Blackhawk Network Teams With Custom Business Solutions on Digital POS for Retail, Restaurants

Blackhawk Network is partnering with Custom Business Solutions (CBS) on new digital point of sale (POS) options for restaurants and those in the retail space, the companies announced Tuesday (March 15).

Recent trends in payments have been geared towards alternative payments, including digital wallets, cryptocurrencies and buy now, pay later (BNPL) options.

As such, the collaboration hopes to add advantages for restaurant and retail partners, with 63% of respondents to a Blackhawk survey saying they’d be more likely to shop somewhere if the store accepts digital payments. Additionally, 73% said they want to make both online and in-store payments using the same payment method.

“We are delighted to collaborate with CBS, a highly-regarded company driving innovative payment solutions to the restaurant and retail world,” Tristan Roffey, vice president and group head, global strategy at Blackhawk Network, said in the release. “Further accelerating our growth in the restaurant and grocery space is a top priority for Blackhawk, and the incredible team at CBS is the perfect partner.”

“Our continued evolution in bringing new payment options and ideas to life makes this partnership with Blackhawk Network an incredibly valuable addition to our growth,” said Anthony Presley, chief technology officer of Custom Business Solutions. “Driving scalable, omnichannel payment options for our clients positions us for success as leaders and innovators in the space.”

In February, Blackhawk also expanded its partnership with Kroger to offer prepaid Mastercard and Visa cards in bulk.

Read more: Blackhawk Expands Partnership With Kroger for More B2B Gift Cards

This will happen through the Software-as-a-Service-based Velocity B2B gift card service, which will help Kroger grow more in the B2B gift card space. Through the partnership, businesses have a new way to reward and incentivize employees, and it also offers organizations new options for supporting those in need.

Kate Ward, president of Kroger Personal Finance, said there was more demand in gift cards, so B2B gift cards represent a “tremendous” growth opportunity for the business.