Cutting Edge Mobile Technology Drives Move Toward Cashless Societies

Retailers have long accepted multiple forms of payment as a way of catering to the preferences of their customers. While many consumers prefer credit or debit cards, there are still people who pay cash. But as consumers become more digitally minded, cash payments are going away for some retailers. Some countries, such as Denmark, are becoming cashless societies. The Danish government is considering a proposal to allow some establishments, such as restaurants, clothing stores, and gas stations, to refuse cash payments, according to Pymnts.com.

One motivation for cashless transactions is economic growth. Retailers spend resources on security and surveillance, Quartz explains. Making change for customers takes time. Cashless transactions reduce both transaction costs and crime. Quartz cites a McKinsey study that says electronic systems makes banking systems more productive while also reducing black market activities that skirt taxation.

The trend toward cashless transactions is perhaps furthest along in northern Europe. The United Kingdom first introduced contactless payments, where a consumer pays with card completes a transaction with a card reader through radio frequency identification or near field communication. The next wave of these cashless transactions is the mobile phone. For example, Denmark’s Danske Bank has over 2.5 million users of its mobile payment service, according to Quartz. In Sweden, the move toward cashless transactions is being spurred by banks, which use a mobile app called Swish that allows people to digitally transfer funds across accounts, FastCoExist explains.

Netclearance is helping to pave the way for cashless, mobile payments in Nordic countries. Our mBeaconPay software and hardware enables banks and retailers to process transactions wirelessly with mobile devices as if the payment were cash. Cash-based mobile payments may still be new in some markets but a growing number of retailers are adopting the technology. We can help your transition to cashless transactions. Contact us to learn more.

Disintermediation of Payments Reduces Fraud and Error

For the longest time, the payment system between you, your credit card, the store or merchant and the banks has been incredibly complex and prone to error or fraud.  Due to this system, companies and consumers across the country have paid more than their fair share for these errors.  The multi-party payment system is just about to change.

Fortunately, there is a new system for Disintermediation of Payments via Netclearance Systems. In this system, payment is direct and only requires three parties, so there is much less chance for fraud or error.  Under the old (current) system, payment flows from the buyer the credit card network (Visa or Mastercard), to their issuing bank , then to the merchant's bank, to the payment processor and finally to the merchant themselves.  This complicated process is fraught with risk and riddle with middle-men fees.  

Under the new Netclearance mBeaconPay solution, the only parties involved are the Consumer, the Merchant and the Bank - a three-party model.  Unlike other credit card based mobile payments systems such as Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay or PayPal, Netclearance has created an app-based mobile payment solution that removes the traditional payment processor thru a direct connection between the consumer, the merchant and the bank.  As long as the consumer downloads the free app on to their smart phone, they can simply place it over the merchant's Netclearance payment system and instantly transfer cash from their account to the merchant's account.  No need to wait for credit card confirmation or sign a piece of paper confirming the transaction.  The new system removes several of the fees normally levied in a traditional card payment  model.

In fact, the system has already taken off in the Nordic countries with over 20,000 locations enabled, such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Danish Supermarket and others are getting in on the action.

For more information please contact us.  We will provide a detailed overview of the new payment system and how it can help you reduce fraud and increase profits.

Mobile Technology Will Make Customer Loyalty Cards a Relic of the Past

Today, most consumers keep several loyalty cards for their favorite retailers, cards that they either stuff in their wallets or tether to their keychains. Swiped or scanned at the start of a transaction, these cards can give customers discounts while also providing the retailer trackable data about customer shopping habits. But the most important aspect of loyalty cards is that they keep customers coming back for more.

Retailers love customer loyalty programs because it’s easier and less expensive to generate revenue from an existing customer than it is to try to attract unfamiliar consumers and try to wring sales from these new customers. Of course, retailers still want to attract these new customers. The longer-term goal is to turn these new customers into repeat customers, perhaps with the help of a loyalty card. For example, Starbucks claims its My Starbucks Rewards program was as a key revenue and profit driver for the coffee chain, notes Entrepreneur magazine. In a similar approach, Best Buy tweaked its rewards card program with a small points percentage boost in rewards that a customer could apply to future purchases.

While loyalty cards have been successful, they do have limitations. From the perspective of a consumer, a loyalty card is just one more thing to pack in an already bulging wallet. It’s also one more thing that could easily get lost. But there’s a loyalty card replacement on the horizon. The consumer migration toward mobile transactions will make loyalty card worries a thing of the past.

