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Competition at the point of sale is just as tough behind the counter as in front. Two payments companies separately are launching new products they hope will give them an edge. PAR Technology Corp. released PAR Engagement, a portfolio of products meant to help enterprise restaurants win over more customers, while Global Payments Inc. released Genius for Retail, its second large piece of the Genius POS platform.
PARTech say PAR Engagement uses a modular setup to offer restaurateurs access to loyalty, marketing, offers, and guest data tools, meaning they can pick and choose which they want to use.
Among the products are PAR Ordering, which can help restaurants with a branded ordering experience across multiple channels, and Punchh Loyalty, a restaurant loyalty program from Austin, Texas-based Punchh.
The guest-data component enables restaurants to unite diner identity traits, whether they are in a loyalty program or not, to help the marketing side recognize and personalize their efforts, PARTech says. That is tied directly to the marketing-and-offers module that supports personalized campaigns for all customers. PAR Engagement also has services designed to help increase check size, repeat visits, and to present a common digital experience across channels.
PARTech says a chatbot for loyalty, ordering, developer supports, and personalized upselling is coming later this year. In October, New Hartford, N.Y.-based PARTech launched its latest POS platform that brought QR code scanning and the capability to integrate with kiosks.
Meanwhile, Atlanta-based Global Payments has released its Genius for Retail POS technology, which follows the May introduction of Genius for Restaurants. In September, Global Payments announced the unification of its POS branding with the Genius name. In February, it said the May launch of Genius was on track.
Genius for Retail is well suited for small and mid-size retailers, Global Payments says. In addition to the typical array of accepted payment methods, the platform also has business-management options, such as inventory tools, digital invoicing, pay by link, and employee scheduling.
The platform also offers customer-engagement tools that includes promotions and order-ahead capabilities so customers can use a Web application to browse, order, and pay before an in-store or curbside pickup.
Global Payments says other retail configurations of the Genius platform, including for businesses that need age verification and for health and beauty will be launched in the third and fourth quarters. The third piece of the Genius platform, Genius for Enterprise, will be released in the third quarter.
