Ackroo
Ackroo is a Canadian public SaaS company providing an integrated cloud-based platform for gift card programs, loyalty rewards, and payment processing, primarily serving small and medium-sized merchants in retail, hospitality, automotive, and petroleum/c-store verticals across North America.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersHamilton, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Ackroo does
Ackroo Inc. is a Canadian public SaaS company (TSX-V: AKR) founded in 2012 and headquartered in Hamilton, Ontario, with a secondary office in London, Ontario. The company operates a cloud-based customer engagement platform that combines three core products — a Gift Card Program, a Loyalty Program, and AckrooPAY payment processing — under a single integrated stack, with vertical-specific modules for automotive dealers and petroleum/c-stores. The platform connects at the point of sale through 30+ integrations with payment processors (Fiserv, Global Payments, Stripe, Chase, PayPal), POS systems (Clover, Gilbarco Passport, Verifone Commander), and automotive DMS platforms (CDK, Authenticom, PBS, Quorum, Serti).
Ackroo serves primarily small and medium-sized merchants across retail, hospitality, automotive, petroleum, and convenience-store verticals, supplemented by mid-market and enterprise customers such as Weins Canada and Bean Around the World. Revenue is generated through a mix of recurring SaaS subscriptions ($50–$500/month per location depending on tier), payment processing fees averaging 2.1%, hardware terminal rentals, physical card unit sales, and professional services billed at $150/hour. The company grew through an aggressive roll-up strategy, completing 12+ acquisitions between 2015 and 2023 (including InterActive DMS in 2021, SimpliConnect in 2022, and GiftFly in 2023), and became EBITDA positive in 2018. In Spring 2025, Ackroo was sold to a strategic buyer, and former CEO Steve Levely departed in January 2026 to lead Shopley Inc., while founder Omar Sahyoun transitioned to Chairman of the Board.
Ackroo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ackroo
- Legal name
- Ackroo Inc.
- Website
- https://ackroo.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ackroo is a Canadian public SaaS company providing an integrated cloud-based platform for gift card programs, loyalty rewards, and payment processing, primarily serving small and medium-sized merchants in retail, hospitality, automotive, and petroleum/c-store verticals across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ackroo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Customer Loyalty & Payment Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Loyalty, Rewards & Retention Platforms (BPAFAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Gift Card Processing, Issuance Platforms & Aggregators (FSAMANAL), Corporate & Incentive / Reward Prepaid Programs (FSAMANAD), Customer Service/Support CRM & Contact Center Platforms (BPAFAFAK)
Keywords
Where Ackroo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamilton
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ackroo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription / Platform Fees: Monthly recurring fees for gift card, loyalty, and payment processing platforms. Pricing tiers range from $50/month for basic gift card programs to $150/month for combined loyalty programs. Automotive vertical pricing starts at $500/month per location. Petro/C-store pricing at $300/month for loyalty rewards.
- Payment Processing Fees: Transaction-based fees averaging 2.1% plus setup fees ($50-$199), terminal rental, and per-transaction fees. Revenue generated through payment processing for merchants.
- Physical Card Sales: One-time fees for physical gift and loyalty cards. Pricing: 250 cards at $325 ($1.30/ea), scaling down to $0.40/ea for 100,000 card orders. Additional fees for design work at $150/hour.
- Professional Services: Custom development and implementation services billed at $150/hour. Additional services include card migration ($300), card provisioning ($0.12/card), and POS integration.
- Partner Commissions: Revenue share arrangements with technology marketing partners who receive residuals on accounts they onboard and service.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Payment Processing - 2.1% on average |
| Subscription | Monthly | Gift Card, eGift & Promo - $50/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Loyalty, Gift Card, eGift & Promo - $150/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Automotive Loyalty - Starting at $500/month/location |
| Subscription | Monthly | Petro & C-Store Loyalty - $300/month |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Physical Cards - Unit pricing from $0.40-$1.30/ea |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ackroo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ackroo operates a cloud-based SaaS platform that enables merchants to launch and manage gift card programs, customer loyalty rewards, and integrated payment processing from a single vendor. The platform supports digital and physical gift cards, customizable points/cash-back/punch-card loyalty structures, automated email/SMS/push marketing campaigns, and real-time analytics, with industry-specific extensions for automotive dealerships (InterActive DMS integration) and petroleum/convenience stores (fuel rollbacks, tobacco scan data programs).