Customers are always looking for deals — that’s one of the reasons that they sign up for loyalty cards. But customers are also looking for convenience. Mobile loyalty programs give them that convenience. When the loyalty program is managed as mobile app on a smart phone, the customer no longer has a card to carry around and worry about losing.

In today’s digital world, most people are never without their smartphones. And having a digitally deployed loyalty programs means that consumers can take advantage of all of their programs from the convenience of their phones. No longer will they need to carry around multiple cards in a wallet. From the retailer’s standpoint, the constant digital interaction provides more detailed information about customers’ preferences and purchases.

These mobile loyalty programs are not far away. Netclearance offers an app called Bounty, which gives consumers access to coupons as well as information about places for food and entertainment. The app works with Netclearance’s multi-mode (Wi-Fi + BLE) proximity beacon technology, which provides to retailers tracking and location capabilities. By knowing the location of a customer, retailers can then offer customized content and promotions intended to drive more sales. Furthermore, analytics of browsing habits and purchases can help retailers plan and manage their inventory more efficiently. The future of digital loyalty is already here. Contact us to learn more. 

Headless ATMs Employ Proximity Technology to Reduce Fraud and Crime

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The ATM card is a convenience that many bank customers take for granted. A swipe of the card at ubiquitous ATM machines offers fast, convenient access to cash. But ATM cards are old technology that bring unnecessary security risks. Skimmers can capture card and PIN numbers. Cards can also be easily misplaced or stolen. Swiping an ATM card is old school but it’s also high risk. New technology is paving the way for so-called headless ATMs whose features can reduce fraud and crime. By not relying on a physical card, new mobile technologies can make ATM transactions safer and more secure.

BMO Harris Ban, a unit of Canada’s Bank of Montreal, introduced a cardless ATM network intended to both reduce fraud and reduce the time needed to complete transactions, according to Pymnts.com. Bank customers prepare their transaction before arriving at an ATM. A banking app allows customers to pre-select how much money they wish to withdraw. Once they reach the machine, they simply hit the mobile cash button. The ATM reads a QR code on the smartphone, allowing the machine to dispense the cash and complete the transaction. The entire process leaves no way for a bank customer’s card to be lost or skimmed, Tom Ormseth, head of digital channels for Wintrust Financial Corp., tells Pymnts.com. However this method is cumbersome and requires additional changes to the ATM for scanning smartphones.

These new ATMs could help banks and their customers stay a step ahead of criminals. In 2014, bank customers lost $1.7 billion to debit, prepaid, and ATM fraud, Pymnt.com says, citing Federal Reserve figures. While new credit card technology employing EMV chips has made counterfeiting cards more difficult, most ATMs still do not use the new technology. “[Criminals] know there is still vulnerability [at the ATM] and they are trying to capitalize on it,” Owen Wild, director of security marketing at ATM maker NCR Corp. told the Wall Street Journal.

New technology offered by Netclearance can help ATM makers and banks make the transition to headless ATMs. The company’s mBeaconPay platform supports proximity applications conducted on smartphones and tablets. The technology handles transactions smoothly and securely plus it integrates seamlessly with the existing ATM controller. To learn more about how mBeaconPay can address your banking transactions needs, contact us.

Danske Bank MobilePay surpasses all records

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MobilePay at Starbucks

Danish Bank mobile payment service, MobilePay, continues to break all records and had in December its best month ever. In 2015, the service doubled its figures, but this does not get Danish Bank to relax its ambitions to double current figures for 2016.

18B kr (Danish Kroner) exchanged hands in 2015 via MobilePay against 7B kr. in 2014 and the service reached in December for the first time over 10M transfers in a single month. Despite the massive growth, the popularity of the service has plenty of steam to grow even further. (Note: 1 Danish kr. equals $0.14 USD at today’s exchange rate)

“We expect at least that we will double the number of stores in 2016. This will be done through a combination of the existing product portfolio and new products and concepts, which we will launch in 2016”, said Mark Wraa-Hansen, head of MobilePay in Danske Bank

Mark Wraa-Hansen attributes a large part of the growth to corporate customers, McDonald's and Danish Supermarket, among others, have adopted the MobilePay solution at their retail stores.

Excerpt from original article:

http://www.business.dk/finans/mobilepay-slaar-alle-rekorder

If you are looking for customized private-label mobile payment solutions contact us to learn more about our payment product portfolio for retail, vending and mobile POS.

