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ACI Worldwide Inc., which provides payment-systems software, says its retail merchant business in North America is doing well despite the tough economy. ACI, which has 88 mostly large retail customers in the Americas region, had 30% of its customer base renew or extend service contracts. "This year we had more renewals than expected," Ralph Dangelmaier, ACI Worldwide president of the Americas, tells CardLine, noting the number of renewals also was higher than normal. ACI offers such payments software products and services as loyalty program management, fraud management and refund management through its ACI Retail Commerce Server. In particular, refund and loyalty program management, as well as PCI compliance, have been some of the biggest drivers for retailers that have ACI contracts or have signed up for them, says Dangelmaier. Retailers' focus on more point-of-sale loyalty programs is a trend that ACI is poised to support, he notes. Its loyalty program management service tracks reward points and enables retailers to offer immediate rewards as the customer checks out, such as getting a free soda with a sandwich at a convenience store or getting a free pair of socks with a pair of shoes at a department store, says Dangelmaier. "Given that everyone is saying the economy is tough, these things are what merchants are doing [to boost their business], and it works in our favor," he says.
