Cole Systems Associates, Inc., New York, announced Thursday the launch of Coyal, a new platform built for Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail designed to help retailers improve customer service and drive improved customer loyalty, according to Amanda Raines, the company’s director of marketing.
“We work heavily in the retail industry. When we’ve worked with our customers, we’ve seen a heavy need for loyalty programs,” Raines said. “There are a lot of programs out there but some only bring in customers for one purchase and they don’t come back Companies need a loyalty program that brings in repeat customers and this is an effective way to do so.”
“We work heavily with our customers to develop customer loyalty programs” said Dave Weiner, Cole Systems CEO, in a prepared statement. “Our new platform allows retailers to give automatic rewards to customers who are coming back time and time again. It will allow them to set up an easy and convenient loyalty program for both themselves and the customer.”
Cole is installing the technology in the stores of one national and one international specialty retailer, Raines said, though the company was not at liberty to release the retailers’ name s at this time.
Coyal enables consumers to “check-in” to a retail store using their mobile device via foursquare, which will automatically pop-up on Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail POS (point-of-sale). The back-end integration enables a retailer to track a customer’s past purchases and provides the retailer with the customer’s name, preferred products and other information that will enable the merchant to provide a higher level of customer service, according to Raines. Sales associates can appropriately serve the customer and offer discounts based on number of check-ins or consistently purchased items. The retailer can set up parameters in the system alerting store employees to the type of rewards each customer should receive.
Another advantage is that the foursquare interface enables customers to leave their cards and key tags at home while still enjoying the benefits of a store’s loyalty program, Raines said.
Check-ins will be tracked and stored along with customer data which can be used to introduce a customer loyalty program that will eliminate bulky cards, key tags, etc.
“We work heavily with our customers to develop customer loyalty programs” said Dave Weiner, Cole Systems CEO. “Our new platform allows retailers to give automatic rewards to customers who are coming back time and time again. It will allow them to set up an easy and convenient loyalty program for both themselves and the customer.”
“The concept is to enable our clients to use the check-in to deliver automatic discounts to any customer they choose. This could be to entice first time customers to make that first purchase and start the relationship, fragile customers to get them to be more active or top customers to show their appreciation” added Steve Cohen, Cole director of services and retail thought leader, Steve Cohen. “We want to enhance customer service within the store, increase loyalty, and make the entire process simple.”