Vouchers Online or Offline

The Hypersoft system has two voucher systems:

The web vouchers are basically designed in such a way that they can be used across different locations. An automatic billing system between the locations (and different holders) can also be used for this purpose. Web vouchers are very well protected by complex QR codes and several activation levels. The licensing of the web vouchers takes place per location and within the head office.
The Voucher Offline Management is a programme from the desktop area that is designed for individual locations and is delivered with the BACKOFFICE SUITE licence. It is very extensively configurable and offers different coupon types (e.g. value coupons, item coupons and more).

Comparison and performance of the voucher systems

Web vouchers have the database with the credit balances on our portal server, so that they can be accessed from any location. This system is actively being further developed and adapted for innovations and new technologies. It works with QR Codes, and also supports communication with a landing page within your own homepage.

With the voucher management the credit is stored in a local database of your POS system. The system is versatile and easy to use. It can generate barcodes itself (which do not use security measures). For the configuration of single-purpose vouchers (taxed at the point of sale), see Bonus voucher as single purpose voucher.

functions	Web Vouchers Online	Classic voucher (offline) management
Hypersoft POS	supported	supported
Hypersoft mPOS	supported	only value vouchers supported
landing page	supported	unbacked
Code type	QR code	barcode
taxation	When redeeming	On sale or on redemption depending on the type
Protection	Activate number ranges	none
Print output and transport	print@home or eSolutions (display), code on card	POS printer, Boca printer, code on card
3rd Party Voucher Development	yes	no
Connection E-Guma	yes	no
Connection Incert eTourism	yes	no
Connection Yovite	no	yes

Multi-purpose and single-purpose vouchers from a fiscal perspective

For this extensive and important topic please see: Vouchers Online or Offline

Best practice: Sustainable voucher strategy

Selling vouchers provides your business with immediate liquidity. The equivalent value is immediately available to you as cash – the service follows later. This is precisely where strategic responsibility begins.

Vouchers are not "expired winnings"

At first glance, it may seem attractive if some of the vouchers are never redeemed. In some businesses, the rate of unredeemed vouchers is between 30 and 50 per cent. But this attitude falls short.

In most cases, a voucher is a sign of trust from a satisfied regular customer. He is not only giving a monetary gift – he is giving a recommendation. And this recommendation is made at your own risk.

The redeemer is often:

a first-time visitor
potential future regular customer
someone who already has a positive attitude towards your company

This means you receive a high-quality new customer opportunity – financed and pre-qualified by an existing guest. That's not a risk. This is referral-based marketing. The voucher is better than cash, and your internal motto should be:

"A voucher is better than cash."

Why?

Because cash only generates turnover. A voucher can create regular customers.

A guest who arrives with a voucher often feels slightly uncomfortable:

"I'm not paying properly."
Is this inconvenient for the restaurant?
"Does everything have to be rebooked now?"

If uncertainty or even discontent arises during acceptance and billing, the opportunity is lost:

Accounting processes never belong at the table; they belong in the system.

Therefore, train your employees consciously:

Vouchers are positive events.
Vouchers are opportunities.
Vouchers are not "lost revenue".

An excellent practical example

One restaurateur has found a consistent solution to this issue: for every voucher above a certain minimum value, an aperitif is served on the house (this is already noted on the voucher).

Advantages:

The guest presents the voucher at the beginning.
The service team knows immediately: this may be a first-time visitor.
The stay begins on a positive and appreciative note.
The mood is set to "welcome" – not "rebooking".
The aperitif is inexpensive.
The impression lasts a long time.
Invest in redemption – not in expiry

If a significant proportion of vouchers are never redeemed anyway, you can afford to invest in the quality of redemption from a business perspective.

The higher the redemption rate, the greater the real marketing impact. Unredeemed vouchers are not a success; they are missed customer relationships.

Be cautious with external voucher platforms

External voucher agencies or low-cost providers usually pursue goals other than sustainable brand loyalty. Typical risks:

substantial discounts
Redemptions during peak hours
low identification with your brand
Price sensitivity instead of quality perception

If your goal is sustainable customer loyalty, you should favour your own voucher models, in which:

Check the conditions
Your brand takes centre stage
the redemption is designed in an appreciative manner

Conclusion

A voucher is not a discount, it is a leap of faith. It is given away by a satisfied guest – and gives you the opportunity to gain another satisfied guest. Do not treat vouchers as a booking item; treat them as an invitation to build a relationship.