Product overview
Ackroo is an all-in-one customer engagement and payment platform serving merchants of all sizes, combining three core products — Gift Card Program, Loyalty Program, and AckrooPAY (Payment Processing) — into a unified cloud-based SaaS platform. Industry-specific add-on modules extend the core stack: Petro & C-Stores Advanced Customer Engagement and Automotive Advanced Customer Engagement each target specific verticals with tailored features such as fuel rollbacks, tobacco scan data, DMS integrations, and automotive virtual terminals. Acquired brands — GiftFly (gift card technology, 2023), InterActive DMS (dealership management software, 2021), and SimpliConnect (petro/c-store features, 2022) — have been integrated into the platform. Additional services include physical card ordering, virtual terminal, and branded payment hardware (Clover Flex, MOVE/5000, DESK/5000). The platform processed over 500,000 transactions per month across 3,400+ customer locations as of 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AckrooPAY: Payment processing solution integrated with gift and loyalty programs, leveraging partnerships with Fiserv and Global Payments.
- GiftFly
- InterActive DMS
Products and services
- Gift Card Program A cloud-based solution that enables merchants to sell, redeem, and reload digital (e-gift) and physical gift and promo cards, with real-time balance management and POS integration. Designed for small to medium-sized merchants across retail, hospitality, automotive, and petro/c-store verticals.
- Loyalty Program A customizable loyalty rewards platform supporting points-based, punch card, currency-based (cash-back), and club reward structures, with automated email/SMS/push marketing campaigns, birthday rewards, win-back campaigns, and a dedicated member portal. Targeted at SMB merchants seeking to increase customer retention and visit frequency.
- AckrooPAY Payment Processing Payment processing solution offering credit/debit card acceptance, mobile payments, virtual terminal, and advanced Fraud Guard tools, powered by Fiserv and Global Payments with an average rate of 2.1%. Designed for SMB merchants seeking integrated gift, loyalty, and payment capabilities.
- Petro & C-Stores Advanced Customer Engagement An industry-specific loyalty and engagement solution for gas stations and convenience stores, featuring fuel rollbacks, points-per-gallon programs, tobacco scan data programs (Altria, RJR, ITG), ID.me age verification, and Verifone Commander/Gilbarco Passport POS integrations. Targeted at petroleum and c-store operators.
- Automotive Advanced Customer Engagement An industry-specific loyalty and promotional solution for automotive, marine, RV, and powersports dealers, featuring DMS integration (CDK, Serti, Authenticom, Quorum, PBS, Reynold & Reynolds), an automotive-focused virtual terminal with RO/DMS details, and a custom-branded mobile app. Targeted at independent and franchise auto dealers.
- GiftFly Innovative digital gift card technology platform acquired in 2023, operating as a sub-brand with its own website to enhance Ackroo's digital gifting capabilities. Targeted at merchants seeking modern digital gift card solutions.
- InterActive DMS Dealership management software for independent automotive dealers, providing affordable and easy-to-use tools to manage general dealership operations including inventory tracking, customer relationship management, and point-of-sale. Targeted at independent automotive dealerships.
- Gift & Loyalty Card Ordering Physical gift and loyalty card ordering service offering custom-branded cards with options for encoding (2-Track HiCo Magstripe, C-128 barcode), packaging, and design support, with minimum order quantities starting at 250 cards. Targeted at merchants implementing branded gift and loyalty card programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- Customers experience an average of 15% revenue increase through tailored rewards
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Ackroo
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ackroo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration53 records
AI capability5 records
Feature7 records
Ackroo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- FiservcorePrimary payment processing partner enabling integrated payment processing within Ackroo's platform. Clover integration operates via Fiserv connection.
- Global PaymentscorePrimary payment processing partner providing competitive processing rates (averaging 2.1%) and integrated payment solutions.
- ClovercoreDirect integration partner for gift card and loyalty programs. First self-serve signup product launched with Clover in 2019.
- StripesecondaryPayment processing integration partner enabling online payment capabilities.
- PayPalsecondaryPayment processing integration partner for online transactions.
- Chase PaymentechsecondaryPayment processing partner for merchants requiring Chase payment solutions.
- CDK GlobalcoreAutomotive DMS integration partner for dealer management system connectivity.
- AuthenticomcoreAutomotive DMS integration partner providing connectivity to Reynold & Reynolds, Quorum, and other systems.
- Gilbarco PassportcorePetro/C-store POS integration for gas stations using Gilbarco systems.
- Verifone CommandercorePetro/C-store POS integration for gas stations using Verifone Commander systems.
