Gil Hazan, managing director of MyCheck Europe, has said the mobile payment revolution will provide a boost to loyalty schemes across the eating and drinking out sector.
Hazan said the launch of ApplePay would encourage more businesses to offer mobile payments and said the appetite was already there form the public. He stressed that demand was just as high with older people as it was with Generation Y.
He said the technology offered by MyCheck, which integrates the mobile payment platform with the POS, allowed a new level of loyalty offer.
He said: “The technology removes some barrier. One of the biggest is what you might call the embarrassment factor. A lot of people don’t feel comfortable presenting a coupon but through the mobile it is completely discreet. Sometimes even the waiter doesn’t know.
“Because of the deep integration with the POS we can tailor the offer to the user. If you go to a restaurant, instead of being offered a starter or a dessert, I will be able to offer you calamari or a cheesecake because I know that’s what you like.
“Because there is a white label bringing all the technology together it is easy to offer value to the customer. Operators will see the return on that. The data shows app uses visits three times more a month than regular customers.”
Hazan said the technology was showing traction across the UK, not just in London. He added: “It’s also not just young people that are interested in this. There is a whole generation of Facebook Grannies who can see the benefit of this once they get past the concept of paying with their mobile phone.”
On the impact of ApplePay, he said: “Since its release the movement has been crazy. It was the same in the States. All the statistics show that its entrance to the market really drove interest in mobile payment. It has made it easier to educate the market, which is the main struggle because this is a new way of payment and I’d say a new way of life.
“What Apple brings is confidence that the technology is stable and secure.
“A lot of merchants were waiting to see what would happen in this market and the arrival of Apple is a big thing for them. It will be a very fast peak from here.”
Hazan said the focus beyond mobile bill payment would move to ordering ahead and ordering at table. Long-term he said ibeacon technology, which identifies your phone or device without the need to activate an app, would be a key driver.
