PAYRIS, a mobile app aiming to disrupt the shopping and data sharing economy, has announced its initial partnerships and new interface as part of its beta launch in Washington D.C. At this challenging time for small businesses everywhere, and with ongoing news of iconic local destinations like Marvin, Capitol Lounge and American Ice Company closing their doors for good, Payris aims to help both the businesses and the consumers, all the while cutting out the high commission fees some other apps in the market have. The initial focus is on the food and beverage industry, especially local restaurants who have pivoted to take-out, grocery and CSA models during the COVID crisis in an attempt to diversify their offerings. PAYRIS will allow local businesses to connect to their customers in a centralized place and in real time, while keeping their margins higher than any other app on the market. Their first official D.C. local partners include Capitol Hill institutions Schneider’s and Cafe Berlin.

The new, free PAYRIS mobile app streamlines the process of local discovery, enabling local businesses to connect directly with customers searching for food, experiences, products, and services. It also invites users to take charge of their consumer destiny by controlling and monetizing their data. The team invites consumers to begin posting to their wish lists, completing surveys and earning rewards as they begin onboarding more local businesses in Washington DC. Earn rewards by completing any of these actions:

1. Create and complete a wish with a participating Payris business on Capitol Hill:
   • Schneider’s: create a wish using the Alcohol tags to get recommendations for wine, spirits, and beer from Schneider’s expert staff. Pre-order your selections by purchasing through their website (linked within Payris) or over the phone for pickup, or qualify for free delivery in DC for orders over $100.
   • Cafe Berlin: Create a wish using Food > German tags to find the best authentic scratch-made German food, beer and wine in DC. Dine-in safely on a delightful patio and safe indoor seating. First 3 customers each day to complete their wish at Cafe Berlin show their server will receive a free Cafe Berlin-branded beer stein.
2. Join the Payris #ShopLocalDC challenge by creating and completing wishes outside our partner network — users are challenged to fulfill their wishes by making purchases at their favorite neighborhood businesses and completing their wish in the app
   • Completing wishes in the app
     • Tap the green check mark on your wish, 
     • Select a matched business (or enter the business name if not matched), 
     • Add a photo of your purchase (including the store where you made the purchase if possible)
     • Add a 1-5 star rating (required) and comment (optional) which are privately shared with the business as helpful feedback.
3. Complete surveys about their favorite local destinations and shopping in DC
4. Refer a friend to join Payris: Earn $5 worth of Payris rewards points to use at local businesses of your choice for each new user you recruit onto the platform.

PAYRIS BACKSTORY:

PAYRIS was founded in 2019, by a group of tech and finance innovators, positioned at the forefront of a growing cultural awareness of the value of our personal data and skepticism towards the tech giants who have turned their users into an advertising product without ever cutting them into the profits.

PAYRIS was born as a solution to a problem every consumer has: the metaphorical and often literal headache of digital clutter and information overload. Consumers must sift through limitless options while ads and algorithms compete to tell them what they want. Additionally, internet giants have become the de facto mediator of commerce, making local discovery and direct brand relationships more difficult. 

At the same time, and especially in the current economic climate, consumer trends are shifting: the already existing desire to #shoplocal is increasing as people strive to support local businesses who are adapting to the COVID crisis. Now more than ever people want to feel connected to their neighborhoods and local businesses.

However, when a consumer tries to seek things they need and want to buy locally, there is no seamless solution that centralizes and presents local food, beverage, retail and service offerings.

The PAYRIS app streamlines the local discovery process into these simple steps: the consumer makes their wish list in the app and PAYRIS matches them with personalized offers from curated, local vendors.

Beyond that, the consumer is invited to earn cash rewards by opting in to PAYRIS privacy-respecting surveys, which help match you with the best offers and give local businesses back their fair share of internet revenue.

PAYRIS soft-launched this summer in Washington D.C. and the app is available in the App Store and Google Play.