- Type
- In-house product
- Industry
- Local business & retail
- Project
- Multi-sided local commerce platform (web + mobile)
- Location
- Venezuela (expanding across Latin America)
The challenge
Neighborhood businesses compete against large chains without the digital tools those chains take for granted: a way to get discovered, a way to reward repeat customers, and a way to turn happy customers into word-of-mouth. Each of those usually means a separate app or service, which small merchants can’t justify or manage.
The goal was a single platform that unites discovery, loyalty and recommendation — designed for the realities of the Venezuelan market, where WhatsApp is the dominant channel and asking customers to install yet another app is a non-starter.
The ALCA solution
ALCA designed and built AlcaStars from scratch — product, design, web, mobile and backend — as one coherent experience with three connected products: a local directory, the AlcaPerks loyalty program and the AlcaCreators ambassador network.
Rather than force customers into a new app, the loyalty layer works directly from the customer’s phone through QR codes and WhatsApp, which removes the biggest point of friction in adoption. The architecture is built to roll out country by country across Latin America.
Key modules & features
Local directory
Anyone can discover restaurants, cafés, barbershops, gyms, vets, bakeries and other local businesses in their area.
AlcaPerks loyalty
A digital points program that replaces cardboard punch-cards — onboarding by QR or WhatsApp, with no extra app for the customer.
AlcaCreators network
A network of local ambassadors, each with their own curated recommendations page, on a four-tier program (Explorer, Favorite, Ambassador, Legend).
AlcaSpotlight
A monthly feature that turns a selected creator’s recommendations into professional content for their channels and ALCA’s.
Merchant plans
Tiered subscriptions for businesses (Impulso, Pro and a custom Enterprise tier) so merchants can start small and grow.
Behavior data
Because loyalty runs digitally, participating merchants get real customer-behavior data instead of a lost paper card.
How it works
- 1Customer discovers a local business through the directory
- 2Customer joins AlcaPerks via a QR code or WhatsApp — no app install
- 3Points accrue for in-person and delivery purchases
- 4Ambassadors publish curated recommendations on their own page
- 5Merchants subscribe to a plan and access their customer data
Architecture & approach
AlcaPerks is built to work in both in-person and delivery scenarios, and the onboarding deliberately leans on QR and WhatsApp — the channels customers already use — rather than a separate consumer app. The platform is structured for multi-country rollout, with dedicated market pages already prepared for Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
Screens
Technology & capabilities
What it was designed to improve
- Centralize local discovery, loyalty and recommendation in one platform
- Remove app-install friction by running loyalty through QR and WhatsApp
- Give small merchants tools and customer data they previously lacked
- Support expansion across Latin American markets
Status
- Live in production in Venezuela at alcastars.com.ve
- Dedicated market pages prepared for Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Peru
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