By Retail Insider
Montreal-based Lightspeed, the powerful cloud point-of-sale system for independent retailers and restaurants, has unveiled a new technology that enables merchants to engage customers, reward repeat business and build a loyal following. It’s part of an effort on the part of Lightspeed to help level the playing field for smaller businesses that are competing with larger brands that have had the resources to implement loyalty programs.
Called ‘Lightspeed Loyalty’, the new technology provides retailers and restaurants the ability to create a dialogue so that first-time guests become regulars, and existing customers become more engaged. It’s all done through a single platform which provides the tools to better communicate and target their customers in a personalized way.
“Retailers and restaurants have always aimed to offer customers a superior level of service, and Lightspeed Loyalty allows them to take that service to the next level,” says Dax Dasilva, Founder and CEO of Lightspeed. “We’re providing these businesses with the tools to break down barriers, thus fostering strong customer relationships, driving repeat visits and increasing revenues, no matter the season.”
Key features to the newly launched Lightspeed Loyalty include:
- The Rewards Program: Merchants can easily set up a customized rewards program with a branded customer-facing app and tools for managing points, purchasing products from within the app, and customer credit accounts,
- Automated Marketing: Users can create automated campaigns via SMS, mobile push notifications and a drag and drop email builder. This allows companies to easily target customers with relevant offers based on auto-segmented customer habits and preset Smart Customer Groups,
- Customer Insights: Users can view customer habits and interests in one place to enhance menu management or inventory selection, pricing, and promotional planning, and
Native Application (for Restaurants Only): Restaurants may use a custom branded app, for iOS and Android, that allows customers to directly engage with a restaurant and collect/redeem rewards.
Some of Lightspeed’s existing customers have been testing out the new Lightspeed Loyalty technology and have given it rave reviews. Matthew McDermott, President of Vittorio Menswear in Rochester, New York, said, “As a menswear and tuxedo store, we often sell for special occasions, so there is a huge opportunity for us to make lifelong customers. Lightspeed Loyalty really helps us with that.”
Romain Beiso, co-founder of restaurant concept Chez Mere Grand in Montreal, said, “Customers using the Lightspeed Loyalty app are coming back more often, some even three times a day now. They love seeing their meter fill up as they get closer to their free coffee.”
Lightspeed Loyalty was made possible after Lightspeed acquired Toronto-based loyalty platform ReUp earlier this year. ReUp is a digital platform that allows business owners to build a branded loyalty program and to date, more than 60,000,000 points have been awarded to over 200,000 customers.
Lightspeed continues to work with independent retailers and restaurants in order to level the playing field against larger retailers. Lightspeed was founded in 2005 in Montreal and has grown to nearly 700 employees with global offices in Canada, USA, Europe, and Australia.
In October of this year, Lighspeed launched the innovative Lightspeed ‘Retail Success Index’, which is an industry-validated questionnaire that independent retailers can utilize to determine a score for their business that will reveal new insights and opportunities for advancement. The Retail Success Index empowers independents to delve deeper into the current state of their businesses — that includes measuring their stance among competitors by identifying their strengths and granting them knowledge on areas their company can improve. Information gained is useful to retailers, no matter how long they have been in business. The five-minute questionnaire provides valuable information on the spot, and retailers can take the test every few months in order to monitor their growth.
The company’s other innovations include the recently introduced Lightspeed Analytics, which is geared towards independent retailers and is designed to provide retailers with insights and recommendations into their sales, inventory, employee performance and customer behaviours, with an aim of providing retailers a competitive edge in their industry. We recently profiled Lightspeed Analytics at length in a previous article.
