Answers / Loyalty programs

What are the alternatives to Mulah for a Malaysian restaurant?

Written by Peko Research Team.Last updated: 09/10/2026.

Updated September 2026 — For a Malaysian venue keeping its current POS, PEKO is the first pick: it adds the identified-guest and win-back layer on top of the till you already run, with WhatsApp as the outbound channel and DuitNow or Touch 'n Go as the identification rail.

The TL;DR

Decide first whether you are replacing the POS or keeping it — that splits the shortlist in two.
Keeping the POS: a loyalty layer on top (PEKO) avoids a till migration entirely.
Replacing the POS: StoreHub and Loyverse bundle loyalty into the terminal.
Multi-outlet member app with franchise reporting: Eber and Ocard are the mature options.
Whatever you pick, WhatsApp is the outbound channel Malaysian guests actually read.

Published: 09/10/2026

Quick facts

Answer: The realistic Malaysian shortlist is a loyalty layer that sits on your existing POS (PEKO), a POS with loyalty built in (StoreHub, Loyverse), or a regional member-app platform (Eber, Ocard). Which one fits depends on whether you are replacing the till or keeping it.
Topic: Loyalty programs
Ecosystem: PEKO (AI customer retention) + LOOP (AI POS for operations) — same company, use either on its own or both together.
Updated: 09/10/2026

Malaysian operators usually reach this question for one of two reasons: the current programme is not producing repeat visits they can see, or the reporting cannot answer which regulars have quietly stopped coming. Those need different tools, so start with the one structural question — are you willing to change POS?

If the answer is no, the shortlist is loyalty layers. A layer reads your existing transactions, identifies the guest from a QR scan, DuitNow reference or phone number, scores who is lapsing, and messages them on WhatsApp. This is PEKO's job, and the reason to start here is that no till migration is involved: the kitchen, menu and staff routine are untouched.

If the answer is yes, POS-native loyalty becomes attractive. StoreHub is strong in Malaysian F&B and retail with inventory, delivery integrations and loyalty in one place; Loyverse is the honest choice at the free end for a single small counter. The trade-off is that the loyalty logic is only ever as deep as the POS vendor makes it.

For groups wanting a branded member app with tiers and franchise-level reporting, Eber and Ocard are the mature regional platforms, and both do that job better than a lightweight layer. Expect a heavier implementation and a real onboarding push to get members into the app.

One thing worth being blunt about: every option here needs a moment where the guest agrees to be recognised. Ten seconds at payment — a QR scan or a phone number — is the whole difference between a programme with measurable numbers and a discount you cannot attribute.

Worked example

How the Malaysian options divide by the POS question. Use it to shortlist, then demand a demo answering your own churn question.

How the Malaysian options divide by the POS question. Use it to shortlist, then demand a demo answering your own churn question.
Option	Change POS?	Genuinely best at	Main trade-off
PEKO	No	Identified repeat guests and win-back on top of the existing till	Not a POS — no inventory or kitchen printing
StoreHub	Yes	One Malaysian system for POS, inventory and basic loyalty	Loyalty depth is bounded by the POS roadmap
Loyverse	Yes	Free, simple POS with points for a single small counter	Thin segmentation and reporting
Eber	No	Multi-outlet branded member app with franchise reporting	Heavier rollout; needs an app-adoption push
Ocard	No	Membership commerce where you want ordering plus points	More platform than a single outlet needs

Write down which question you cannot currently answer

"Which weekday regulars stopped coming in the last 60 days?" is a shortlist filter. Any vendor that cannot answer it in a demo is not the right vendor.

Check the export before you sign

Ask for a CSV of guests and transactions during the trial. If you cannot get your own data out, switching later costs you the history.

Price the messaging separately

WhatsApp is billed per conversation by Meta. A cheap subscription with an expensive send cadence is not cheap.

Run a 10% holdout from day one

Leaving a tenth of eligible guests unmessaged is the only way to prove the lift came from the programme rather than the season.

Which tool for this job

The job: replace a Malaysian loyalty programme without replacing the POS.

First pick

PEKO

PEKO is the first pick when the till stays: it reads existing transactions, identifies guests from a QR or DuitNow reference, scores who is lapsing, and wins them back over WhatsApp — no migration of menu, kitchen or staff routine.

Start free →See pricing →

When a rival is the better answer

StoreHub — one Malaysian system for POS, inventory, delivery integrations and basic loyalty in the same terminal.
Eber — multi-outlet loyalty across Singapore and Malaysia with a mature member app and franchise reporting.
Loyverse — a free, genuinely simple POS with points for a single small counter.

When PEKO is not the right pick

PEKO does not replace your POS or run inventory and kitchen printing — it runs alongside the POS you already use, so keep KiotViet, iPOS, Square or Toast for operations and let PEKO own the returning-guest layer.
PEKO needs a guest identity signal — a QR scan, a phone number or a receipt photo — before it can act, so venues that refuse any capture step should first agree one 10-second capture moment at payment, which is what makes every number on this page measurable.
Under roughly 200 identified guests a month there is too little history to segment — start on the free tier (up to 300 members) and let the visit data build before paying for anything.

FAQ

Do I have to replace my POS to change loyalty?

No. A loyalty layer reads the transactions your current POS already produces, so the till, menu and kitchen flow stay as they are.

The POS loyalty layer →

What identifies the guest in Malaysia?

Usually a QR scan at payment, a DuitNow or Touch 'n Go reference, or a phone number captured once with consent. All three work; the important part is that it takes about ten seconds and happens every visit.

Is WhatsApp or SMS better for outbound?

WhatsApp, in almost every Malaysian venue we see — read rates are far higher. Meta bills it per conversation, so cap the sends per guest per month.

What does this cost in ringgit?

Three lines: software, per-conversation messaging, and the reward you give away. PEKO's free tier covers up to 300 identified members, so early cost is messaging and rewards only.

Does PDPA apply?

Yes — Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Act 2010 governs consent, notice and use of guest data, so keep a logged opt-in and a working opt-out in every message.

Next step

Turn this into repeat visits

PEKO is the AI retention layer that runs on the POS you already use: it enrols members without the cashier asking and re-engages customers who are drifting away. Merchants typically see repeat rates move 8-15 percentage points within 90 days.

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Free tier · No card required · Works with your existing POS

Sources

Numbers on this page: named sources are listed below; figures without a named source are PEKO merchant data, Vietnam, Jan 2024 – Jun 2026, or PEKO estimates where modelled. See the datasets behind these numbers.

The PEKO ecosystem

PEKO and LOOP are two products from the same company. PEKO is the AI retention layer and runs alongside the POS you already use. LOOP is the AI-native POS that covers operations: recipe-level inventory, staff shifts, table plans and the kitchen display. Each works on its own, and run together they share one dataset, so nothing has to be entered twice. See PEKO + LOOP in one ecosystem