Welcome stamp
Updated September 30, 2026
In one sentence
A welcome stamp is a stamp given at sign-up, so that a new member’s card starts already under way.
The observed effect
In 2006, researchers Joseph Nunes and Xavier Drèze gave car wash customers two cards that both required 8 washes: one with 8 empty boxes, the other with 10 boxes and 2 already stamped. 34% of the cards with 2 free stamps were completed, compared with 19% of the empty cards. Starting with a head start makes people want to finish.
How to apply it
Give 1 or 2 stamps at sign-up and add as many boxes to the card: the effort asked of the customer stays the same, and so does your cost. The effect comes from a single field experiment; it does not guarantee the same gap in your business, but it costs nothing to try.
A bakery moves from 8 to 10 boxes and gives 2 stamps at sign-up. It still takes 8 purchases to get the free pastry, but the card shows 2 out of 10 from day one.
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