Cryptocurrencies in retail: Bitcoins and Beacons

Cryptocurrencies in retail, the future is now.

Bitcoin has gained traction in recent years. But what is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a new mode of payment, a new type of money that works as a worldwide payment method with low processing fees and fast peer-to-peer transactions.

Utilization of peer-to-peer technology allows Bitcoin to operate with no banks or central authority to control its transactions.

The issuing of bitcoins as well as the management of transactions is carried out through the network, collectively. In addition, Bitcoin is open-source making the design of Bitcoin available for public use.

No one controls or owns Bitcoin and the world can be a part of it. Bitcoin has a variety of unique properties allowing exciting uses no other previous payment system can top, especially maintaining privacy.

The only problem is because it is so new, few companies use it in retail as existing payment terminals and cash registers cannot support this new payment method so easily.

Well, PROBLEM SOLVED.

Netclearance mBeaconPay platform allows seamless integration with retail cash registers enabling Bitcoin payment acceptance in the popular world of retail, thus helping customer adopt it as a preferred method of payment.

Imagine, never having to use a bank account or credit card again? Bitcoins give you privacy and allow you to make purchases without fear of being monitored. Better yet, with companies like Netclearance providing the bridge between Bitcoin and retail, soon this innovative payment method will become the norm.

In fact, there are already deployments underway in Scandinavia that are paving the way for new digital currencies in retail. 

Check out the Netclearance Blog for more information and make sure to Tweet them. 

Proximity Payments Technology

Physical currency payment is a dying payment method, being rapidly replaced by digital currencies. The cashless society has been in the minds of futurists for generations. Now, with the rise of digital technologies that could not be imagined even 10 years ago, it's finally happening. New digital technologies allow consumers and merchants to avoid many costs and inefficiencies inherent in physical money exchange, like collecting, sorting, and transporting currency around. A Tufts University study concluded that the cost of using cash amount to nearly $650 a year per consumer from trivial fees like ATM fees and about five-and-a-half hours a year in time.

The costs of collecting cash from hundreds and thousands of fare-paying customers by transit authorities often amounts to more than the amount of money collected. Cashless systems eliminate virtually all of this expense. Cashless systems reduces the cost of labor for counting and reconciling cash transactions. Producing coins and paper notes is itself expensive. Electronic payments vastly reduces the cost manufacturing physical currency. Physical currency is also generally seen as a health hazard which is substantially reduced with cashless and contactless transactions.

The fastest growing and most advanced proximity payments technology involves the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) beacons. These systems use low-powered transmitters or current-producing electromagnetic induction from magnetic fields to transmit encoded identification data to a receiver in response to an encoded handshake signal.

The first major consumer application of RFID beacon technology was in automated toll both collection systems. The driver buys into an account and receives an active transponder that is typically placed on a vehicle windshield. When the car reaches the tollbooth, the booth sends out a wake-up signal to the transponder that returns the unique account number to the reader on the booth. The system then bills the account for the toll amount.

Retail use of RFID systems is increasing. The systems allow consumers to simply wave or present a smartphone or special issued card that responds to RFID transponder-receiver systems which bill the customer's account for small purchases. The Smart Beacon system uses any smartphone without an additional payment processor. The system bypasses intermediaries to simplify quick cash transfers.

Offline Analytics in the Real World

With all the talk about on-line marketing, this is still a real world. After 20 years as the world's biggest online retailer, Amazon opened its first real bookstore last month in Seattle, Washington and New York City. Companies like Birchwood, and Frank & Oak are among the many online retailers who have joined the drive to open retail outlets aimed at providing a seamless shopping experience across all retail channels.

What is emerging in the marketplace is a convergence of cyber shopping and real world retail. Many consumers are drawn to stores because of marketing that attracts them online or through SMS marketing on cell phones. Many customers still prefer to touch and view things they want to buy in real life, then actually buy them online. At the same time, retail stores are using sophisticated IT like mobile POS systems and alternative payment systems to improve their operations.

Sophisticated online metrics and analytics have a long, established history. Since online behavior is comparatively easy to track, software tools connected to marketing sites and landing pages are widely available. Data collection for real world retail that can provide useful offline analytics requires a different world of technology.

Wi-Fi detection and mobile presence analytics is a powerful approach to the headcount problem that has plagued retail businesses for many years. A "sniffer" device detects the presence of internet enabled cell phones and mobile devices and collects data on the traffic outside and inside the store. Each mobile device is uniquely identified so individuals can be automatically tracked. Data collected is stored and analyzed in the cloud.

