Stor.ai Adds SNAP Transaction Support

Digital services provider Stor.ai said Jan. 19 its software now allows retailers to accept and process SNAP payment for online transactions.

The change enables shoppers using federal food benefits to shop online—a capability that has lagged far behind traditional credit-card processing and taken on additional gravity over the last year in connection with the pandemic.

Most e-commerce providers have typically not accepted food stamps, requiring shoppers to visit stores in-person, which is increasingly seen as a health risk, especially for elderly people or other at-risk groups, Stor.ai said. The offering can also help retailers serve a wider clientele, the company said.

“Technology which enables SNAP participants to carry out their regular shopping online is a win-win scenario for grocers and low-income families alike,” said Eli Yeheskel, director of U.S. operations for Stor.ai. “Millions of food stamps customers will now be able to shop online and pay for groceries using their food stamps account. Meanwhile, grocers will be able to significantly expand their reach—a real game-changer for smaller community stores.”

Most SNAP payments today are made through EBT (electronic benefit transfer) payment cards. Stor.ai now enables grocers to accept split payments involving multiple payment methods, as well as automatically adding virtual tags to retailers’ online interfaces displaying which items are EBT-eligible.

“I am proud that Stor.ai is at the forefront of another paradigm shift as we work towards accelerating digital transformation within the grocery industry as a whole,” Orlee Tal, CEO of Stor.ai, said in a statement. “Retailers must embrace technology and digitization in order to maintain and expand their client bases, especially given the growing popularity of online grocery shopping. At Stor.ai, we prioritize our customers to fully understand their needs, and we identified clear demand for tools which enable grocers to cater for recipients of food stamps.”

Formerly known as Self Point, Stor.ai is a Tel Aviv-based digital transformation partner for supermarkets, specialty food retailers and consumer packaged goods brands, supporting digital transition through a digital e-commerce engine, marketing tools and logistics software.