Why the future could mean delivery straight into your fridge — Walmart — “Here’s how the test will work: I place an order on Walmart.com for several items, even groceries. When my order is ready, a Deliv driver will retrieve my items and bring them to my home. If no one answers the doorbell, he or she will have a one-time passcode that I’ve pre-authorized which will open my home’s smart lock.”
Retail
Germany’s central bank reports on potential of blockchain for payments
Bundesbank sees benefits in blockchain technology — Deutsche Bundesbank — “The Bundesbank’s experts see little prospect of DLT [distributed ledger technology] being put to widespread use in the field of individual and retail payments given the current state of the art… They see more potential for DLT in payments beyond the European currency area… There is currently no realistic prospect of central bank-issued digital currency being rolled out in the foreseeable future.”
Hilton lets customers pay with points for Amazon purchases
Hilton Honors members can now shop with points on Amazon — Hilton — “Members simply need to complete a one-time link of their Hilton Honors account to their Amazon.com account. Once complete, Hilton Honors members can choose the amount of points they wish to use when checking out their purchase at Amazon.com.”
Retailers ready to pay more for payments services that add value
Majority of EMEA retailers plan to increase investment in payments — ACI Worldwide — “55% of retailers and merchants in the EMEA region are planning to increase their investment into new payment capabilities in the next 18 to 24 months… 66% say they are willing to pay more for a broader range of payment services if they add value to their business. 89% say they would expect increased operational efficiency and 88% enhanced customer experience from their investment.”
Police chief says safer to keep contactless cap at £30
Police chief says safer to keep contactless cap at £30 — Evening Standard — “A poll last month found that more than half of retailers wanted the contactless limit increased… About 2.7p (US$0.04) in every £100 (US$129.70) that was spent was lost to contactless fraud last year.”
Amazon brings its cash deposit service for the underbanked to the UK
Amazon brings its cash deposit service for the underbanked to the UK — Techcrunch — “Amazon has added the ability for UK users to pay for products and services on its ecommerce platform using cash. The service, called Amazon Top Up, lets shoppers load between £5 and £250 into their Amazon UK account in a single top-up transaction.”
British Airways owner IAG launches mobile pay on new airline Level
British Airways owner IAG launches mobile pay on new airline Level — City AM — “The technology, called Pair & Pay, will enable customers to connect mobile devices with their individual seatback screen to buy food, drinks, Wi-Fi packages, and duty-free products… Once selected items have been added to the shopping cart on the screen, passengers then connect their devices to the onboard network and pair their phone with the seatback, and can then use their phone to pay for the products.”
Barclaycard pilots Alipay payments in eight retail stores across UK
Barclaycard pilots Alipay payments in eight retail stores across UK — Banking Technology — “The pilot will commence on 14 August 2017 in eight retail stores across the UK, with Barclaycard providing the POS solution for payments via Alipay. The service will be available in CNY (‘offered at a competitive exchange rate,’ Barclaycard says).”
Rambus lays out the benefits of retailer-led digital wallets
An eight-page white paper that lays out how merchants can reduce costs and increase margins, enhance the in-store experience, improve payment security and mitigate risk by deploying their own digital wallets is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Convenience store Cheers opens first unmanned, cashless outlet
Convenience store Cheers opens first unmanned, cashless outlet — The Straits Times — “The Cheers outlet at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) looks like its normal store — with shelves and fridges stocked with food and drinks — except there is no cashier or assistant in sight… Customers use a QR code found on the free ‘Shop It Yourself’ mobile app to gain entry to the store… The store also features a unified self-checkout system that accepts various cashless payment modes, eliminating the need for multiple payment terminals.”
JCPenney adds credit cards and loyalty rewards to Apple Pay
Customers of US department store chain JCPenney can now add the retailer’s credit card to Apple Pay and make contactless payments at any of the company’s stores nationwide... More
Rambus explores five key reasons retailers should have a mobile wallet
PARTNER NEWS: An 11-page white paper exploring five key reasons that retailers should deploy their own branded mobile wallet service is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Amazon Pay Places lets you pay for real-world shopping using your Amazon info
Amazon Pay Places lets you pay for real-world shopping using your Amazon info — Techcrunch — “Amazon is today introducing a new feature called Amazon Pay Places, that allows customers to pay for in-store and order ahead shopping experiences using their Amazon app… Instead of using cash, check, credit or debit while shopping out in the real world, you can just use your Amazon account information. The first implementation of Pay Places involves a partnership with the TGI Friday’s restaurant chain.”
Mahindra Comviva expands payment options for merchants in India
PARTNER NEWS: Mahindra Comviva has enhanced its PayPlus mobile POS solution to enable Indian merchants to accept payments via Aadhaar, Bharat QR, UPI, card and mobile wallets through a single interface... More
Dubai’s Nol cards can now be used for payment at 1,000 retail units
Dubai’s Nol cards can now be used for payment at 1,000 retail units — Gulf Business — “Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that Nol cards can now be used to make payments at more than 1,000 selected retail outlets… Nol cards are used to pay for public transport systems such as the Metro, Tram, buses and water taxis… The network of retailers accepting Nol cards is projected to exceed 5,000 by the end of this year.”
MobiKwik integrated with Samsung Pay Mini
MobiKwik integrated with Samsung Pay Mini — The Hindu — “The tie-up will enable one-tap payments at more than 1.4m MobiKwik-powered merchants pan-India. Alternatively, users just need to do one swipe and a click to scan and pay immediately at these merchants, improving convenience for them. MobiKwik will also be available soon on Samsung Pay,”
Japan’s Bic Camera to accept bitcoin nationwide
Japan’s Bic Camera to accept bitcoin nationwide — Nikkei Asian Review — “Bic Camera will allow payments in bitcoin at all locations throughout Japan as early as this month, looking to provide more options for foreign and domestic shoppers… The more-than-expected popularity of this option prompted Bic Camera to expand the system to the rest of its locations, the company says.”
Debit cards overtake cash to become number one payment method in the UK
Debit cards overtake cash to become number one payment method in the UK — British Retail Consortium — “For the first time the volume of retail purchases made by card now accounts for more than half of all customer transactions, according to the BRC’s latest annual Payments Survey, released today. This has partly been driven by UK customers increasingly using cards for lower value payments.”
Eftpos Australia completes contactless debit card and mobile payments upgrade
Australia’s Eftpos debit card network has completed an infrastructure upgrade that will enable its partners to roll out new products and services including Eftpos Tap & Pay and Eftpos Mobile payments. The update also includes Australia’s first domestic token service provider, “complete and ready for commercial deployment”. More
What’s New in Payments 2: Special report sets out the latest thinking on the future of payments — free of charge
Payments experts from the European Banking Authority, Yandex, Vodafone, Orange, Dejamobile and Wirecard are among eight contributors to What’s New in Payments: Volume Two, a 76-page special report on the future of payments which is now available to download free of charge from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More