How to start a loyalty program for your restaurant in Malaysia (step by step)
- Who it is for
- Restaurant owners in Malaysia with one outlet and any POS, who want regulars to return without a POS change or a customer app.
- Time needed
- About 15 minutes to set up, about an hour including the bilingual notice, printing and the staff briefing.
This guide walks through a first loyalty programme on PEKO, from sign-up to the first WhatsApp win-back, with the PDPA 2010 rules and a worked first-year cost in RM.
Step 1: Create your free PEKO account
What to do: Sign up on the free plan with your restaurant name and one outlet. No card is needed, and the free plan covers up to 300 members.
Why: Starting free lets you prove guests will join before you pay for anything.
Time: About 15 minutes for the whole setup.
In PEKO: heypeko.com → Start free → sign-up form → dashboard.
Common mistake: Picking a paid plan before you know how many guests will join.
Step 2: Keep your POS and teach PEKO your receipt
What to do: PEKO runs alongside the POS you already use, so nothing changes at the till. Upload one photo of your printed receipt so PEKO learns its layout; guests then earn points by photographing their own receipt.
Why: No POS integration means no migration, no new hardware and no staff retraining, and cash sales count too.
Time: About 5 minutes.
In PEKO: dashboard → upload your receipt template once.
Common mistake: Using a receipt layout that changes by printer: each extra layout needs its own template, and the free plan includes one.
Step 3: Set one simple points reward with the AI Agent
What to do: Decide one reward guests can understand at a glance, such as a free drink after a set amount of points or a welcome voucher. Describe it to the AI Agent in one sentence; it drafts the reward for you.
Why: One clear promise is easier for guests to remember and for staff to explain than a ladder of tiers.
Time: About 5 minutes.
In PEKO: AI Agent → describe the reward in a sentence → review the draft → Approve.
Common mistake: Launching tiers, multipliers and several rewards on day one.
Step 4: Get consent and give notice before you message guests
What to do: Tell guests in writing why you collect their contact details when they join, and send marketing messages only to people who agreed. The rules below are a plain summary, not legal advice.
Why: Malaysia's data law applies to personal data used in commercial transactions, which includes a restaurant's member list.
Time: About 15 minutes to write your join notice in Malay and English.
In PEKO: write the notice into the join page wording before you print the QR.
Common mistake: Writing the notice in one language only.
The rules in plain words
- The Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) applies to personal data processed in commercial transactions and sets seven principles, including consent and notice and choice.
- The notice telling people why their data is collected must be given in both the national language and English.
- A person can ask in writing that you stop processing their personal data for direct marketing.
- The Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2024 adds a duty to notify the Commissioner of data breaches, a right to data portability and a duty to appoint a data protection officer, makes data processors subject to the Security Principle and raises the maximum fine to RM1,000,000.
Step 5: Print the QR for tables, counter and receipt
What to do: Print the PEKO QR on a counter card, on each table and, if your POS allows it, on the receipt footer. Guests scan it with their phone camera and join on the web, with no app to download.
Why: Guests join on their own, so enrolment no longer depends on a cashier remembering to ask at peak.
Time: About 10 minutes, plus printing.
In PEKO: dashboard → print the venue QR → place it on the receipt footer or a counter card.
Common mistake: Hiding the QR by the till only; put it where guests wait or sit.
Step 6: Connect WhatsApp and email for messages
What to do: Email is included in every plan. WhatsApp Business is an add-on at RM999 a year; WhatsApp template message costs are billed at cost with no markup. Prices exclude SST unless stated otherwise.
Why: Win-back only works if the message reaches the app your guests actually read.
Time: About 10 minutes once your WhatsApp Business number is ready.
In PEKO: add the WhatsApp Business channel to your plan → connect your business number.
Common mistake: Using the owner's personal number instead of a dedicated business line.
Step 7: Brief your staff in one sentence
What to do: Give staff one line to say when guests pay: "Scan the QR to earn points on today's bill." They do not need to ask for phone numbers or type anything in.
Why: A short line staff can say at peak beats a script nobody remembers.
Time: About 5 minutes at the pre-shift briefing.
In PEKO: No PEKO screen needed: point staff to the QR card.
Common mistake: Asking staff to sign guests up on their behalf, which is exactly the counter bottleneck you are removing.
Step 8: Switch on win-back after two weeks of data
What to do: After about 14 days of visits, PEKO starts flagging regulars who are drifting. Ask the AI Agent for a win-back message to them; it drafts the campaign and nothing sends until you approve it.
Why: The churn prediction needs roughly 14 days of history; until then points, vouchers and rule-based messages run as normal.
Time: About 10 minutes a week.
In PEKO: AI Agent → "win back regulars who have not visited lately" → review → Approve.
Common mistake: Messaging the whole member list instead of the guests PEKO flags.
Worked first-year cost: one restaurant outlet
One outlet, billed yearly, prices from the Malaysia price list.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Free plan (up to 300 members) | RM0 |
| PEKO Standard, billed yearly | RM990 |
| WhatsApp Business add-on | RM999 |
| Standard plus WhatsApp, first year | RM1,989 |
| Optional guided setup, one-off | RM299 |
Monthly billing is the annual price divided by 10 (Standard RM99 a month). Prices exclude SST unless stated otherwise; where PEKO is SST-registered, SST at the applicable statutory rate is added and shown separately on the invoice. WhatsApp template message costs are billed at cost and depend on how many you send.
Launch-day checklist
- Receipt template uploaded and one test receipt scanned.
- One reward approved in the AI Agent.
- Join notice in Malay and English states what guests' details are used for.
- QR printed on the counter card, each table and the receipt footer if possible.
- Staff know the one line to say at payment.
- WhatsApp Business number connected, if you use WhatsApp.
Your first 30 days
- Day 1
- Launch the QR and the single reward. Scan one receipt yourself to check points land.
- Week 1
- Watch how many paying guests join. If few do, move the QR to the tables and the waiting area.
- Week 2
- Once about 14 days of visits are in, PEKO starts flagging regulars who are drifting.
- Weeks 3 to 4
- Approve the first WhatsApp win-back to flagged regulars only, then compare who comes back.
Questions
How much does a restaurant loyalty program cost in Malaysia with PEKO?
It is RM0 up to 300 members. After that, Standard is RM990 a year or RM99 a month per outlet, and the WhatsApp Business add-on is RM999 a year.
Does PEKO work with StoreHub, Qashier or Loyverse?
Yes. PEKO needs no POS integration: guests scan the venue QR or photograph the receipt, so it runs beside any till.
Do guests need to download an app?
No. Guests scan the QR with their phone camera and join on the web.
Is this guide legal advice on the PDPA 2010?
No. The consent step summarises the PDPA 2010 and its 2024 amendments in plain words and links to the Personal Data Protection Department. Check the official pages or a lawyer for your own case.
Does anything send without my approval?
No. The AI Agent drafts rewards and messages, and nothing sends until you click Approve.
When does the AI start predicting who will stop coming?
After about 14 days of visit history. Points, vouchers and rule-based messages work from day one.
Is SST included in the price?
Prices exclude SST unless stated otherwise. Where PEKO is SST-registered, SST at the applicable statutory rate is added and shown separately on the invoice.