.

Three rules for whoever is on the counter:

1. Say the number. "Eight points off" beats "you're close" every time.
2. Ask once. If they say no, they have said no. Asking twice costs you more than the install is worth.
3. Never hold up the queue for it. If there are people waiting, skip it. There will be a quieter customer in five minutes.

Make it possible to say yes in one move

Have your join code on the counter. A customer who says yes should be scanning within a second, not searching a store while you wait.

The code takes them to your join page, which works in their browser straight away — they can find the app later, or never, and still have their card. That order matters: join first, install second. An install that has to happen before anything useful does is a wall; an install that adds convenience to something they already have is an easy yes.

Who not to ask

Skip people who are in a hurry, on the phone, or paying for a group. Skip anyone who has just had a problem — fix the problem, that is all. And skip one-off visitors: a loyalty app for a shop someone will never revisit is a nuisance, and they know it.

Your best targets are the people you already recognise. They are also the ones most likely to say yes, which makes this the rare tactic where the easiest ask is also the most valuable one.

Train it in one line

Your staff do not need a script. They need one sentence they are comfortable saying and permission to skip it when it is busy. Cover it in the same fifteen minutes as everything else — see Training your staff.

What good looks like

Do not chase an install rate. A regular who checks their balance on your website every week is worth more than a stranger who installed the app once and never opened it again.

The number worth watching is on your Overview: are members coming back more often than they did? If yes, the programme is working, and it does not matter which window they looked through.