Co-founded LocalCard, a digital loyalty platform that enables local businesses to reward and retain customers using phone numbers for easy rewards. Customers do not need apps or physical cards. I designed and launched secure, user-friendly tablet dashboards so merchants can set up loyalty programs without complicated POS integrations. My focus is to deliver simple, affordable, and effective solutions that help small businesses compete with larger chains.
Who is it for?
We made LocalCard for small businesses here in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. Our goal was to provide a simple, affordable, and effective solution that helps small businesses compete with larger chains. Our solution also gave businesses the chance to capture their clients phone numbers to then send them promotional messages (yes, everything was consented).
*Sorry, it’s in French. (This was a demo for a potential client, their store was pink, hence the theme.)
Did it fail?
We managed to get a couple of clients, including a local franchise with eight stores. They saw a significant increase in sales after implementing LocalCard. What set us apart was being web-based, so clients didn’t have to install a useless mobile app. Let’s be real, who wants to download an app at the checkout counter?
But beyond that, I realized our pricing model wasn’t sustainable. We needed to conquer the whole Montréal to see meaningful revenue. So, slowly and sadly, we had to let go of LocalCard. We gave clients a 30-day notice, as stated in the contract, let them export their data, and had to say goodbye to the theme.
Results
I believe that it was a great experience, and I learned a lot from it. For exemple: validate your model before getting too far or you WILL lose clients.