Independent shops are to gain access to Noumi, a new digital receipt-based loyalty scheme that has delivered more than a thousand additional purchases in its initial trial with EG Group. 

Speaking to Better Retailing, founder Shakir Lincoln and head of sales Maria Demetriou explained that its eight-month test at the forecourt giant’s flagship site in Blackburn saw 4,100 customers sign up to Noumi, 14,000 receipts collected and 38,000 offer views. In the three months where two trackable promotions ran (50% off coffee and 50% off a car wash), there were 1,500 in-store redemptions. 

How it works 

Noumi avoids the need for costly and complex integrations with EPoS firms by connecting an NFC device between the EPoS terminal and the printer. Customers with the Noumi app tap the device with their phone to receive a digital receipt on the app, plus any rewards and prizes chosen by the retailer. 

The shop can then target these customers with specific offers and rewards based on their personal information and spending habits. Each promotion takes less than 20 minutes to set up. Even when the customer isn’t in store, the retailer can send offers, rewards, event invites and feedback surveys, helping to drive return visits and additional spending. 

The receipt data is also stored and analysed by Noumi, providing each store with insights that can help forecast stock ordering and identify new sales opportunities. “You can see how often they visit, what they buy and who they are, then use that to build your promotions,” Demetriou explained. It also removes the need for retailers to store physical receipts and provides a searchable database in case retailers need to find a historic transaction quickly. 

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Coming soon to your area 

Lincoln revealed Noumi is to roll out to 500 sites by the end of 2024, fuelled by major partnerships with several large forecourt groups. A two-site trial with a symbol group operator representing 7,000 independent stores is also set to begin this year. The first independent retailer to launch the service is expected to be Joshua James’s innovative Fresh & Proper store near Ely, Cambridgeshire. James described Noumi, stating: “It’s incredible, it gives so much power to the independent retailer.” 

Demetriou did not reveal the cost for retailers, stating that it was dependent on the size of their estate and the services they need, but promised a full package of support for independent retailers. This includes store staff training and incentives, and promotional material including posters, digital screen assets, free-standing display units, shelf wobblers and the counter device. 

While the role of store teams in pushing customer sign-ups was described as vital, Noumi is also using influencers on social media to drive demand. “We will make it so customers will be coming into stores asking if they have Noumi yet,” explained Lincoln. 

The need for loyalty and digital receipts 

Part of the Noumi offer is ‘Golden Receipts’, automatically entering each Noumi shopper into a prize draw to win between £1 and £100 every time they shop. There have been more than 1,500 winners under this Noumi-funded incentive so far. Demetriou said a large part of the success is making loyalty benefits more tangible for shoppers. “People want instant rewards and instant wins, and that’s what Noumi does. It brings the gamification aspect and draws people in,” she explained, adding that the reward can be whatever the retailer wants, ranging from ‘get your fifth coffee free’, to percentage discounts for shoppers that hit a monthly spending target, to cash prizes. 

Lincoln, a former local shop owner, added that the rewards and the need for digital receipts is driven by changing customer habits. “When I used to be at the counter, people would stop and chat – it’s not like that anymore, everyone is in a rush,” he said. “Noumi is all about on-the go and convenience, understanding people’s busy lifestyles to drive sales for our partners’ stores.” 

The company claimed the pandemic had driven a dramatic rise in the use of contactless payments, with 85% of shoppers surveyed by Noumi stating that tapping their phone was their preferred way of getting a digital receipt. 

Interested in adding Noumi to your store? Email editorial@ newtrade.co.uk with the subject ‘Noumi receipts’ 

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