New e-commerce solution takes back control from third-party delivery companies

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Cheerfy, the CRM, loyalty and e-commerce solution dedicated to the hospitality industry, has launched a new product called Cheerfy Shop, to help operators turn their website into an e-commerce site, as well as providing much needed at-table order and payment technology.

The development, which launches while the hospitality industry steadily reopens following the Government enforced lockdown, gives operators full autonomy over their customers’ data and allows them to take back control from third-party delivery providers without the burden of hefty commissions. 

The easy-to-use solution transforms basic websites into fully branded e-commerce sites, giving operators the ability to sell products directly to customers via their existing website. It also gives businesses flexibility to offer a range of different menus – for delivery, sit in or collection – all under the operator’s website domain.  

This capability also allows operators to provide a direct delivery service, that can integrate with cost-effective delivery platforms, such as Stuart. In addition, it provides a click and collect service for customers for same-day or future ordering, as well as an order and pay solution for in-venue customers via bespoke QR codes, which collect vital track and trace capable customer data.

The platform integrates with a business’ Point of Sale as well as with Cheerfy’s Loyalty solution, creating a frictionless and personalised process for the customer, automatically updating their loyalty card or voucher with each purchase. 

The online payment tool provides operators with instant payment via the businesses Stripe or Checkout.com account. 

Adrian Maseda, Co-founder of Cheerfy said: “The pandemic has had a long-lasting and devastating impact on the hospitality industry across the globe. We wanted to turn the downtime into an advantage, so looked to innovation, and the Cheerfy Shop was born. From talking to our clients, it was apparent that third party delivery services have a monopoly in the industry, holding onto crucial customer data at prohibitive fees. We wanted to tackle this, and introduced the Cheerfy Shop, which complements our suite of existing customer loyalty services. The pandemic has led to an increasingly congested technology infrastructure, so we’ve sought to amalgamate a full suite of loyalty services under one banner, whilst maintaining simplicity for operators.” 

The technology is currently utilised at a number of operators across the café, restaurant, and pub and bar industries, including the fast-growing and innovative coffee brand, Black Sheep. The speciality coffee provider’s e-commerce offering was constructed around an impressive 2,000 options across its food and drink menus.

Gabriel Shohet of Black Sheep Coffee said: “Following extensive conversations with the Cheerfy team over the lockdown, we are delighted with the strategy and implementation of the new Cheerfy Shop platform. This solution gave us a crucial vehicle for trading during lockdown, and will form a key component in our offering as we look ahead. A particular highlight for us was the instant direct payment access, which removed the need for any intermediaries and created a truly seamless process. In Cheerfy we’ve found a committed and knowledgeable technology partner who are willing to work collaboratively with us and innovate – something that is imperative in today’s market.”

The business, which is running in the UK, Spanish, US, Italian and Portuguese markets, also provides an end-to-end customer loyalty platform that collects data through Wi-Fi, and utilises it to engage with customers through personalised automated email and SMS messages, driving return custom and encouraging up-selling within venue.  

From Wi-fi, through to CRM systems, automated personalised marketing services through SMS, push notifications and email, contact and trace systems, customer feedback, loyalty cards and vouchers, the easy-to-use platform allows operators to plug and play, and benefits from seamless integration between all functionalities and, crucially, one point of contact for the operator.

As the industry seeks to restore customer confidence in the safety of eating and drinking out of home, direct communication through these channels is imperative.  In addition to the abundant options available to operators, the Cheerfy product also includes vital track and trace software to continue to bolster consumer feelings of safety and reassurance.