Puraskar

Puraskar is a loyalty and rewards platform for Indian businesses, from neighborhood retailers and salons to D2C brands and service providers. It is best suited to merchants who want points, cashback and customer engagement alongside rewards for their trade network. Its free plan makes it possible to start small, while higher tiers add room for more branches, staff, customers and AI-assisted entry.

Overview

Puraskar combines configurable loyalty rules with customer engagement tools and a separate Trade Network for rewarding dealers, distributors and trade influencers. Merchants can set points and cashback by product or category; automatic calculations, a FIFO ledger and expiry rules help keep balances tied to transactions. The breadth suits businesses that want more than a basic stamp card, though the expanding feature set may be more than a single-location merchant needs.

AI Quick Add can pre-fill customer or sale forms from a chat message or bill photo, but a merchant must confirm the data before it is saved. CSV imports bring in customer and sales records in batches with per-row results. Scoped API keys let billing or CRM systems record sales and manage customers, making Puraskar a better fit when loyalty needs to connect to existing business workflows.

Key features

• Loyalty rules: Points and cashback can vary by category or product, with automated calculation, a FIFO ledger and expiry. That provides more control than a single flat reward rate.
• Engagement: Redemptions, campaigns, coupons, check-in streaks, games, badges and referrals give merchants several ways to prompt repeat visits. Games, scan-to-earn and referrals are included in Starter and above; Free still includes the Trade Network.
• Trade Network: Purchase transactions, QR attribution, targets, tiers and a leaderboard support rewards across dealer and distributor channels, not just customer purchases.
• Customer access: Customers sign in at puraskar.in with an email one-time code, without downloading an app or using a password. This removes an app-install step, though it depends on customers having email access.

Pricing

Puraskar is freemium, with paid plans starting at ₹999/mo. The listed plan prices are monthly in INR. Free includes one branch, three staff accounts, 500 customers, 50 AI credits per month and Trade Network. It is a useful entry point for a small operation, but its customer cap and modest AI allowance leave little headroom as usage grows.

Starter is the first paid step for merchants that need more than one branch or want games, scan-to-earn and referrals. Growth and Business raise capacity substantially for expanding teams, but cost more without changing the core feature set described here. Enterprise removes the listed capacity ceilings and adds dedicated onboarding, at custom pricing. All merchant accounts include help-channel support; higher tiers include priority support. Owners can upgrade, downgrade or cancel in the Merchant Portal, but fees already billed for a period are non-refundable except where required by law.

The stated member limit is 2,500, matching Starter's customer cap; merchants should account for that alongside plan-specific customer capacity. AI credits are monthly quotas, so AI-assisted entry is not unlimited on the fixed plans.

Platforms

Puraskar supports web and API access. Its API offers scoped keys for connecting a merchant's billing or CRM system. Customer access runs through the web at puraskar.in; customers do not need a separate app or password.

Who it's for

Puraskar is aimed at retail stores, restaurants and cafes, salons and spas, D2C and e-commerce brands, and services businesses. It is particularly relevant to merchants combining customer loyalty with dealer or distributor incentives, or those importing POS/CRM records and connecting sales through an API. A business seeking only a simple customer punch card may not need its broader trade and campaign toolkit.

Its privacy policy describes encrypted credential storage, role-based access controls and tenant-level data isolation, and says personal data is not sold. Service providers handle email delivery, AI processing, push notifications and cloud infrastructure; data may be processed on servers outside India. Businesses with data-residency requirements should weigh that point before adopting it.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Product- and category-level points and cashback rules, ledgering and expiry support more tailored programs than a uniform reward scheme.
• Pro: Trade Network rewards extend beyond end customers to dealers, distributors and influencers, with attribution and performance mechanics.
• Pro: CSV import and scoped API keys give merchants paths to bring in existing records and connect sales workflows.
• Con: Free is capped at 500 customers and 50 AI credits a month, and Starter's 2,500-customer cap is also the stated member limit; growing programs may need a paid tier quickly.
• Con: AI assistance uses monthly credits and requires merchant confirmation before saving, so it is an aid to data entry rather than a fully automatic intake process.
• Con: Data may be processed outside India, a consideration for businesses with strict localization requirements.

Alternatives

For a salon-specific shortlist, see Salon Loyalty Software.

• Cuppacard is a freemium Android, iOS and web option with a first month free on its £10.00/month plan, a custom loyalty scheme, customer insights and offers; choose it when that narrower loyalty package and mobile apps suit better.
• Qashier offers Android, iOS, web and API access, with a free plan and trial; its Essential plan is $5 a month, billed RM5/day, with up to 9 stores, 1,000 products, unlimited staff and CRM for up to 500 customers. Choose it when those store and product limits better match the operation.
• SalonHub360 is a freemium Android, iOS and web option whose $19.99/month Starter plan includes one staff member, online booking, a service menu, client management and basic appointment reminders; choose it when salon booking and client scheduling are the priority.
• Lumidara is a freemium web option with a $10.00/month Pro plan covering unlimited clients, self-booking, deposits, 500 campaign sends a month, analytics and aftercare; choose it when those booking and campaign tools fit better.
• Letstamp is a paid Android, iOS, web and API platform with a 7-day free trial; its $32.00/month plan includes one branch and two campaigns, with extra branches and campaigns priced separately. Choose it when that campaign structure and trial are a better fit.
• meed is a freemium web option with a free tier for up to 50 members and a $59.00/month Pro plan; choose it when a smaller member ceiling or web-only setup suits.
• Salonist is a freemium Android, iOS and web option with a free tier that includes 50 appointments a month, online booking, scheduling and staff shift management; choose it when appointment operations matter more than Puraskar's trade-reward emphasis.
• SALoyal is a paid web option with a free trial; choose it when comparing another paid loyalty platform.

Verdict

Puraskar is a strong fit for Indian merchants that want configurable customer rewards and trade incentives in the same system, especially when they have multiple locations or existing POS/CRM data to connect. Its free tier offers a low-commitment starting point, but the 500-customer cap and 50 monthly AI credits make it a short runway for a growing program. Look elsewhere if salon scheduling is the main need, if a simpler loyalty tool will do, or if processing data outside India is unacceptable.