TNS’S AFC Solution for Retail is a prepaid stored value card that can store electronic cash, points, bonus, rewards and entitlements, where merchants and operators can define the reward schemes for their customers. It is an ideal way to increase customer experience, loyalty and satisfaction, improve retention, and build brand awareness.
It allows a single contactless card to be used in multiple applications in addition to transport, providing unparalleled convenience. Cardholders can reload and pay for goods and services by card at any of retail outlets, while merchants can assess their own performance through a comprehensive monitoring system provided by TNS.
Its ease of administration allows for a wide range of applications, including multi-merchant support, branded and co-branded cards, and many more business strategies. The solution improves operational efficiency and transparency for merchants.
System Architecture
The solution consists of a POS system, Retail Management System, and Central Computer System. The POS system includes all the front-end devices installed at retail outlets, while Central Computer System centralizes the two-way data transmission between the Retail Management System and the POS system of a merchant.
Consumers pay for goods and services from merchants using AFC cards at POS. POS also accepts cash and records every transaction in the system.
POS performs other services, e.g. refund of goods, record of inventory out, reload for AFC cards, etc.
AFC cards are designed with loyalty program whereby merchants can form alliance and offer rewards and discounts as incentive programs to attract more business.
Transaction records in POS are uploaded to and blacklist is downloaded from Central Computer.
Central Computer checks transaction certificate to ensure that there is no tampering of transaction record. It also checks the debit certificate to ensure that the money is indeed debited from the card by the said terminal.
Central Computer submits transaction records to Retail Management System which is provided by third party for reconciliation and stock control.
