Updated: November 1, 2018

Original Post: October 25, 2017

Apple Pay with NFC Loyalty is now live in 2,000+ locations.

Guests have an easy, secure, private way to pay and pass their loyalty identification in one NFC tap.

The speed of Apple Pay can now be combined with an incredible convenient loyalty experience for all Paytronix customers.  The recently completed integration of Apple Pay with the Paytronix Rewards Platform promises easy, secure and private mobile payments that simultaneously record loyalty data in a single NFC tap that’s fast and convenient.

“For the brand, this solution reduces the complexity and more importantly the time required for a cashier to process an order, a key metric for QSR and Fast Casual chains,” said Todd Michaud, restaurant technology consultant with Power Thinking. “For the customer, it brings loyalty functionality into the Apple Passbook, which means one less app they must navigate at check-out, greatly improving their ease-of-use. This in turn will lead to greater adoption, providing marketers with additional data to improve the program effectiveness. Any improvement like this that can positively impact the consumer, store operations and marketing is definitely a win-win-win.”

Some of the benefits that Apple Pay brings to restaurants, retailers and end users include:

Convenient Guest ID. With the NFC Apple Pay integration, guests tap their phones not only pay, but also deliver their loyalty identifier and redeem rewards. […]

Loyalty programs can have an astounding impact on your business, increasing visits, spend, and overall revenue immediately and for years to come.

But to reap the rewards of a loyalty program, the program must be set up and run with both strategy and foresight.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of five “dos” and “don’ts” that will prime a loyalty program for success. Let’s first look at them at a high level: […]

People are creatures of habit. We get out of bed at the same time, start our day by visiting the same website, and go to the same place for our morning coffee on the way to work.

Although consumers’ habits may be hard to change, doing so can have a significant impact on your business.

While the number of trips per week that consumers make to convenience stores decreased between 2014 and 2017, dropping from 3.6 to 2.6, consumers continue to frequent c-stores for coffee purchases.

These coffee purchases can be the key to reversing that trend in visit frequency, as well as increasing spend.

After all, if people become accustomed to getting their morning coffee from you, it’s natural for them to make that a regular—perhaps even daily—habit. And if they’re already visiting your c-store for coffee, it would make sense for them to fill up an empty tank, buy a sandwich for lunch, or make another kind of purchase too.

Coffee seems like such a small purchase, but it can really be a catalyst for changing customers’ behavior and generating more revenue.

So how can you perk up your coffee program? […]

Technomic projects growth for all segments of the restaurant industry next year, with most growth in the two or three percent range. But one restaurant segment is projected to outpace the others by leaps and bounds at 7.5%… 

Today, we’re going to examine some of the reasons fast casual restaurants are beating out the other segments, and learn the tactics you can use in your own strategy—no matter your restaurant type. 

First, it’s important that we get clear on exactly what “fast casual” entails. Restaurants that fall into this segment include Panera, Freshii, Caliburger, and many more. Fast casual restaurants offer a quick dining solution with a more upscale atmosphere. 

Generally, fast casual restaurants offer healthy options, well-designed interiors, affordable quality, and flavor diversity. Beyond these elements, one of the keys that sets this segment apart is its focus on providing solutions for the time-pressed customer.  

The fast casual customer is tech savvy and busy. He or she demands convenience and wants to be in control. Fast casual restaurants have developed a wide range of innovations to give more control to their customers, from facial recognition loyalty programs to self-service kiosks. 

This focus on quality, atmosphere, and, most importantly, guest convenience has led to more and more fast casual restaurants opening up across the country, and already established brands rapidly adding locations.  […]