Lecy launches AI Visibility for local shops and franchise networks

Lecy has launched AI Visibility, a new module that tracks how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google Maps answer local search questions and turns those gaps into approved actions for merchants. The product is available now in France, Belgium and Croatia as part of Lecy’s Complete plan, starting at 99 euros a month per point of sale.

Why it matters: - Local businesses are now competing not just for Google rankings, but for AI recommendations from assistants customers increasingly use to decide where to go. - Lecy is positioning its loyalty tag as a way to feed those systems with recent, visit-verified reviews and profile updates. - For franchise networks, the module adds a shop-by-shop recommendation score and a monthly head-office report.

What happened: - Lecy announced the launch of AI Visibility, a module that measures what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google Maps answer when customers ask where to go. - The product is available now as the Complete + AI Visibility plan at 99 euros per month per point of sale, as a launch price. - Lecy also offers AI Visibility as a per-site option for franchise networks. - The module is available in France, Belgium and Croatia, where Lecy is deployed.

The details: - Lecy’s system starts with a dynamic NFC tag placed next to the till. - Customers tap the tag with their phone, open a unique link and earn one point per visit. - The tap requires no app, no card, no account and no action from staff. - Each tap uses a unique, encrypted, single-use link as proof the customer was physically there. - After the point is recorded, the customer is asked to rate the visit. - A mixed response goes privately to the manager. - A positive response is routed to Google with one tap. - AI Visibility asks four AI assistants plus Google Maps the same questions every month, city by city. - The module compares each shop with its three nearest competitors. - The Visibility module asks 10 customer questions city by city across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google Maps. - The Competitors module compares six criteria that drive recommendations and shows which keywords competitors are cited for and the shop is not. - The Corrections module flags errors when an AI gets the shop wrong or ignores it, traces the issue to its source and prepares a correction for approval. - The Proximity module asks the same question from nine points around the shop to map where a competitor replaces the shop in local results. - The Trends module tracks rising requests city by city, the keywords a neighbor is cited for and drafts a post. - The AI agent ranks actions by the points they can earn and prepares replies to reviews, posts and profile text for merchant approval. - The Network module produces a score per shop and per city, lists lagging shops first and sends one monthly report to head office. - Lecy says the module reads public information only, with nothing to install. - Lecy says the merchant approves everything and the shop publishes the final version. - The NFC tag is included in every plan and is delivered within days already linked to the shop. - Lecy says there is no commitment and no setup, integration or training fee.

Between the lines: - Lecy is trying to connect offline traffic to AI visibility, arguing that recent reviews from real visits are the kind of material assistants use when recommending local businesses. - The pitch shifts local marketing from tracking visibility alone to generating the content that may influence AI answers. - In practice, the product is designed to make reputation management and review generation part of the same workflow. - Three 2026 studies cited by Lecy suggest the market is moving in that direction: BrightLocal found US consumers asking AI for local business recommendations rose from 6% to 45% in a year, while 74% want reviews from the last three months. - SOCi’s Local Visibility Index 2026 found 35.9% of locations reach Google’s local top three, 11% are recommended by Gemini and 1.2% by ChatGPT. - An IFOP study for Guest Suite found 93% of French consumers read reviews before choosing a business and 48% distrust a review that is two years old. - For networks, the new score and monthly report suggest a stronger push toward centralized performance management across outlets.

What's next: - Lecy said the AI Visibility module will continue to run monthly checks across the four assistants and Google Maps. - Franchise operators can use the network view to prioritize locations that lag on recommendation scores. - Merchants can use the AI agent’s draft actions to keep profiles, replies and review flow updated without adding software integrations.

The bottom line: - Lecy is betting that the fastest way to show up in AI answers is to turn every store visit into fresh, verified review data and a managed local profile workflow.