Boone, NC: For more than 33 years, ECRS has centered its software development efforts around retailers and their shoppers with a goal of future-proofing them with innovative technology that solves real-world challenges. After consulting with retailers in the CATAPULT® Community, ECRS heard stories of EBT/SNAP shoppers having insufficient funds at checkout, causing them to make tough decisions about what to put back, made more difficult by the fact that they had to do so while in-store, at checkout. ECRS addressed this challenge of checkout anxiety head-on by creating the industry-first patent-pending feature, SNAP While You Shop — a balance management tool for EBT shoppers. ECRS’ goal of this new feature was simple: Create an inclusive, easy-to-use tool for EBT users and SNAP recipients to use online and in-store and provide retailers with a tool to better serve their community.
So, how does it work? When used in-store, CATAPULT WebCart™’s progressive web app feature, Accelerated Checkout, allows store items to be scanned via shoppers’ phones, automatically adding them to a virtual basket. If the item is SNAP eligible, the user will see their estimated available balance change in real time. If the item is removed from the basket before checkout, the value of the removed item will be returned to the estimated balance. This empowers the shopper to make informed decisions on their own terms, giving them peace of mind and confidence that they will have sufficient funds at checkout to purchase their groceries.
The online experience is effectively the same for shoppers using ECRS’ native eCommerce solution, CATAPULT WebCart. SNAP-eligible patrons use the store’s eCommerce site as they always have, now with the ability to monitor their estimated SNAP balance while building their baskets.
ECRS wants CATAPULT-powered retail stores to be places where diverse tenders are accepted with ease, and every customer enjoys a hassle-free shopping experience. As the first retail technology solutions provider to offer the patent-pending estimated SNAP balance feature, SNAP While You Shop, ECRS is setting a new standard for customer care and creating an inclusive shopping experience in its community of retailers.
About ECRS
Family-owned since 1989, ECRS is a Certified Evergreen® retail transactions and artificial intelligence solutions provider, offering simple, practical solutions that unify operations and empower independent retailers to thrive. ECRS’ revolutionary CATAPULT® POS platform, powered by Unified Transaction Logic®, is the market’s only truly unified transaction platform that seamlessly connects all retail touchpoints. With CATAPULT, all retail touchpoints—including point of sale, back office, self-checkout, deli scale, fuel pump, pharmacy, inventory, loyalty, eCommerce, and enterprise management—share one single transactional logic. Unifying hardware, software, and services, ECRS offers friction-free, cost-saving solutions that make advanced automation accessible while transforming the consumer experience.
Contact
Ryan Reynolds
For Public Relations
800.211.1172
newsroom@ecrs.com