Platform loyalty vs your own branded loyalty
Platform loyalty programmes like Grab Stamps and ShopBack build loyalty to the platform, not to your business. STAMPEDE gives you a branded programme your customers associate with your business — with referrals, AI retention, and customer data you own.
Grab Stamps / ShopBack / Fave vs STAMPEDE
| Grab Stamps / ShopBack / Fave | STAMPEDE | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the customer? | The platform | The business |
| Customer data access | Limited, platform-controlled | Full access — you own it |
| Branding | Platform-branded (Grab / ShopBack) | Your brand, colours, and logo |
| Customer discovery | Strong — millions of platform users | Growing — 11,000+ directory pages |
| Referral programme | No merchant-level referrals | Built-in (1,500+ referrals across clients) |
| Automated retention | No merchant-level automation | AI-driven win-back and birthday rewards |
| Payment lock-in | GrabPay / ShopBack Pay only | Works with any payment method |
| App download | Grab or ShopBack app required | No app — phone browser |
| Cost | Grab: about S$30 per outlet per month; ShopBack: commission-based | From $50 per outlet per month |
| Weekly reports | No | AI-powered weekly digest |
Marketplace loyalty (Grab, ShopBack, Fave)
- •Loyalty is to the platform — customers earn Grab points or ShopBack cashback
- •The platform owns the customer data and the relationship
- •Strong for discovery — new customers find you through the platform
- •Locked to the platform's payment system
- •No custom branding — it's a Grab or ShopBack experience
- •No referral system at the merchant level
- •No automated retention campaigns from the merchant
Branded loyalty (STAMPEDE)
- •Loyalty is to the business — customers earn your stamps and your rewards
- •The business owns the customer data
- •Less discovery, though STAMPEDE's 11,000-page directory helps
- •Works with any payment method
- •Full white-label branding
- •Built-in referral system
- •AI-driven retention campaigns
Two models of loyalty
Marketplace loyalty builds traffic to the platform; branded loyalty builds your own customer base. Both have a place — the difference is whether the customer ends up loyal to Grab, or loyal to you.
The data question
With Grab or ShopBack, the platform knows your customers better than you do. With STAMPEDE, you see every visit, referral, and redemption. For a small business, owning that relationship is how you grow without paying for reach.
The referral gap
Grab and ShopBack don't let merchants run their own referral programmes. STAMPEDE's referral system has generated more than 1,500 completed referrals — because the loyalty is to your business, so your customers bring friends to you.
The branding question
When a customer earns a Grab stamp, they remember Grab. When they earn your stamp, they remember you. White-label loyalty means every visit builds your brand equity, not the platform's.
When platform loyalty makes sense
Be honest: if most of your orders come through GrabFood, Grab stamps are near-free acquisition on a channel you already pay commission on. If customers walk into your store, you want them remembering your brand, not the app they paid through.
Can you use both?
Yes. Platform loyalty for delivery orders and STAMPEDE for walk-in customers are not mutually exclusive. Many businesses run marketplace loyalty for reach and branded loyalty to own the relationship.
Other comparisons
Paper stamp cards vs digital loyalty
Read comparison →Building your own app vs STAMPEDE
Read comparison →New to STAMPEDE? See what STAMPEDE is or how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use Grab Stamps or my own loyalty programme?
It depends on where your customers come from. Grab Stamps rewards GrabFood and GrabPay activity and builds loyalty to Grab. Your own programme, like STAMPEDE, builds loyalty to your business and gives you the customer data. Many businesses run both.
Can I use both Grab and STAMPEDE?
Yes. They serve different jobs: Grab drives delivery discovery, while STAMPEDE owns the walk-in relationship with referrals, retention, and data. They're not mutually exclusive.
Who owns the customer data with Grab Stamps?
The platform does. Marketplace loyalty programmes keep the customer relationship and data on the platform's side. With a branded programme like STAMPEDE, the business owns its customer data directly.
Is ShopBack cashback the same as a loyalty programme?
Not quite. ShopBack is cashback-based rather than stamp-based, paid through ShopBack Pay. It rewards spend, but the merchant doesn't get a branded stamp card, referral engine, or retention automation of their own.
Do platform loyalty programmes help with customer retention?
They help the platform retain customers more than they help you. Merchant-level retention tools — win-back messages, birthday rewards, milestone nudges — generally aren't available on marketplace loyalty, but they are core to STAMPEDE.
How is STAMPEDE different from Grab's stamp card?
Grab's stamp card is earned through GrabFood or GrabPay and is branded to Grab, with the customer data on Grab's side. STAMPEDE is your own branded stamp card, works with any payment method, includes referrals and AI retention, and gives you the data.
Can I run referrals through Grab or ShopBack?
Not at the merchant level — those platforms don't offer merchant-run referral programmes. STAMPEDE has a built-in referral system that has driven over 1,500 completed referrals for its businesses.
What happens to my loyalty members if I leave the platform?
On a marketplace platform, the members and data stay with the platform. With STAMPEDE, your members and their data are yours, so your loyalty base moves with your business.
Do I need the Grab app to use STAMPEDE?
No. STAMPEDE is independent of Grab and runs in any phone browser with no app download. Customers join your programme directly, whether or not they use Grab.
Build loyalty to your business
Set up free and pay only when you go live. Loyalty, referrals, WhatsApp campaigns, and AI reports — all under your brand.