This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
RetailT Payment processors are active in this space.


Visa has stepped in with the V.me service, used by Marks and Spencer, Greggs and other chains. And MasterCard with its MasterPass scheme, used by retailers including Argos, Boots and House of Fraser. PayPal is also highly active in developing its mobile app with the likes of PizzaExpress (PizzaExpress reaps mobile success,Retail T


echnology November/


December 2012 magazine, p26). In addition, technology giants are investing


extensively in the area, with the emergence of the Apple Passbook, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet. Using mobile wallets, customers can make a


payment with their smartphones, instore. But it remains to be seen whether consumers prefer them as a loyalty device that can also alert them to local offers, rather than for payment. Recent research by mobile payments firm MPayMe found that less than 10% of smartphone users have made an instore mobile transaction. “Where the market actually goes depends on


the impact the technology has with the shopping experience for the customer,” said analyst Ubaghs. Nevertheless, as customers increasingly use


mobiles in store to research prices, and buy on their devices from retailers such as Amazon, mobile payments are becoming more normal and accepted. And many customers already trust certain companies to hold their credit card details, saving them from having to re-enter credit card information online. Apple retail stores already allow customers to download an app for instance, which can also be used to scan and buy items instore without a shop assistant. There is other fascinating and cutting-edge work


in this area, even on a local scale. Cook & Garcia, a sandwich shop and fresh food restaurant in the London Borough of Richmond, has adopted a different sort of mobile wallet system. The technology, supplied by PayPal, allows


customers to check into the shop on the vendor’s mobile app and pay without any physical card or cash. When a user does this, their name and photo appears on the shop’s payments system and they can automatically be charged an agreed amount by the shop assistant. The customer then receives a receipt to their phone. As part of the roll out, 12 other Richmond


businesses, including restaurants, shops and a hotel, are also offering this payment method. Richard Garcia, co-founder at Cook & Garcia,


explained that the “real appeal” of the technology is that “it cuts queue times, because payment is so fast”.


www.retailtechnology.co.uk Winter 2014 23


echnology “Many of our clients are aged under 35, and


like technology,” he added. “We are keen to give customers choice, so that they can pay via PayPal, contactless, or regular card and cash payments.” Cook & Garcia began the pilot in April last year,


alongside the other Richmond stores. By July, the system was fully implemented. “It’s been a great experience for us, and we would encourage other businesses to consider using this technology, because it makes transactions much quicker,” he explained. “Another benefit is that it makes the experience


more personal. We get to learn the names of our regular customers and that can make it a better experience for everyone.” With so much happening in the digital payments


space, it could be easy to also miss the innovation around cash, a method of payment still preferred by many consumers. Tesco recently adopted a brand new automated


cash management system. The SMARTtill technology, supplied by specialist provider Cash Bases, is being integrated into 10,000 of the supermarket giant’s tills. SMARTtill enables Tesco to monitor cash levels


at every checkout, and to be alerted when they reach certain high or low levels. Load cell weighting technology within the till automatically counts the money each time the drawer is closed. Tesco has not commented in detail on the project,


Mobile PayPal wallet transaction at Cook & Garcia


but a spokesperson revealed at the start of the scheme that “many” of its customers “still use cash as their main method of payment”. Additionally, the new system is expected to give staff “more time” to assist people at the checkout.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60