Drive More Commerce with Carat

Demand grows for the Carat operating system

 

 

The rise in digital commerce began long before the pandemic, but the pandemic fast-tracked demand for different purchasing methods – more convenient for the consumer, but more complicated for the merchant – such as cross-channel digital solutions, contactless payment experiences and innovative ecommerce offerings. 

Consider these stats from our Q2 2022 Carat Index Consumer Insights survey:

•  U.S. adults are now comfortable buying online or ordering ahead and either picking up in-store or getting their items delivered: 57% have used this service for restaurant/fast food, 46% have used this service in retail and 45% have used this service in grocery stores
  
  
• Digital wallet usage and preference has increased: 40% of U.S. adults prefer using a debit card online and 60% of U.S. adults had used a digital wallet in the past month

A New Approach to Commerce
 

Unified Experiences

Our goal is to help merchants deliver the best experience for their end customers. It starts with unified experiences. Experiences are the new loyalty currency for customers. It’s about making the experience connected across devices, channels, and geographies – meeting them when and where they want to engage. We are all in the experience business.

Omnichannel commerce creates a seamless integration between multiple channels at once. Whether a customer is reading a product review, interacting with a brand on social media, clicking on an email campaign, visiting the store, or viewing a video on a website, an omnichannel strategy will provide a consistent, personalized experience throughout your customer’s journey. 

For example, we partnered with Burger King to optimize experiences across four continents and 11 countries, enabling customers to order ahead and engage with Burger King through mobile and in-store, all with a consistent experience.

Another example of optimization is connecting digital and physical journeys to reduce friction. For instance, when a customer in-store wants to purchase an item that’s out of stock, Carat makes it easy to close the sale and have the item shipped when it’s ready.

When QR codes are used at the point-of-sale, the codes are linked to the customer’s digital profile and deliver benefits tailored to their preferences and membership status.
 

Choice

Consumer preferences are continuing to evolve. Whether it’s transacting online, in-store or on a social platform and paying with BNPL, bank transfers, cards, even online EBT – it is fundamental that merchants have the capability to deliver these options. Carat provides the infrastructure for merchants to move money anywhere, anytime, and with any payment method.

Take Instacart for example. Through our partnership, they now can accept online EBT payments, delivering a new payment method for over 44 million Americans relying on government assistance programs or EBT.

Additionally, with Scan & Go, customers can scan items on their phone, pay through their mobile app and walk out, skipping the traditional checkout line.
 

Trust

And finally, customers want to engage with brands that they trust – from the security of their data, to the platform’s reliability, to the company’s mission – it all matters more than ever. That’s why Carat delivers advanced security, fraud prevention and optimization tools. 

We use machine learning for smarter outcomes, leverage biometrics to secure devices, and continue to deliver tailored experiences to protect both the customer and the merchant.
 

The Next Step

Our omnichannel technology, industry expertise and actionable data insights create a unified customer journey that helps drive loyalty and revenue growth. Our vision is a single ecosystem for all things commerce. As we look into the future, we will always ground ourselves on what customers want – unified experiences, choice and trust.