Just a few years ago, ordering food from a restaurant seemed like an expensive indulgence and somewhat of a risky "adventure." "What if I pay, and nothing gets delivered? Then my money will be gone," pondered some city dwellers before placing an order for delivery. But times have changed—digital times—and online food ordering with instant payment has become a routine practice. The restaurant industry has begun to transform actively under the influence of digitalization, with payment systems evolving as well. Alexander Kuttukov, CEO of ABR TECH (part of the ABR group of companies, which includes the ABR restaurant chain), and Vladimir Dzhabarov, regional director of the payment organization TipTop Pay Kazakhstan, shared insights on how this is happening and what it means for consumers.
Consumers are Changing Their Habits
"The active digitalization of services in the restaurant business started in Kazakhstan in 2020, during the pandemic. Major delivery aggregators entered the market, and consumer habits began to shift. People have grown accustomed to fast and contactless delivery, with the ability to track the arrival time of their orders through trackers. This has become the default behavior: consumers now expect that they can place an order for delivery from any restaurant. We closely monitor customer feedback and requests. For example, we were asked to add the courier's car number to the tracker so that couriers could easily be allowed into residential complexes—and we made that happen," Kuttukov describes the current reality of the food service sector.
Dzhabarov adds a few details: "Food from restaurants is becoming a more familiar part of daily life, and the segment is getting closer to consumers: many order food from restaurants at least once a week. Payment services offer a refund option—where consumers can get their money back for undelivered goods or services not rendered. Previously, many were hesitant to order and pay online due to fear of financial loss."
All of this drives restaurants towards active digitalization, with payments being the main infrastructural element. "Payments themselves are becoming more diverse," Dzhabarov continues. "No one wants to fill out multiple forms on a website for each payment anymore. Therefore, the task of payment organizations is to provide consumers with a quick and comfortable 'parting' with their money—in other words, to make the payment process as seamless as possible, regardless of the method."
Synergy in Partnership
ABR began implementing its first digital solutions in 2019. Today, all restaurants in the network—50 projects across 15 concepts—are connected to the ABR+ digital platform, with slight variations in the range of services (payment, delivery, reservation, etc.). TipTop Pay has become the provider for payment acceptance.
Some time ago, ABR decided to try QR code payments printed on receipts: guests are offered to pay their bills using the QR code through the ABR+ app, for which they receive bonuses. This payment solution was developed by TipTop Pay. Dzhabarov explains the impact this has had: "Everyone loves cashback, and this is one of the things that facilitated the transition to online. Cashback fosters guest loyalty, and we allow our users to receive cashback through payment solutions."
Two years ago, ABR implemented cashier-less payments—linking QR codes to tables. After finishing their meal, guests can scan the code and pay their bill. According to Kuttukov, this gave the network a significant boost: the penetration rate of the ABR+ mobile app increased by 20%. "We experienced the effect of word-of-mouth: people began sharing about this option on social media and highlighting how convenient it is. Undoubtedly, this positively impacted table turnover (which increased by 25%) and the growth of online payments. Currently, between 70% and 75% of payments in the restaurant chain go through ABR+, and the number of online payments has increased by 40% when comparing October 2024 to 2023," the top manager shared.
He explained why online payments are important for ABR: "Following a payment, we receive feedback. We ask guests to share their impressions—they can rate us on a five-point scale, highlight with tags what they particularly liked or didn't like, and attach photos, leaving tips for waiters. This way, we gain insights into the performance of our restaurants. That's the first point. The second is that the speed of service significantly increases."
What ABR Has in Mind
According to Dzhabarov, ABR has managed to integrate into the cultural code of Almaty and has made it more modern. The restaurant chain is transforming into a fully-fledged technological e-commerce company and can compete with major delivery players like Yandex, Glovo, and Wolt. "To ensure growth, we need to solve many different technological and product-related challenges," the speaker states.
In the future, ABR plans to develop its reservation system, including paid reservations (to reduce the percentage of no-shows), considers vending machines with QR payments (such "food showcases" could be placed in business centers, for example), and aims to "restructure" its loyalty program. All of this will be supported by online payments.
"Over time, payment services will inevitably penetrate various processes in the restaurant business—both those directly related to the guest and those occurring in our internal 'kitchen,'" Kuttukov says. "For ABR, a reliable partner that keeps card data secure is crucial. We ensure integration in accordance with all the security measures required by TipTop Pay. We also inform clients that we do not store their payment data and specify our payment partner in the offer agreement. We are confident that they will fulfill their obligations to our clients correctly, as this is a matter of mutual reputation—both ours and our partner's."
Several Advantages
The acquiring service of TipTop Pay, Dzhabarov continues, stands out for its technological capabilities. "A payment is, on one hand, a mono-product (the client visits the website, fills out the payment form, and pays), but on the other hand, it encompasses many internal sub-products (for instance, payment and secure storage of card data is already a sub-product). We offer a full range of technological products. The second distinction is that we make the integration process as short as possible, providing solutions and adapting functionality to the client's business model. Just like in the case of the QR code on the receipt for ABR. Or, for example, if a client operates a call center, we can enable call center managers to quickly generate payment links and send them via WhatsApp. This allows the customer to pay their bill swiftly. The third distinction is what we call disaster resilience. We have several partner banks 'under the hood'; if one of them suddenly stops working, we can easily redirect the payment flow to another bank," explains the representative of the payment organization.
The Future of Payments
What does the future of payments look like? In response to this question, Dzhabarov jokes: "Bright." He then seriously elaborates: "Acquiring, as part of e-commerce infrastructure, will naturally grow in volume and decrease in cost—partly due to the volumes. At the same time, cashback, bonuses, and points will be reduced: banks pay these from commissions, and since commissions will decrease, cashback will also shrink. This trend is already visible. Banks have started to impose a huge number of restrictions on cashback—from base amounts to 'sources' of different bonuses."
There is also a positive aspect: new segments are emerging in payments—with larger tickets. "You can even buy a car online now. This was technically impossible before (limits did not allow it), and it was 'wild' in terms of consumer experience. Attempts at online payments are also being made for apartment sales. So far, they are rather unsuccessful because buying an apartment is a completely different purchase than buying a car. However, these attempts will continue in the future," Dzhabarov outlines the prospects.
In any case, payments are a story that can no longer be turned back. At least, not in food tech. Consumer habits have been established (that's the most costly part), and investments in the market are expected. The two e-commerce segments that have been growth drivers in recent years—marketplaces and food tech—will continue to play this role in the future. Those players who catch the trend in time will win.