Change your POS without forgetting your regulars
Gift cards, earned rewards and customer accounts need a plan when you switch. Build the migration around what happens on the guest’s next visit.
Your guests still have the same relationship with the restaurant
A regular arrives to use an earned reward. Another guest has a gift card from their family. A change of POS should not become a surprise at payment. Before switching, decide how these guests will be served.
ninito helps build the menu in the new system and plans the transfer of users, customer accounts and gift cards with the restaurant. What can move depends on the information the old system can provide and the setup you choose. A good transition starts with guests and their existing arrangements, not just new screens.
A gift card and a loyalty reward are different kinds of data
A gift card has a balance that needs to be redeemable. A loyalty programme may contain points, membership tiers, stamps or offers with different rules. A customer account may carry its own arrangements. A list of names and phone numbers does not necessarily describe any of these values.
Ask the existing supplier what can be exported. For gift cards, understand the balance, identification and terms attached to each card. For loyalty, look at both the earned value and the redemption rules. If a benefit cannot move directly, the restaurant needs a clear solution before access to the old system ends.
Separate what guests need to use from the history you want to retain
Past purchases can be useful, but they serve a different purpose from an active gift card. Some history can be archived for reference, while active arrangements need to work in daily service. Make this distinction early so the switch does not stall because everything is treated as one unresolved data package.
An exported customer list also does not automatically establish permission for new marketing messages. Include recorded consent and preferences in the planning, and agree what should accompany each profile. Share information through an agreed channel with the people who need it.
Try the first visit after the switch
Use an agreed example from the old setup. Can the employee find the correct customer? Does the gift card or reward appear correctly? Can the guest use it as promised? If a person has several profiles, the team needs to know which one to use before attaching new purchases.
ninito loyalty can work across the app, kiosk, online store and POS, with rules for participating channels and restaurants. This provides a foundation for a connected experience going forward. Transferring previous balances and benefits still needs to be agreed specifically. Setting up a new programme and moving existing data are different jobs.
Agree what happens around the changeover date
If guests can redeem gift cards or earn points after the data has been exported, balances may change before launch. Agree when the final data is taken, who handles subsequent changes and when staff stop using the old system as their working source.
Staff also need a simple explanation for guests. What continues as before? What works differently? Who helps when a benefit cannot be found? A well-planned switch lets the team answer calmly and clearly, without asking guests to understand the technical changeover.
Plan the move with ninito before ending the old agreement
Tell us which gift cards, customer accounts and loyalty programmes you use. Bring information about your current supplier’s export options. Together, we can establish what should move, how it should work and what needs trying before launch.
Pro and Enterprise include dedicated onboarding and work on loyalty setup and ongoing changes. The aim is a transition that makes daily work easier while staff understand how to look after the guests who already know the restaurant.