- AltriasecondaryTobacco scan data program partner meeting Tier 2 & 3 requirements for Altria.
- RJR (RJ Reynolds)secondaryTobacco scan data program partner meeting Level 1 & 2 requirements for RJR.
- ITG (Imperial Tobacco Group)secondaryTobacco scan data program partner for ITG products.
- KIAminorAutomotive OEM using Ackroo loyalty programs at dealerships.
- ID.mesecondaryAge verification service for tobacco programs in the US market.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ackroo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Square (Block): Square offers integrated payments, POS, gift cards, and a built-in Square Loyalty product to millions of SMB merchants. As a much larger incumbent with embedded loyalty and gift card functionality, Square competes head-on with Ackroo's all-in-one value proposition.
- Lightspeed Commerce: Lightspeed provides cloud-based POS, payments, and built-in loyalty/gift card functionality to retail and restaurant SMBs in North America. It overlaps with Ackroo on loyalty, gift cards, and integrated payments for multi-location merchants.
- Clover (Fiserv): Clover is a major SMB POS and payments platform owned by Fiserv, and a core integration partner for Ackroo. Clover also ships native gift and loyalty capabilities that compete with Ackroo's offerings, making it both a channel and a competitor.
- Toast: Toast is a restaurant-focused POS and payments platform with built-in loyalty, gift card, and marketing modules. It competes with Ackroo's hospitality vertical offering through an end-to-end, deeply integrated commerce stack.
Direct peers
- Fivestars: Fivestars is a leading SMB loyalty and marketing automation platform serving small and mid-sized merchants across retail, restaurant, and service verticals. It is the closest direct competitor to Ackroo on SMB loyalty, marketing automation, and customer engagement functionality.
- Yotpo: Yotpo provides SMB and mid-market loyalty, referral, and customer data platform services to retail and direct-to-consumer brands. It overlaps with Ackroo on loyalty, rewards, retention, and customer engagement for merchants.
- Como: Como is an SMB customer engagement, loyalty, and marketing platform for small and mid-sized businesses across retail, hospitality, and service verticals. It is comparable to Ackroo on subscription-based loyalty, gift cards, and customer data tools for SMBs.
- Punchh: Punchh offers digital loyalty, gift card, and customer engagement solutions for restaurant and retail chains. It competes directly with Ackroo on multi-location loyalty programs, branded mobile apps, and gift card infrastructure.
- TapMango: TapMango is an SMB customer loyalty and marketing automation platform serving retailers, restaurants, and merchants of all sizes. It directly competes with Ackroo on subscription-based loyalty programs, gift cards, and integrated marketing tools.
- Paytronix: Paytronix is a loyalty and guest engagement platform purpose-built for restaurants and convenience stores. Its focus on petro/c-store and hospitality parallels Ackroo's petro/c-store and hospitality verticals, with overlapping gift card and loyalty functionality.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ackroo social profiles
Digital presenceAckroo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Ackroo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ackroo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Ackroo subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
Ackroo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ackroo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A7 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ackroo
What does Ackroo do?
Ackroo operates a cloud-based SaaS platform that enables merchants to launch and manage gift card programs, customer loyalty rewards, and integrated payment processing from a single vendor. The platform supports digital and physical gift cards, customizable points/cash-back/punch-card loyalty structures, automated email/SMS/push marketing campaigns, and real-time analytics, with industry-specific extensions for automotive dealerships (InterActive DMS integration) and petroleum/convenience stores (fuel rollbacks, tobacco scan data programs).
Is Ackroo a public or private company?
Ackroo is a public company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Ackroo founded?
Ackroo was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ackroo based?
Ackroo is headquartered in Hamilton, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Ackroo make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Subscription / Platform Fees are the primary driver. The others are payment Processing Fees, physical Card Sales, professional Services and partner Commissions.
Who are Ackroo's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Square (Block), Lightspeed Commerce, Clover (Fiserv) and Toast. Direct peers are Fivestars, Yotpo, Como, Punchh, TapMango and Paytronix.
Does Ackroo have an API?
Yes. Ackroo offers an API for Technology Partners to integrate Gift Card and Loyalty programs into their platforms. Partners can access the API via the developer portal at developer.ackroo.com to build combined solutions with Ackroo's products. Developer documentation is at developer.ackroo.com.
What industry is Ackroo in?
Ackroo's product category is Customer Loyalty & Payment Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAFAH, Loyalty, Rewards & Retention Platforms, with a secondary code of FSAMANAL, Gift Card Processing, Issuance Platforms & Aggregators. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7372.