Types of POS integration

There are various options for connecting with Spaaza and the final integration is often determined by the retailers requirements and how they want customers and staff to interact with their program and the customer’s data.

We have classified some typical integration types we often see below and have given a short description of each.

Lite

In this type of integration the POS system only sends completed orders to Spaaza and does not request vouchers from Spaaza. Instead staff need to enter in the value of the voucher as well as the voucher key (for example by scanning a voucher barcode in the app). The customer number is entered into POS like the number of a plastic loyalty card would be entered. The completed order with the voucher key is then sent to Spaaza. Staff Interact with customer data and the program using Spaaza Store.

This option is typically the least work for the POS partner but can involve more friction in store as the process of interacting with the customer at checkout takes longer and mistakes can be made entering in the voucher value. We don’t typically recommend this option unless necessary.

As get-basket-price is not used in this option certain types of promotions are not supported, in particular where Spaaza creates a discount voucher in real time for a customer at checkout if they match a certain profile (eg “gold level members get 10% off every purchase”).

Basic

Staff use Spaaza’s Store interface on tablet or web browser to create, edit, search, view and activate rewards. The customer number is entered into the POS like the number of a plastic loyalty card would be entered. Staff can also scan or enter the number from the customer’s phone screen if enabled by the retailer. Vouchers are accessed via the API and then redeemed digitally between Spaaza and the POS with no need for manual data entry by the staff member.

This option is less work for the POS partner but creates a small amount extra work for store staff as they need to switch between Spaaza and the POS system. Any new features available in Spaaza can be automatically made available to staff via the Store Interface without having to do upgrades to the POS software.

This is the most common integration type.

Medium

Similar to the basic version above except Spaaza Store is embedded into POS software as a webview (see section 8 above). The POS can also access the customer number from the Store web app to associate with the sale, thus saving the staff member from having to add this manually. Staff can also scan or enter the number from the customer’s phone screen if enabled by the retailer.

This option is more work for the POS partner but reduces the amount of friction for store staff. Any new features available in Spaaza can be automatically made available to staff via the Store Interface without having to do upgrades to the POS software.

Full

The POS system builds all of the functionality in the Spaaza Store interface into their own POS software using Spaaza’s. Staff can also scan or enter the number from the customer’s phone screen if enabled by the retailer.

This option is the most work for the POS partner but reduces the friction for store staff at checkout to a minimum. This also often allows the POS’s customer database to be completely replaced by Spaaza’s Cloud based solution (if desired). The POS may need to make updates to the integration to support new Spaaza features.