USA Technologies, Inc. announced broad-based enhancements to its "one-stop" service, ePort Connect®. Recent enhancements include: new features added to USAT's recently launched prepaid and loyalty program, MORE.; added capability of the ePort Connect platform to accept mobile payment with mobile-based rewards; micro market and other cashless payment applications that expand USAT's ePort Connect service to a broader audience; a host of new features to ePort Connect's customer reporting portal, USALive®; and release of ePort Mobile™ versions 2.0, for both IOS and Android smartphones and tablets, for customers who have the need for mobile payment acceptance.
"USAT has been providing cashless payment and telemetry solutions in self-serve retail markets for more than a decade, so the capabilities and scale we've created in this area now allow us to dedicate a great deal of our development work to value-added services that expand opportunities for our customers," said Cary M. Sagady, USAT's senior vice president of product management and network services, in a prepared statement.
"This latest wave of enhancements reflects our view that a networked cashless platform can provide immeasurable benefits to self-serve retail. Whether the opportunity lies in mobile or card-based loyalty programs, greater flexibility to connect to our service via QuickConnect™, or the operational and telemetry data available to them through our service, our goal is to ensure that our customers are poised to take advantage of those opportunities," said Sagady.
MORE., USAT's new loyalty and prepaid program launched in August, has been improved for customer campaign management and now includes recurring campaigns, replenished bonuses and bonus cash rewards.
Through MORE., USAT customers have an opportunity to win and/or retain existing accounts through differentiated programs that can build loyalty, repeat business and a greater understanding of their consumers' purchasing preferences.
New technology created for USAT's ePort® G-series of cashless acceptance devices accommodates loyalty data in tandem with mobile payment, such as the Isis SmartTap® technology for contactless payments, loyalty and rewards. Recent over-the-air updates delivered via the ePort Connect service allow USAT customers to participate in what USAT believes to be the largest mobile payment and loyalty promotion ever developed for the U.S. vending industry, the "Fifth Purchase Free" promotion. USAT has already enabled over 62,000 locations and is targeting at least 80,000.
Through USAT's web service, QuickConnect, more self-serve retail applications have the opportunity to use ePort Connect. For USAT's vending customers, USAT recently announced that customers of Revive Self Checkout can now seamlessly integrate their micro market credit and debit card processing with their other cashless locations supported by USAT.
In addition, users of ePortConnect's web-based reporting portal, USALive, are benefiting from new features that give them more flexibility to optimize the operational and telemetry data collected from their networked cashless locations, including:
The ability to create product specific column mapping, or planograms, on their own. For example, customers can optimize MDB data to generate reports down to the product level to optimize space to sales per machine or customer.
New reporting features such as export format options, improved flexibility for saving custom-designed reports, new validation functionality to ensure reliable report delivery, as well as the ability to display column pricing on reports provide enhanced customer control of operational data for use in their business.
Control over the timing of DEX file transfers, giving customers utilizing vending management systems greater freedom to optimize time sensitive data at the fulfillment level. The ability to control and edit device settings, enabling customers to fine-tune machine characteristics to specific locations and client needs. Examples include maximum amount per vend, single vend versus multi-vend settings, the ability to enable or disable two-tier pricing and, for pulse customers (such as amusement & arcade), the ability to set pricing remotely.
New DEX exception reports help business owners better manage operational issues by assessing DEX connectivity within the machine as well as expanded machine error detection for issues such as coin or bill jams. Display of pending electronic fund transfers, for improved cash management. Faster report generation and broader device search capabilities.
USAT's ePort Mobile solution allows customers to accept cashless payment via mobile devices. EPort Mobile versions 2.0 for IOS and Android smartphones and tablets were recently released and are available for download on the iTunes app or Google play store, respectively. Enhancements to ePort Mobile include an entirely new, intuitive user interface, full transaction history, mapping features and receipt customization options.
EPort Connect is a PCI-compliant, end to end suite of cashless payment and telemetry services specially tailored to fit the needs of self-serve retail industries.