The system correlates foot-traffic data with POS data and can produce analysis on an hourly basis. Locations on the floor can also be tracked so that the effectiveness of local marketing and advertising efforts can be assessed. The analytics can provide insights about queuing time and customer support effectiveness as well.

Wi-Fi detection and location monitoring give the real world retail environment marketing and sales analytics comparable to that available for online marketing.

The benefits of API for mobile payments

API is an application programming interface - a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. In "real life", you see API in action through companies like Uber, airbnb, and Spotify.

This payment method revolutionizes the current offline multi-party model; the old model involves a consumer paying a merchant using their card or mobile device, then the payment has to go through the consumer's bank, payment processor/card network, the merchant's bank, and eventually that payment is sent to the merchant. If that seems like a lot of steps, you're right! And then think about the fact that at each of these steps, there is the potential for fees.

We want to present a new model, an "API-fied" model. When you use API for payments, there are only three steps: Merchant -> consumer -> bank. It's really that simple. And it's new; don't let the current "mobile wallets" confuse you. While they package themselves as a revolutionary payment method, they really are just the old, multi-step method rewrapped with a shiny new logo.

So what exactly do API payments do? Well, using the API model, you turn every point of sale, every brick and mortar store, into an ecommerce site.

Currently, this new model is being implemented in the Nordic region. Right now there are over 30,000 locations using this method; the API model can support so many locations because it can integrate over 100 point of sale models - it's universal!

So why should you switch to an API payment model? Well, remember all those steps that the current model involves? Using an API model and cutting out all the middlemen, you can see a 50% or more reduction in fees. In addition, your customers will benefit from the ease of use with this new system. API payments can be made with any smartphone, and can seamlessly integrate with any point of sale equipment. 

If these benefits pique your interest and you'd like to learn more, or if you'd like to know how to integrate API payments into your business model, please contact us at Netclearance. API technology is our specialty, so let us bring you into the future of mobile payments.

Payment Disintermediation

The term "disintermediation" (dis-intermediate-ation) has been in use since 1966. However, the meaning of the term has shifted depending on the parties who were being disintermediated.

• When Apple took just seven years to dominate the global music market, they were disintermediating the rest of the global music retail industry.
• Google took just 18 months to disintermediate 85% of the market cap of the word's GPS vendors after launching Google maps.
• Alibaba, China's equivalent to Amazon and E-Bay became a $16 billion lender in less than three years and China's largest seller of money market funds in seven months.
• PayPal is now the number one payment method in some countries.
• Starbucks is using its own loyalty cards to disintermediate banks from the payment system.

Banks are having particular challenges. Non-banks are capturing increasing shares of the banking value chain using digital innovations to erode connection between payments and banking.

• Google and PayPal have introduced a plastic debit card.
• T-Mobile launched a checking service with a smartphone app and an ATM card.
• Wal-Mart's strategic alliance with American Express launched a prepaid debit-card-like account and captured more than a million customers in less than a year.

New entrants to the payment system are posing an increased threat to banks by creating distance between banks and their customers. To maintain a place in the payment system, banks cannot rely on just providing accounts and access to funds. They have to begin providing services that help customers conveniently manage their money and keep themselves in the eye of the consumer.

The present non-cash payment process involves multiple transactions. The system is clumsily adapted from outdated data transfer principles and security concerns. The process goes from:

1. consumer to merchant,
2. from merchant to a "merchant acquirer/sales organization,"
3. to a "payment processor,"
4. then to an "issuing bank,"
5. which returns communication with the "payment processor,"
6. (the interchange between the "payment processor" and the "issuing bank" is repeated just after the customer receives the purchase)
7. which returns communication to the "merchant acquirer,"
8. while the "payment processor" also issues data to the "merchant's bank."
9.  The merchant then accepts payment and releases the purchased goods or services to the customer.

New simplified automated retail systems are designed to disintermediate the retail market, making a simple three-way process between the merchant, the consumer, and the bank to displace the complex multiparty credit card system.

Using Offline Analytics to Build Your Business

Smart businesses are constantly on the lookout for new technologies that can increase efficiency and provide a wealth of information. In this age of big data, it can be difficult to not just harness large amounts of data, but to analyze it and present it in a useful format. Netclearance has tackled this challenge, and presents the mBeacon3 - the future of offline analytics.

