May 16, 2019

Tapit, a  software vendor for the retail and restaurant industries, has launched Selfit, a self-ordering kiosk platform with accompanying online ordering via a mobile app and interface to the restaurant’s website, a press release said.

The company said the solution can be customized and scaled up easily, allowing single restaurants and chains to install the Selfit technology one kiosk at a time or on hundreds of kiosks simultaneously.

"Selfit is like the Wix of restaurant kiosks and app design," Larry Sussman, vice president of sales at Tapit. "Our affordable and easy-to-use kiosk and mobile app solutions give small and medium-size restaurant chains access to the same advanced ordering techniques and capabilities as the mega chains."

The solution supports any type of cashless payments, including credit or debit cards from Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express.

The Linux-based software can integrate with any point-of-sale system and works with any self-ordering kiosk hardware.

Selfit provides templates designed for fast food and quick service restaurant industries, making the solution easy to use and deploy.

Tapit officials said the devices can be used to update promotional offers, reduce customer abandonment due to long lines and provide upselling opportunities.

Tapit will demonstrate its self-ordering platform on the 32” Paragon platform from Kiosk Information Systems at the National Restaurant Association Show 2019, May 18–21, at McCormick place in Chicago.

Topics: Handsets / Devices, Mobile Apps, Mobile Payments, Restaurants, Retail

Related Content

Latest Content

May 15, 2019

American Express has entered an agreement to buy Resy, a digital restaurant reservations booking and management platform.

Resy, founded in 2014, provides table management, CRM and booking technology to more than 4,000 restaurants to 154 U.S. cities and 10 international markets.

"Resy was created to both connect people who love dining out with new, notable and hard to get into restaurants around the globe, as well as help restaurant's businesses grow and thrive," Chris Chracciolo, senior vice president, global loyalty and benefits at American Express, said in a company release.

The acquisition is scheduled to close in the summer, but Resy will continue to operate under its own brand, with its existing co-founders, CEO Ben Leventhal and CTO Michael Montero, remaining in charge.

The platform operates mainly in the U.S., but also has significant business in the U.K., Europe, Australia and Canada.

American Express is also working to enhance the digital capabilities of its recently acquired businesses, including Mezi, a personal assistance app, Cake Technologies, a U.K.-based restaurant reservations app, Lounge Buddy, an airport lounge booking platform and Pocket Concierge, a Japanese restaurant reservations platform.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Topics: Card Brands, Restaurants

Companies: Resy Network, Inc., American Express

Related Content

Latest Content

May 15, 2019

Mastercard has announced a co-branded card with ride-sharing firm Lyft that will give drivers immediate access to pay and provide additional benefits aimed at helping workers in the gig economy.

Lyft Direct Mastercard Debit will include a bank account with a debit card issued by Stride Bank, as well as customer service from Payfare, a provider of mobile banking and microlending solutions for rideshare drivers. The accounts will launch in several Lyft cities, including Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tampa and Washington, D.C., before expanding to additional markets.

"The growing gig economy creates a particularly challenging yet exciting opportunity for us to leverage our tech infrastructure, digital payments expertise and data-backed insights to level the playing field for gig workers," Sherri Hammond, executive vice president, digital partnerships at Mastercard, said in a company release.

The card will offer a series of perks, including up to 4% cash back on dining purchases, access to 20,000 ATMs, identity theft protection, immediate access to earnings and no account fees. Drivers will also receive payment in their account immediately after each ride. 

Topics: Card Brands, In-App Payments, Mobile Apps, Mobile Payments, Restaurants, Retail, Technology Providers

Companies: Lyft, Inc., MasterCard

Related Content

Latest Content

May 15, 2019

Storr, a San Francisco-based online retail marketplace, has raised another $3 million in funding led by Spark Capital officially launched its peer-to-peer platform, which allows anyone with a mobile phone to launch a digital storefront.

According to a press release, the new round of funding raises the company's total pre-Series A funding to $7.8 million. Spark Capital joins existing investors former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, Craft Ventures led by David Sacks, Abstract Ventures and the former chief executives of Macy's and Neiman Marcus.

The Storr platform, which has 30,000 sellers and 175 brands, allows shoppers to buy via the web, through various social media channels or through the Storr app, and make payments via Apple Pay, Google Pay or other payment methods, the company said.

Storr officials claim that, unlike rival storefront marketplaces on Amazon and Instagram, anyone can sell through the marketplace, which pays up to 30% either as a sales commission or as a donation to the seller's charity of choice.

"Twenty-one percent of U.S. shoppers made a purchase as a result of peer social media recommendations, but the $3 trillion global e-commerce industry traditionally pays commissions on sales to giant, established retailers," Starr CEO Eric Senn said in the release. "Now, people on Storr will get a share of that revenue instead of Amazon, Instagram or other third-party retailers."

He said that many of Storr's top sellers are on pace for $100,000 in sales for the year.

Storr launched a pilot program in January in which 600 sellers opened stores, including lifestyle and fashion influencers Lucy Fink, Rocky Barnes and Scarlet Leithold. Other sellers include everyday people such as college students, working moms, independent entrepreneurs and some amateur athletes, according to the company.

Topics: Mobile Apps, Mobile Payments, Retail

Related Content

Latest Content