Further topics: Directory: Best Practice

Best practice on vouchers with turnover distribution and on the service date

Not all vouchers are the same from a tax perspective. It is crucial to distinguish between single-purpose vouchers and multi-purpose vouchers, as this determines the timing and type of taxation. At the same time, the question arises in practice as to how turnover tax or value added tax distribution can be correctly mapped – especially when different tax rates or product groups are involved.

Further topics: Single-purpose and multi-purpose vouchers with exhibition as of 01.01.2019

1. Single-purpose voucher (item voucher with a fixed tax rate)

(Web vouchers do not support single-purpose vouchers, as they are VAT-free.)

A single-purpose voucher exists if the following is already determined at the time of sale:

which tax rate applies
what service is provided
where the service is to be allocated for tax purposes

Example:

You sell a restaurant voucher with a clear place of performance and a fixed tax rate (e.g. 19%).

Procedure in Hypersoft:

Sale of vouchers with a fixed tax rate (e.g. 19%)
When redeemed, the linked item is booked.
This item may be subject to sales tax and VAT distribution.
The tax portion recorded when the voucher is sold is technically reversed.
The actual tax distribution takes place at the item level.

Important:

Unredeemed vouchers remain subject to the tax rate originally booked.

This variant is clear and transparent if the service content is clearly defined.

2. Multi-purpose voucher (e.g. web voucher)

A multi-purpose voucher is one where the following details are not yet known at the time of sale:

which tax rate is applied
which specific services will be provided later

Here, tax is not levied on the sale, but only when the voucher is redeemed.

Procedure:

Voucher sales without sales tax (income only)
When redeemed, the items actually consumed are booked.
The respective turnover and VAT distribution is then carried out correctly via the items.

This variant is the more economically viable solution in many businesses, especially if:

different tax rates are possible
To-go / In-house mixed occurrence
Product groups vary greatly

Revenue distribution for vouchers

Further topics:

Revenue distribution for vouchers

Item voucher with sales tax distribution

Since vouchers themselves do not support sales distribution, correct distribution is always carried out via:

the linked article (single-purpose solution)
or the items actually booked when redeeming (multi-purpose solution)

That means:

The tax logic does not belong in the voucher – it belongs in the service.

Date of service and business considerations

A particularly important point is the date of performance:

In the case of single-purpose vouchers, the turnover arises for tax purposes at the time of sale.

With multi-purpose vouchers, turnover is only generated when the voucher is redeemed.

From a business perspective, it may make sense to record only one income when the sale is made and to generate the turnover only when the voucher is redeemed – especially with regard to:

periodisation
sales development
Evaluations in the Report Manager
tax audits

Best practice recommendation

If your offer includes different tax rates or service types, the multi-purpose solution (e.g. web voucher) is generally recommended.

It offers:

maximum tax flexibility
fair distribution of revenue
clear allocation of responsibilities
transparent evaluation
lower risk of errors with mixed concepts

Single-purpose solutions make sense if the service is clearly defined and you want to realise the revenue at the point of sale.

Further topics: Directory: Best Practice

Item voucher with sales tax distribution

If an item voucher is set up in the system that includes a VAT distribution, this is taken into account when selling (not when redeeming). The voucher must be set up in the Voucher Manager to be sold at tax rate 2.

Background: The associated item (example here: New Year's Eve menu) is set up in the item master so that it has a different tax rate, namely tax rate 1. See in the picture component: Drinks1.

This is fixed at 60 euros in tax bracket 1. Now the difference is sold in tax level 2. So:

New Year's Eve Voucher 185,- Euro

60,- Euro Beverages - Tax Level 1 (16%)

125,- Euro meals - tax level 2 (5%)

Should one set up the voucher to be sold at tax bracket 1 (16%), there would no longer be any difference and the entire voucher was then booked at tax bracket 1.

Vouchers and tips

If amounts from vouchers are not completely used up, you can enter the corresponding amount as a tip in the transaction before paying with a voucher.

Further topics:

Hypersoft procedure for vouchers

Web-Vouchers

The voucher (offline) management

Back to the overarching topic: Hypersoft POS Cash Handling