The mBeacon3 is a new smart beacon technology that, paired with Netclearance's wi-fi analytics engine, can provide businesses with a wealth of new customer data. The mBeacon3's small size and low power requirement means that it can easily be integrated into any building or storefront. Customers do not need any special technology or smartphone application in order to interface with the mBeacon3; any customer with a wi-fi enabled smartphone will automatically be picked up by the beacon.

So how does it work? You have one or more beacons set up in your storefront, customers walk in, their smartphone connects to the internet, the beacon passively collects this wifi traffic, and the data is analyzed by the Netclearance analytics engine. It's that simple.

As mentioned earlier, the real benefit of this solution lies in the data extracted thanks to the real-time analytics engine. So what can this solution show you?

• Time-based Heatmap. This shows you how many customers are visiting your business per day and per hour.
• Dwell time. You can see the average, maximum, and minimum amount of time customers spend in your business. You can additionally see location-based dwell time, allowing you to compare the foot traffic at different sites.
• Visit frequency. Data showing the number of unique visits or repeat visits.
• Client location. Reveal where clients spend their time per hour, day, or week.

Given this wealth of information, how can you then utilize it to build your business? The data from this analytics engine can allow you to:

• Correlate sales data with foot traffic
• Optimize the scheduling of your work force
• Optimize promotion and marketing
• Reduce queuing times
• Perform customer trend analyses

With decreased wait times and optimized promotion and marketing, it is easy to see how this technology can increase margins and improve client satisfaction. In one case study that used 4 mBeacon3 units measuring customer foot traffic at an airport, where the analytics data was used to deploy wi-fi marketing campaigns and a mobile web engagement app, clients saw sales increases of over 20%. 

Additionally, the mBeacon3 technology is not just limited to retail. The ability to track objects in real-time is an incredibly agile tool that can be applied to a variety of institutions. In Canada, a steel coil manufacturer tracked coils in real time, allowing them to reduce search times by salespersons and to reduce quoting errors. And in Arizona, this device was used to track forklift utilization, reducing "overleasing" of the forklifts as well as collecting information on employee dwell time in each warehouse location.

If you have any questions on how the mBeacon3 and Netclearance Wi-Fi analytics engine can enhance your business, or for any information on mobile customer engagement, business intelligence, or workplace management solutions, contact us at Netclearance.

Proximity Payments Technology: Save Your Customers Time & Money with mBeaconPay

Netclearance is always striving to stay in front of the pack, and in the field of mobile pay solutions this means faster, safer, and cheaper technology. Introducing the latest in proximity payments technology - mBeaconPay.

What is mBeaconPay? This new mobile payment system is the complete package; using a "smart beacon" device, it allows for secure, fast mobile payments. This beacon is the bridge between consumer, mobile application, point of sale, and the bank network.

So why should you be interested in this new technology? After all, many banks and large companies have already developed their own personal payment systems. Well, with mBeaconPay you can:

• Create your own private mobile payment network. This is separate from other card networks or handset manufacturers, which means that you (the retailer or bank) can collect user payment data.
• Ensure higher security. This system is more secure than existing networks because there is no card data to be exchanged at the point of sale.
• Implement personalized mobile payment solutions. Without having to fit to a pre-existing payment model, you can create your own customer loyalty programs, mobile coupons, and personalized deals.
• Decrease transaction time. mBeaconPay is faster than pre-existing systems or card transactions because the entire process is a few simple swipes. Check it out for yourself!

While a huge benefit of this system is that it can allow card-less transactions, mBeaconPay is flexible in that it can still function with existing card networks. This means that every customer with a smartphone (mBeaconPay works with ALL mobile operating systems) can access this technology - allowing businesses to tap even unbanked and underbanked populations.

However, perhaps the biggest benefit of this system is its financial efficiency. So, how exactly can mBeaconPay save you money?

• There are low or zero interchange rate fees, compared to existing systems.
• Eliminates the need to pay card network fees.
• Creates a new revenue stream by bypassing existing networks.
• The system interfaces through a standard USB connector, so no costly equipment upgrades.
• The mBeaconPay hardware is up to 50% less expensive than existing payment terminals.

For more information on the mBeaconPay system, or how you can integrate this technology with other systems such as proximity offline analytics, please feel free to contact us.

