First Data Introduces New Beacon Technology To Enhance Mobile Loyalty For Local Merchants

• Device Enables Digital Customer Engagement and Touchless Check-ins for Store Visitors, Ushering in a New Competitive Advantage for Smaller Merchants
• First Data Ships Free Beacon to All Perka Subscribers; Largest Single-Vendor Beacon Deployment in U.S.

Throughout the next few weeks, more than 1,000 brick-and-mortar stores across the United States will receive a box from First Data Corporation, the global leader in payment technology and services. Inside it will be a device that brings the future of retail technology to local merchants: the Perka beacon. An enhancement to First Data’s existing Perka mobile loyalty solution, the Perka beacon is a small, low-powered device that communicates wirelessly with the Perka app, enabling increased customer engagement and a faster, more personalized retail experience.

“By connecting merchants and consumers in a seamless way at the point of sale, the Perka solution enables even the smallest store to design a customized marketing and loyalty program that will rival those from big box retailers,” said Guy Chiarello, First Data president. “The Perka solution puts a very powerful level of customer engagement directly into the hands of local merchants. With the Perka beacon’s ability to check in customers as soon as they walk in the door, this increased level of engagement gives merchants and consumers an even more seamless and faster in-store experience.”

How it Works
Once Perka merchants place the beacon near the store entrance or point of sale, they can sync the beacon with their Perka mobile loyalty program within minutes. Powered by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications technology, the Perka beacon wirelessly checks customers into stores automatically as soon as they are within range of the beacon (typically about 50 feet). Customers no longer need to launch the Perka app on their smart phones, allowing merchants to instantly greet their customers by name and award perks for confirmed purchases.

Beacons: A Driving Force in the Future of Retail
According to Business Insider’s BI Intelligence report[1], only three percent of retailers have customer recognition technology in place today. But that number is expected to skyrocket to 72 percent within five years, especially among large retailers.

“Beacons will play a major role in the growth of customer recognition technology because of their ability to broker a relevant touchless connection between parties, and the potential to facilitate more engaging in-store and out-of-store shopping experiences,” said Thad Peterson, senior analyst at Aite Group. “The use of beacons is a turning point for First Data’s mobile loyalty platform and reconfirms their commitment to provide innovative solutions to help SMBs grow their businesses.”

Among The Industry’s First Beacons with Rolling-Code Security
Continuing First Data’s five-decade tradition of providing secure transactions for merchants and customers around the globe, the Perka beacon is among the first in the industry to use rolling-code technology, which provides an encrypted check-in each time the customer enters the store. This feature makes it much harder for malicious hacking and spoofing activity to occur.

“If beacon technology is to be a key enabler of location-based mobile marketing for merchants then security must be addressed sooner rather than later,” added Peterson. “Given First Data’s longstanding heritage in the payment processing industry, it is uniquely positioned to address security head on.”
Perka Beacon Availability

The Perka beacon supports both Apple iOS and Google Android mobile devices. All current Perka subscribers will receive a free beacon, and all new subscribers will receive a beacon in their activation kit when they sign up.

Perka operates loyalty programs for businesses ranging from neighborhood coffee shops to ultra-modern retailers and supports merchants across the U.S. and the United Kingdom. For more information about the Perka Mobile Loyalty Solution, visit firstdata.com/perka (https://www.firstdata.com/perka).

About First Data
First Data is a global technology leader in the financial services industry. With 24,000 employee-owners and operations in 35 countries, the company provides secure and innovative payment technology and services to more than six million merchants and financial institutions around the world, from small businesses to the world’s largest corporations. Today, businesses in nearly 70 countries trust First Data to secure and process more than 2,000 financial transactions per second, totaling $1.8T a year. First Data’s unparalleled infrastructure, scale and partnerships go “beyond the transaction” with next-generation point-of-sale technology fueled by powerful analytics to detect fraud, gain insights into consumer spending, and strengthen customer loyalty. All day, every day, First Data helps its clients thrive in the evolving world of commerce.