A painter loyalty program rewards painters and painting contractors for using a brand's paint. In the programs India's big paint brands run, the painter scans a code on each pack to earn points, then turns them into a bank or UPI transfer, with tiers, training or insurance on top. For the brand, the whole point is to be the paint the painter names.
The scan and the bank transfer are now standard. Asian Paints, Birla Opus, Nippon Paint and Indigo Paints all reward by scan, and Berger and Nippon promise instant transfers. So a new program won't win painters on points alone. It wins on three choices: whether it rewards the painter or the contractor, whether a painter without the app can still claim, and what it asks of the dealer.
How India's Paint Companies Run Painter Loyalty Apps
Here's what five of India's paint companies say about their own programs.
| Company and program | Built for | How members earn | How they're paid | Other benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Paints: Masterstrokes app | Contractors | Scanning each paint bucket | Points to a bank account, or Asian Paints tools at a special price; loyalty tiers | TDS details shown in the app |
| Berger Paints: Expert Contractor Program | Contractors | Not stated | Instant cash transfers; yearly and quarterly bonuses | Insurance, scholarships for members' children, trips, iTrain training |
| Birla Opus: Birla Opus ID app | Painters and contractors | Scanning a QR coupon on each purchase | Coupon value to a bank or UPI account; loyalty tiers | TDS certificates in the app |
| Nippon Paint: PROChamps+ | Paint applicators | Scanning QR codes and in-can tokens | Instant bank transfers | Not stated |
| Indigo Paints: Decor Club app | Painters and contractors | Scanning the product barcode or typing its code | Painters: money to a bank account. Contractors: chances to win rewards | Not stated |
Source: each company's website and app store listing, November 2026.
The biggest brand doesn't stop at points: Asian Paints trained more than 9,45,000 painters and contractors in 2025-26. And Asian Paints and Berger built their programs for contractors, not for every painter on the wall. That's the first choice you'll make.
Painter Loyalty Program or Contractor Program?
The homeowner often buys whichever brand the painter or contractor names. But on most jobs the painter and the contractor aren't the same person. The contractor wins the job, buys the paint at a dealer's counter and runs a crew; the painter on the wall may work for him or on his own. When our field teams visit construction sites for building materials brands, they meet the contractors, learn which products each job uses and direct them to dealers with brand-linked benefits.
Reward the contractor, and you reach the person who places the order, but his crew has no reason to care which bucket they open. Reward each painter, and you reach the hand on the roller, but you enrol far more people, and each needs his own KYC and bank details. Indigo Paints splits the two: in its Decor Club app, painters turn points into money in their bank account, while contractors earn chances to win rewards.
Before launch, decide who scans the code (the painter who opens the pack, or the contractor who bought it), whose account the points land in, and whether a painter can earn under his contractor or only in his own name.
Who a painter loyalty program can reward
Painter Loyalty App Rewards: QR Code Scans, Claims and Payouts
In a scan-to-earn program, each pack carries a code printed before it's dispatched, and each code can be scanned once. The painter scans it on the job, the points land against his name, and you learn which product went onto which job. KYC happens once, with Aadhaar and PAN, when he joins or later.
The app shouldn't be the only way in. A painter who doesn't use apps, or who'd rather speak Tamil than read English, still needs a way to claim. In the influencer loyalty programs we run on 1Channel, every member can also claim points and redeem rewards over WhatsApp, through the call centre, by email to the helpdesk or through his field rep, and our helpdesk team works in 10 regional languages.
Then the money. A program that pays at quarter end starts behind. On 1Channel, points reach the member's wallet as soon as a claim is approved, and a UPI payout reaches his bank account as soon as he asks for it.
How a painter's claim becomes money
Where Dealers Fit in a Painter Loyalty Program
The dealer sells the bucket and sees the painters who come to his counter, so he's the obvious person to vouch for them. How much you lean on him is a choice each program makes. Some ask the dealer only to approve who joins. Others also ask him to confirm each claim. The first pays the painter sooner; the second puts a second pair of eyes on every scan.
The dealer can earn too. You can reward your painters and the dealers who serve them in the same 1Channel app, each in his own scheme, so a dealer who brings in painters has a reason to keep doing it. If you already run a dealer loyalty program, the painter program can sit beside it.
TDS on Painter Loyalty App Rewards
Since 1 April 2026, the Income-tax Act, 2025 applies. Its section 393(1), which took over from section 194R of the old Act, asks a specified person who gives a benefit or perquisite arising from a resident's business or profession to deduct tax at 10% of its value, cash or kind, with a threshold of Rs 20,000. Rewards to a painter or contractor working on his own account can fall under it.
Two of the big apps already put it in front of members: Masterstrokes shows TDS details, and Birla Opus ID lets them download TDS certificates. Ask your tax adviser how it applies to your program. Our guide to channel incentive programs covers how the rule treats rebates, gifts and trips.
Conclusion
Make the three choices before launch: who you reward, the painter or the contractor; how a painter claims without the app; and what the dealer approves. Once it's live, watch three numbers: painters active each month, members who joined and never scanned, and how long a claim takes to become money.
