Integrating loyalty into your existing POS shouldn’t be a headache. All you need is a single platform integration.
For enterprise teams, the barrier to a better customer loyalty programme is the current tech stack. No one wants to rip out infrastructure that’s taken years to put in place or deal with high operational costs, learning curves and more admin.
The good news is that it’s far easier and less disruptive to integrate loyalty into existing POS and payments infrastructure.
All you need is a single platform connection that integrates with your current systems. Your loyalty, vouchers and gift cards route through the same transaction a customer makes, connecting directly to your POS with only one consolidated settlement process.
Why loyalty and POS systems are disconnected
Data silos.
It’s the number-one reason why things don’t work.
You have one system for payments, another for points, and an app. Because everything is built separately, getting everything to communicate at once is not always easy.
And when a miscommunication occurs, the customer bears the brunt of points not reflecting or vouchers not working at the till.
The more systems you have in your tech stack, the higher the risk of a connection breaking down. Separate vendors mean separate reconciliation, reporting and settlement.
Then there’s the strain on internal resources having to manage everything, whether it’s your IT department fixing bugs or finance trying to balance the books.
Read more: Why Enterprise Loyalty Programmes Fail at Scale
What your loyalty infrastructure could look like
A single integration solves the disconnect by routing loyalty through the one transaction.
Instead of having a separate vendor for every rewards programme, wallet, or voucher and managing each integration, your point of sale talks to a single platform.
That platform handles everything else, such as:
- Routing the transaction to the correct rewards partner
- Sending a digital gift card voucher
- Applying points to a mobile wallet
- Applying advanced loyalty rules
- Streamlining the reconciliation process
The best part?
You can add as many new retail rewards partners as you want without having to worry about managing another POS integration. A modern rewards platform like Yoyo will absorb it and give you a standardised rinse-and-repeat process.
Regardless of how many transactions or gift cards you’re issuing, there will only be one flow covering payment, earning and redemption.
No additional team training required.
Read more: What is Loyalty Infrastructure? And Why You Need It
How loyalty integration works across POS and payments infrastructure
Two exchanges need to happen between your till and rewards platform.
- The request: A customer presents a code, scans a QR code, or taps a card, and the POS asks the loyalty platform to authorise it. The platform routes the transaction to the right provider, checks funds or eligibility, and responds within seconds.
- The confirmation: Once the sale is complete, the POS sends a message to finalise the transaction or reverse it.
The money will only move upon confirmation, giving your finance and operations teams a reliable single source of truth.
Simplify your reconciliation and settlement
With every provider running on a single platform, reconciliation and settlement become a breeze. Finance no longer needs to close books separately against each rewards partner, and you’ll still have detailed reporting.
One integration layer also makes compliance easier. With fewer moving parts, there’s less surface area to secure, and staying POPIA-compliant takes far less effort and internal resources.
A consolidated recon will keep your operational costs flat and your processes simple, no matter how many rewards partners you add in the future.
Read more: The Hidden Cost of Fragmented Gift Card and Rewards Systems
Connect loyalty to your tech stack
The whole point of implementing a rewards platform model is to make loyalty easy. It should integrate with your existing environment, rather than giving you homework and forcing you to rebuild the infrastructure around it.
For enterprise teams looking at options, the questions you need to ask are:
- Does the platform run through our existing payment rails?
- How many integrations do we need to maintain?
- Does it make settlement easier or harder as we add partners?
The less work it is for you to implement and maintain, and the smaller your operational risk and overhead, the better the loyalty platform is for enterprise business.
To see how Yoyo integrates loyalty, vouchers, and gift cards into a single solution, explore our retail solutions.