Welcome to the next generation of back office applications. Aloha eCard is a guest-focused software application that empowers restaurants to generate and keep repeat business. This is a vital business tool, since repeat customers are considered the key to long-term success in the restaurant industry.

Gift Cards and Gift Certificates

increase business  increase customer loyalty  make a profit for the restaurant, since up to 30%  to 35% of gift cards traditionally go unredeemed

Although the power of gift cards is not yet harnessed in the UK anywhere near the scale of the American market, the statistics from the other side of the Atlantic dramatically show why this sales tool will rapidly become popular with hospitality operators in the UK.

Nearly one-half of U.S. consumers used a gift card during the past year according to results from Standard Register's National Consumer and Retailer Survey of Plastic Card Usage. Research indicates that 45% of adults have used gift cards, an increase of 34% over last year's survey. Consumers spend an average of $200 per year on gift cards, an increase of $61 from 2000. In addition, 61% of respondents who have received gift cards indicated they spend more than the amount assigned to the card and 55% of gift card recipients find more than one trip necessary to deplete the value of a gift card. This adds up to big business for restaurateurs.

In response to this business trend, restaurants today are launching more complex gift card programs, but this means that they must spend considerable time on IT administration. eCard is an ASP offering for a simple monthly fee that reduces the time and manpower needed to manage the gift card process, while also boosting sales and increasing store traffic. It is available stand-alone or as an add-on component to Enterprise.com.