chout.com

What It Is

CHOUT is an RCS direct marketing tool launched by Austria-based CHOUT GmbH, primarily aimed at restaurants and small businesses. Its core idea is simple: customers scan a merchant’s dedicated QR code, subscribe via Double Opt-In, and the business can then send daily dishes, promotions, available tables, or booking information directly to customers’ phones. Unlike social media, it emphasizes being “unaffected by algorithms” and does not require customers to download an additional app.

Core Features and Platform

Based on the main content, CHOUT is designed around high-frequency customer engagement for food and beverage businesses. Merchants can take photos, add short text and prices, and send them to all subscribers. Messages can also include action buttons such as “book a table,” “reserve,” or “call.” On the customer side, users subscribe via a QR code and a pre-filled message, and can unsubscribe by sending STOP/STOPP. The platform is based on RCS; according to the official site, Android has built-in support, while iPhone is fully supported starting from iOS 18. It is suitable for small merchants without a technical team, with the official claim that no developer is needed and setup takes about 5 minutes.

Pricing and Data

Pricing is transparent: Starter costs a base fee of €4.99/month plus €0.15 per active subscriber; Pro costs a base fee of €9.99/month plus €0.125 per active subscriber, with the official site stating it is more cost-effective for over 200 subscribers. An example shows that Starter with 150 subscribers costs about €27.49/month. All plans can be cancelled monthly, with no minimum term. In terms of data, the page does not disclose the platform’s scale; subscriber lists mainly come from customers scanning the merchant’s QR code and confirming their subscription, forming the merchant’s own audience list.

Pros and Cons

The advantages are its focused use case, simple operation, no app requirement, clear pricing, and stated support for Double Opt-In, unsubscribe at any time, and GDPR/DSGVO compliance. For restaurants, it fits well with daily specials, limited-time offers, takeaway updates, and available-table alerts. The limitations are that the main content does not show advanced marketing features such as segmentation, automation workflows, A/B testing, or detailed analytics, nor does it disclose integrations with POS, CRM, or food delivery platforms. Actual RCS deliverability also depends on region, carrier, and device support.

Who It’s For and Access from China

CHOUT is better suited to restaurants, bistros, food trucks, catering providers, takeaway services, and small local businesses in the European market. The main content provides no information about access from China, so this remains unknown; payment methods are also not disclosed. For those looking for alternatives in the Chinese market, typical options would include WeChat Official Accounts, WeCom communities, SMS marketing, restaurant membership CRM systems, or local private-domain marketing tools.