Integration with POS

This guide covers the general framework for integrating a Point of Sale (POS) system with the TRIFFT loyalty engine when a native connector is not available. This is achieved through TRIFFT’s robust External API.

Overview

A custom POS integration ensures that your physical store locations are fully connected to your digital loyalty program. By building a bridge between your POS hardware/software and the TRIFFT API, you can maintain a unified customer profile across all touchpoints.

Omnichannel Earning: Members earn points for in-store purchases just as they would online.
Real-time Redemption: Enables the scanning and validation of rewards, vouchers, and digital wallet passes at the counter.
Customer Identification: Allows staff to identify members via QR code scans, phone numbers, or email addresses during the checkout process.

Technical Setup

Since this is a non-native integration, your development team or POS provider will need to use TRIFFT’s API documentation to build a custom middleware or direct connection.

API Authentication: Generate a Secret API Key in the TRIFFT Cockpit under Settings > Project Settings. All requests from the POS must include this key in the header for secure communication.
Order Injection: Develop a script to send transaction data to the TRIFFT POST /orders endpoint. This must include the Member Identifier, Order Total, and Line Items so the loyalty engine can calculate points.
Voucher Validation: Implement a lookup for the POST /coupons/validate endpoint. When a staff member scans a voucher, the POS should check with TRIFFT to see if it is valid, active, and meets the minimum spend requirements.
Webhook Setup: If your POS supports incoming webhooks, configure them in the Cockpit to receive updates when a member’s status changes, ensuring the POS has the most current "VIP" or "Tier" information.
Barcode Compatibility: Ensure your POS scanners are configured to read the barcode format (e.g., Code 128 or QR) generated by TRIFFT’s Digital Wallet templates.

Ongoing Management

To ensure the custom integration remains reliable, the following management tasks should be performed regularly:

Error Log Monitoring: Monitor the API Logs within the TRIFFT Cockpit to identify failed requests (e.g., 400 or 500 errors). Common issues include malformed JSON or invalid member IDs.
Data Reconciliation: Regularly compare the total loyalty points issued in TRIFFT against the "Loyalty Transactions" report in your POS to ensure no data loss occurred during high-traffic periods.
API Versioning: Stay informed about TRIFFT API updates. If a new version of the API is released, coordinate with your technical team to ensure your custom POS connector remains compatible.
Hardware Calibration: Periodically test the physical scanners at store locations to ensure they can read mobile screens at different brightness levels, which is vital for smooth member identification.
Security Audits: Rotate your API keys periodically and ensure that only authorized IP addresses from your store network can communicate with the TRIFFT backend.