News

Maritz, Welcome Real-Time announce POS-based marketing and loyalty program

April 6, 2009

ST. LOUIS — Maritz and Welcome Real-Time have announced a partnership to launch a new loyalty solution in the United States and Canada. The offering, Maritz Real-Time Rewards, delivers behavior-driven marketing incentives and rewards at the retail point of sale on existing POS hardware.

Retail customers can receive special targeted offers, such as discounts or free merchandise, and accrue and redeem points for purchases at checkout. All of the offers are delivered through the customer's receipt, and redeemed at the POS terminal without the hassle of paper coupons or online redemption.

The partnership leverages the joint expertise of Welcome Real-Time, a global provider of real-time payment card marketing programs that attract and retain customers, and Maritz, which manages loyalty programs for seven of the top 10 banks and credit card companies, and more than 100 million customer loyalty program members.

"Maritz Real-Time Rewards helps retailers eliminate the waste and expense of hit-or-miss promotions, increases same-store sales and offers customers exactly what they want, when they want it — which is right now," said Thad Peterson, director, Maritz Real-Time Rewards. "At a time when retailers need to increase traffic and sales in their stores, Maritz Real-Time Rewards can be a lifeline for many retailers." 

Maritz Real-Time Rewards offers retailers the following advantages:

• Access with ease: At the retailer's discretion, customers can use a proprietary loyalty card or any credit or debit card to enroll and participate in the program, simplifying enrollment.
• Information retailers need, rewards customers want: Retailers will be able to analyze customer buying behaviors and other information to deliver more intelligent, targeted rewards in real time, at the point of sale. Intelligent rewards eliminate promotional waste by delivering the right offer to the right customer at the right time, ultimately driving increased purchases.
• Lower costs, increased customer value: Maritz Real-Time Rewards provides a higher-value program at a lower cost by delivering promotions at the point of sale, rather than through more expensive alternatives such as direct mail or retail advertising. 
• No additional hardware: There's no need to purchase additional hardware for the point of sale, as the system can work with any installed POS system. 

The Maritz Real-Time Rewards suite of services includes the following offerings for retailers:

• Customer-specific promotional program: Provides retailers with a promotional marketing suite that delivers personalized offers at the point of sale based on the customer's behavior. Customers receive promotional offers based on past visit patterns, consumption behavior and other customized offers. The promotional marketing suite can be used on its own or in conjunction with the points-based, point-of-sale redemption program to create a comprehensive loyalty and promotion solution.
• Points-based, point-of-sale redemption program: Enables retailers to offer a points program with point-of-sale redemption, using either a proprietary card or data from payment cards that the customer already has in their wallet.
• Point-of-sale merchant rewards network: Allows retailers to participate in a credit or debit card issuer's program, where cardholders who shop with the retailers receive special discounts across a network of retailers along with point-of-sale rewards redemption.