3 Ways to Profit from Your Receipts

All shops hand out receipts, but do they do it efficiently? Receipts can be valuable and can be much more than simply displaying product prices and the store address. Here are 3 receipt templates and different ways to give extra attention to these small papers.

Since you probably print many receipts per day, you should try to get the best out of it. These small papers can actually help you reinforce your brand image and awareness. Your receipts can be a communication tool by engaging, amusing or even stimulating more purchases.

Receipts don’t necessarily need to be a boring slip of paper with the address of the store, which will end up in the trash a second after it is printed. You can make them beautiful and eye-catching. Having your logo on your receipts will attract your customer's attention and make your company easily identifiable. Consequently, it will improve your brand image. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The price of this option is not enormous - you don’t need to have a huge store or a chain to be able to enjoy this feature. A mid level quality cash register will provide you with the right software and a printer that can include texts and pictures on your receipts.

Many of your current receipts probably end up in the garbage. However, you can find a way to reduce this waste. Engaging your customers with your brand will make them keep your receipts longer and this can be done in many ways.
For instance, you can give them a reduction on their next purchase by presenting the receipt, a discount if they order online or a free drink on the next visit to your restaurant. Also, you can offer a discount to those customers that go to your website to answer a survey.
These offers can also increase customer engagement by requiring them to scan a QR code to receive the reduction.

You should always avoid excessive information and having long receipts. Customers will most likely get overwhelmed and skip vital information. Furthermore, long receipts are not good for the environment, and using unnecessary paper will cost you in the long run. A good idea is to limit yourself to one or two offers and reduce the white-space by cutting down the blank margins on the top and bottom.

Electronic receipts sent by email have many advantages for the store owners as well as for the customers. These kind of receipts are getting more common as a significant portion of the population has a smartphone nowadays.

The first advantage with electronic receipts is that you will reduce your costs by completely removing the paper and ink out of the equation. Of course this will be cheaper for you and your customers will appreciate the positive environmental impact your company is making. Let your customers decide if they want a printed receipt or prefer to receive it by email. Make sure you mention the environmental implications of using too much paper when you ask them, so they know they are contributing to a good cause by accepting.

You will be able to collect your customer's email address and then contact them to gain follow up visits and purchases.
You can use these emailed receipt as a marketing tool by including more than just the basic receipt information. You can include advertisements, discounts, personalized messages or links to offers or surveys. It is much more likely that your customers will click on a link from an email than typing the URL from paper-based receipts.

Also, the effects of electronic receipts will last longer than paper-based receipts because they can be seen again when customers connect to his or her emails. A paper receipt has higher chances of being lost inside a bag or trashed and be never seen again.

Finally, it is also convenient for your customers when they need to return an item because it is more likely to lose a paper receipt than an electronic one.

It is clear that you can take advantage of receipts to promote your business and increase your sales. In most cases, changes are easy to implement and don’t cost too much. However, electronic receipts are more expensive as you will need a POS system.