Chockstone Announces Credit and Debit Card Loyalty Identification Program for Merchants

Technology Enables Card Providers and Merchants to Offer Loyal Customers Increased Savings and Real-Time Rewards Without the Bulk

PORTLAND, Ore., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Chockstone Inc., a leading loyalty marketing and technology provider that enables merchants to change customer behavior to maximize revenue and profitability, today announced SingleSwipe(TM), a unique new identification program that allows credit and debit card companies and merchants to tie merchant loyalty programs to a customer's existing credit or debit card. With this new technology, consumers can easily reap the benefits of merchant rewards, promotional offers and additional savings, while slimming their wallet in the process. SingleSwipe enables merchants to build loyalty programs around credit and debit cards that consumers already carry in their wallets, track their customers' preferences and purchase history and immediately provide savings and promotional offers that are most relevant to each individual customer.

"This latest advancement further leverages Chockstone's leadership positions in both the loyalty and payments industries. Both consumers and merchants win with SingleSwipe, which enable real-time payment and loyalty program identification in a single transaction," said Jeff Lipp, CEO of Chockstone. "The primary drivers of this service -- speeding up the payment process, eliminating the hassle factor for consumer participation in a rewards program, and lowering the overall cost of loyalty programs -- improve the investment return that operators are experiencing through electronic rewards programs."

Any branded card -- American Express, Discover, MasterCard, VISA -- can be used for SingleSwipe, assuming the merchant location accepts it as a form of payment. Cardholders register their credit or debit card(s) of choice and use that card for both payment and loyalty transactions. Chockstone maintains and processes all data throughout its network and platform in compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations to ensure the privacy of credit card numbers and transaction data. Merchants can safely and effectively reward points or offer relevant promotions to customers right at the point of purchase.

"We are thrilled that Chockstone is launching this new technology and the opportunities it presents to enhance Tully's current loyalty program," said Martin Walker, vice president of marketing and merchandising, Tully's Coffee Corporation. "SingleSwipe has the potential to greatly simplify the operational aspect of launching and managing our loyalty program, allowing Tully's to easily encourage guests to try new products and reward our most loyal customers with even more cost savings."

Through a number of different identification methods, including rewards cards, personal phone numbers or credit card information, Chockstone provides turnkey solutions for merchants to design and launch highly-targeted point-of-sale (POS) promotions themselves through a web-based Campaign Management Tool. To learn more about the Chockstone services provided at one of 46,000 merchant locations nationwide, go to https://www.chockstone.com/products

About Chockstone

Chockstone is a loyalty marketing and technology company that enables merchants to capture, understand and change customer behavior in order to maximize guest frequency and spend. Only Chockstone allows operators to take action at the point of sale by integrating real-time analysis of guest behavior with targeted promotions. Subway, Tully's Coffee and Plaid Pantry are among the more than 46,000 merchant locations using Chockstone's innovative, proven loyalty platform to impact customer behavior and drive profitability. Headquartered in Portland, Ore., Chockstone, Inc. is a privately held corporation. For more information, please go to http://www.chockstone.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Chockstone Inc.

CONTACT: Denise Welch of Dotted Line Communications, +1-781-849-2022,
denise@dottedlinecomm.com, for Chockstone Inc.

Web site: http://www.chockstone.com/

2008-03-30 23:04:18 0322615 PRNEWSWIRE