This month the IFYA is focusing on the technology available to frozen yogurt shops. Our guest post is from Chris Ciabarra CTO and co-founder of Revel Systems and IFYA’s technology expert. Chris is an expert in POS systems, inventory management, payroll, real time sales data, integrated scales and modifiers. Chris’s tips for leveraging technology at your frozen yogurt shop are useful for small independent frozen yogurt shops and chains.
Top 5 Tips for Leveraging Technology at Your Frozen Yogurt Shop
By Chris Ciabarra
Technology is on everyone’s mind these days, and as a business owner you have every reason to take advantage of it. Not only will your implementation of technology please your frozen yogurt shop’s current clientele, but you are also likely to increase your customer base as a result.
Not sure where to start? Here are our top 5 tips for leveraging technology at your frozen yogurt shop:
- Mobile loyalty: Chances are many of your customers rely on their mobile devices for just about everything. Implement a mobile loyalty program to make it easier for them to keep track of their points (and all the more likely to choose your shop for their froyo fix). Integrating an app like Index not only offers your customers a loyalty program but also gives them customized suggestions based on past purchases. Index works through beacon technology, connecting with a customer’s mobile device when he or she enters your shop. The app welcomes the customer, and provides him or her with suggestions based on past purchases. Loyalty points are automatically added with purchase through the Index app, eliminating the need for the customer to carry a punch card or “check in” on the mobile device.
- Pay by phone: These same customers who rely on their mobile devices will be thrilled to hear they can also pay with them. Integrating a mobile payment app such as PayPal™ or LevelUp will give your customers the opportunity to pay with their phones without having to reach for their wallets. Tech-savvy patrons will be fans of this feature, as well as those who wish to simplify their daily payments into one easy, mobile solution.
- Integrated CRM: Integral to your loyalty program, an integrated CRM also helps inform your daily business decisions. By tracking customer buying behavior and demographics, you can tailor your marketing efforts and purchasing practices to maximize profitability.
- Social media: Chances are you already use social media to promote your daily specials and offerings, but if you don’t, you certainly should. Social media–and Facebook and Twitter in particular–is an excellent way to reach and engage with your fans and their friends. If business is slow, try sharing a photo of one of your delicious froyo creations on Facebook or Instagram, or a daily deal. Be sure to engage with fans who comment and “like” your images–doing so will help build your following and show your customers that you value their input.
- iPad POS: The foregoing tips are all great ways to leverage technology for your business. Take it one step further by implementing a frozen yogurt POS system that can seamlessly integrate all these features and give you one powerful platform from which to manage them. Revel’s cloud-based technology allows you to integrate with loyalty apps (including Index) as well as mobile payments solutions (such as PayPal™ and LevelUp). Keep track of your customers with Revel’s CRM, and post on social media directly from the point of sale. Furthermore, most new frozen yogurt POS systems are integrated with food safe scales, ensuring day to day operations at your shop will run seamlessly.
Taking advantages of these tips will help ensure your frozen yogurt shop’s place in this tech-oriented day and age. Implementing technological solutions at your business will also help you get discovered by new customers and adapt to your current customers’ ever-changing needs.
About Christopher Ciabarra
Christopher Ciabarra is the CTO and co-founder of Revel Systems, the award-winning leader in iPad point-of-sale (POS) systems for restaurant, retail and grocery. He is also an anti-hacker expert and has a strong background in PCI compliance, which helps to make Revel Systems the most secure iPad POS on the market.
About Revel Systems
Revel Systems iPad POS was founded in 2010 in San Francisco, CA with the goal of changing the point-of-sale market. Founders Lisa Falzone and Chris Ciabarra developed a quick, intuitive and secure iOS-based point-of-sale system by combining cloud-based technology and the mobility of the iPad. Revel Systems software offers a feature-rich POS solution for restaurant, retail and grocery establishments with integrated payroll, inventory tracking, customer relationship management and more. With the introduction of the Revel Marketplace, Revel iPad POS users can now integrate directly into third-party enhancements, including mobile payments, online ordering, gift or reward cards and advanced financial software suites. For more information on the future of point of sale, please visit http://revelsystems.com
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Frozen Yogurt Association.
