HOUSTON – Shell is rolling out a centralized retail site system platform called "Shell Vantage" designed to get branded stations ready for the Europay MasterCard Visa (EMV) standards for chip cards, pave the way for mobile payment, make systems more user-friendly and improve customer loyalty, the company told jobbers at a national meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, last week.

According to Shell, some of the benefits of the new program include:

• Speed to market – The centralized retail site system platform will provide quicker access to the latest Shell payment and loyalty updates as they are available.
• Ready for EMV – Updated hardware complies with chip card standards, which are required to avoid liability for payment card fraud inside stores Oct. 1, and at the pump Oct. 1, 2017.
• Stay current at lower cost – Shell can deploy many payment and loyalty solutions faster and easier, minimizing tech visits and site down time.
• More customer conveniences –The flexible platform is more customer-friendly. For example, a signature will no longer be required on in-store purchases of less than $25 and sites can activate multiple Shell Gift Cards on a single purchase.
• More ways to save – Customers can apply local discounts, Shell loyalty rewards and targeted Shell offers in one transaction.
• Added benefits for members of the Fuel Rewards Network (FRN) – Members get a personalized greeting at the pump, reduced prompts to speed up transaction time, eReceipts containing lifetime savings balance, etc.
• New targeted offers – Based on customer purchase history across all Shell stations, new Shell Precise real-time targeting tools will help to drive increased loyalty and focus more personalized offers on the right customers.
• CurrentC Mobile Payment – The mobile payment app developed by the Merchant Customer Exchange offers a way to pay using a smartphone and to improve security.

This article is being reprinted with permission from OPIS and originally appeared in Oil Express. For more information on Oil Express, please visit www.opisnet.com/products/oil-express.aspx or call (888) 301-2645.