In recent years, the industry has witnessed a hybrid approach to the two vendor managements models detailed here. In this hybrid model, a payment orchestration layer or a gateway provides pre-existing, best-in-class integrations for a merchant to leverage.
Category: LOYALTY+
What is a Payment Account Reference (PAR) and why does it matter to merchants?
PAR is an alphanumeric reference point that enables a business to track a consumer and their payment account across the various payment methods they use. For example, a consumer may have 3 credit cards in their wallet, each of which would generate a different token if used in a tokenized environment. PAR links these cards…
What does the new Taco Bell Defy concept mean for Convenience?
This new Taco Bell concept should not be seen merely as a signal to other fast-food operators and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) that change is coming; this is a sign to all who strive to offer quick, convenient, access to high quality food and drink that adaptation is required. As a company, you don’t get…
How Your Competitors Inform Your Program Strategy
While too strong of a focus on the competition will not lead you closer to a winning program strategy, collecting competitive insights with purpose as part of your broader program strategy can enable new insights to help you serve your consumer base. These insights can solidify your understanding of table stakes, barriers to entry, and…
Now May Be the Time for a Resale Platform
Beyond the financial benefits, there are plenty of benefits associated with the RaaS model. From a branding perspective, when the merchant stamps the resale, it signals to the world that the product holds up through time and use. There’s also an ecological and reputational advantage to RaaS in that resale is both sustainable and eco-friendly.
Convenience & Energy and the Growth of Subscription Services
Subscriptions are everywhere you look, including places where subscriptions haven’t traditionally been leveraged, such as fast-food chains and movie theaters. Convenience stores and energy retailers are no exception. There are many reasons for the growth of subscription services.
Using Data Sciences to Understand Your Business
To maximize the efficacy of your data, you need to set an action plan that the data should inform from the moment of collection. To do this to the fullest, it’s essential to stay ahead of market trends and data science techniques. Where merchant organizations have identified a problem to solve, and they maintain data…
Growth Marketing Best Practices for Your Hotel
The hospitality industry has had to dramatically shift its marketing focus since the start of the pandemic, adapting to forces that would have been inconceivable before 2020. Those hospitality merchants who had previously implemented solid growth marketing programs prior to COVID-19 were in the best position to respond to and adapt their approach to the…
Remote ordering and curbside pickup arrived quickly during the pandemic- what will merchants deliver next?
The COVID-19 pandemic brought an acute need to quickly implement remote ordering, delivery and curbside pickup, along with flexible online payment options. Having forever relied on customers coming into their locations to buy items and interact directly, their very survival was on the line. Speed to implement became the sole criteria, with thoughts about customers,…
Frictionless Stores are Fast Becoming a Necessity
When consumers develop a want or a need for a good or a service, they ask themselves a question: what’s the quickest and easiest way to obtain it? As frictionless experiences gain popularity, your brand experience must be flexible and efficient enough to ensure you gain inclusion in your consumer’s consideration set.
Loyalty For Fuel Retailers Has Never Required More Decisions
For Convenience and Fuel Retailers, navigating the minefield of considerations that need to be thought of in relation to Loyalty and Consumer Engagement, surrounding business impacts and business decisions should not be taken lightly. Adding an outside view that has significant industry experience as early as possible in your internal discussions will pay huge dividends…
Managing Work-Life Balance Under COVID-19
Not too long ago, many of us idealized opportunities to work from home. What was not to love about working from the coziness of home? Your kids were at school, you could focus on productivity and you did not have to bother looking at your watch to be sure you could catch the last express…