Panera Bread plans to roll out Amazon One as a loyalty identification tool for MyPanera, its loyalty program with more than 52 million members, and a contactless payment method.
The technology is deployed at select locations in Panera’s hometown of St. Louis with plans to expand to additional locations in the coming months. The chain is the first national restaurant company to use Amazon One as a way for guests to pay and access their loyalty account with their palm.
Customers who link their MyPanera account to Amazon One can experience the convenience of fast payments, as well as tailored meal recommendations from Panera associates based on their preferences and previous orders. After a scan of the palm, Panera associates will be able to greet guests by name, communicate their available rewards, reorder their favorite menu items, or take another order of their choice. Customers can then scan their palm again to pay.
First-time Amazon One users can pre-enroll online or sign up when placing their Panera order in the bakery-cafe. It takes a minute for a Panera guest to link their credit card and MyPanera account to their Amazon One ID. If a Panera customer has previously enrolled in Amazon One at Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, or other locations such as airports and stadiums, they will not need to re-enroll at Panera – they can simply link their MyPanera account to their Amazon One ID online or in store. Enrollment in Amazon One is voluntary and includes opt-in consent, and customers can choose to use Amazon One for loyalty linking, payment, or both.
“Collaborating with Amazon Web Services to bring this service into our bakery-cafes is a natural extension of the tech-forward, guest-centric digital thinking that Panera is known for,” said Niren Chaudhary, CEO of Panera Bread and Panera Brands, in a statement. “Our philosophy has been centered around leveraging best-in-class technology to create a better Panera experience and using that to deepen our relationship with our loyal guests. Introducing Amazon One, as a frictionless, personalized, and convenient service, is another way we’re redefining the loyalty experience.”
Any private and personal data shared via Amazon One is securely stored and protected by multiple security controls, and palm images are never stored on the Amazon One device. All images are encrypted and sent to a secure area custom-built for Amazon One in the cloud where palm signatures are created.
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