Some people believe the loyalty card encouraged more people into their business, while others feel it didn’t make a difference
Shop and restaurant staff have shared mixed reviews over a loyalty card, introduced by a council to encourage more people to shop local. Throughout April and May, Huntingdonshire District Council launched the ‘Shop, Drink and Dine’ card, with the aim to boost footfall in St Ives.
The town-wide scheme involved independent shops, restaurants and places to drink. Shop owners and staff have shared mixed reviews over the loyalty card, with some saying it was a positive thing, while others feel it didn’t make a difference.
Victoria Giles, owner of Adorn, said it was a “really good idea”. “It’s all helping each other out,” said Victoria.
She added: “It was only £5. It was enticing to customers and to get people into shops.” Victoria saw more customers come into her shop.
She said: “I had a few customers come in and stamped a few cards. It was only ever going to be a good thing at the end of the day. I think anything active to get people into a shop and shop local is good.”
Cyril Bray, manager at The Tellers Table also thought the loyalty card was a positive thing for the town. He said: “It’s supporting local businesses.
“It encourages people as well to come and see us. There are lots of local people that come in and are happy we are here, the card was just an extra encouragement for them. We had a few people come in. I think it was word of mouth after that. Anything to encourage people to use local businesses is always a plus.”
Other businesses found the card didn’t do as well as they thought. A worker at Townrow, who wished to remain anonymous, said it “didn’t make off as good as we thought”.
She added: “We only had a few customers. I thought it was going to be good, as you only needed to spend £5. But we only stamped a few people.”
Luke Carton, bar manager at The Taproom, had “mixed” feelings towards the card. He said: “We did one before [set up by the Oliver Cromwell pub] and that did really well. This one was more broad which made it more difficult. Our regulars kept using it so that worked well, but it was too broad.”
Sharon, who wished for her surname to not be included, works at Cadge. She said the men’s clothes shop got a “few people in”, but believes the card was better catered for local places to eat. Sharon added: “I think the problem was getting it out there. We didn’t have too many, but I hope it did well for others. I think it did better for eating places as there is a lot in St Ives.”
Finally Amy Seymour-Shove, who works at The Whisky Cafe, found it positive to encourage more people to shop and eat locally. She said: “It felt like it got people to think of more shops. It encouraged a few people in, but not as many as we thought. I feel it could have been done better, but I don’t think a lot of people really knew about it.”
Executive Councillor for Economy, Regeneration and Housing, Councillor Brett Mickelburgh said: “The St Ives Shop and Dine Local loyalty card pilot was launched with UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) funding to increase footfall and support businesses in the town centre.
“The scheme was developed following a two-month engagement period with local businesses and was open to businesses that reside in the town centre. More than 400 loyalty cards were used during the campaign, with 75 completed entries submitted, representing a minimum of £3,750 spent with participating businesses. The scheme was promoted extensively through a dedicated webpage, social media, stakeholder networks, digital advertising and in-store marketing materials provided to participating businesses.”

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