Pay your goceries with your phone via smart beacons

Netclearance mBeaconPay – Smart beacon terminal

Now you can pay with MobilePay in all Bilka hypermarkets. Bilka opened for the possibility of paying with MobilePay in all 18 Bilka stores in Denmark. This means that you can shop in the grocery store alone with his smartphone in your pocket, if so you have installed MobilePay app that Danish Bank’s highly successful mobile payment app. Danish Supermarket – behind the grocery store – has for some time been tested MobilePay payment solution in each Føtex supermarkets. 

It has gone so well that the solution thus now rolled out across the country. According to the grocery store go right many customers already have around with their smartphone promotion when acting in supermarkets. It is because many are using their smartphones note function to write dunce-note, like the used to check prices and recipes, while customers walk around the shops. “It is just as easy and intuitive to use MobilePay at checkout, as it is to transfer money to a friend, and in the grocery store Horsens, which already runs the solution, we can see, it is both young and old who pulls the phone forward, when they have to pay.

It is still only a limited number of customers who use MobilePay, but the number is probably higher, as people get used to using it in more stores, “says the grocery store manager Mark Nielsen in a broadcast meddelelelse. In Bilka works MobilePay function in a slightly different way than when you transfer money to individuals. In the supermarket, the phone must – with the open MobilePay app – namely kept toward a MobilePay icon at checkout, offering either NFC or Bluetooth message is sent to the phone on the amount to be paid.

According to the grocery store the vast majority of smartphones today come with either NFC or Bluetooth. When this message has gone through, you have to swipe ‘confirm’ in the normal way. The cooperation between the Danish Bank and Danish supermarket can be very well prove to be trump Danish Bank, which is in open war with the 81 Danish banks, which is behind the rival mobile payment solution Swipp. A number of other very large player has thrown himself into the battle for mobile payment solutions which will play an important – and lucrative – role in future mobile use.

Article translated to English Computerworld.dk by Dan Jensen

McDonald’s Denmark rings 10,500 payment transactions in one week via smart beacon technology

Smart beacon payments at McDonald’s

Danish Bank mobile app Mobilepay is really beginning to make inroads in the major Danish retail and restaurant chains across the country.

As the latest addition to a rapidly growing strain introduced McDonald’s d. July 28 the opportunity to use Mobilepay as a payment method in all of its Danish restaurants. After having the system in just over a week, the figures up to and including Wednesday’s sales ready. “We have topped 10,500 transactions and the cut is 1.1 per cent. of our revenue paid through Mobilepay, “says Stine Green Paulsen, Communications Director at McDonald’s Denmark. New means of payment require acclimatization She adds that the use of Mobilepay since its launch has been growing. Wednesday was 1.3 per cent. of revenue through the payment service. Because the system is so new, it is also very early to say anything about the proportion of revenue that will eventually enter through Mobilepay.

At McDonald’s, it is estimated, however, that the upward trend will continue, as customers get used to the new payment option. An announcement that meetings understanding of Retail Institute Scandinavia, dealing with retail and consumer. “Consumers should get used to a new form of payment. Back then Dankort came, people should also get used from always pay with cash, “says Dorte Wimmer, consumer and retail expert at Retail Institute Scandinavia We are moving towards a cash less society To more and more large chains and boutiques such. McDonald’s , Danish Supermarket and Rema 1000 introduces Mobilepay as payment, according Dorte Wimmer a natural development. “There is no doubt that we are going against a non-cash society. I think that Mobilepay going to mean much more over the next few years than it already does now. ”

Original article in Danish: McDonald’s rings 10,500 mobile payments in one week

Rema 1000 – Nordic supermarket chain employs beacons for fast and secure checkout

A new way to pay for groceries

Rema 1000 – the nordic supermarket chain has started to deploy mobile payment beacons in all their stores this summer.

Danske Bank’s MobilePay payment will be now accepted in shops once you install the app on your smartphone on either iOS , Android or Windows Phone. Once your items are scanned at checkout and you need to pay, waving your smartphone over a Netclearance’s smart beacon with Danske’s Bank MobilePay logo, you get immediately the amount shown in the app, which awaits your confirmation by a swipe gesture to the right as with a traditional MobilePay payment. 

Next generation mobile payment terminal

The box located at the checkout contains Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, NFC and a unique QR code, so you have more opportunities to complete the purchase. This allows a phone-agnostic approach by supporting all platforms regardless of make, model and operating system. If this is not possible in your smartphone there is on the top of the box a unique QR code that you can scan through the app. In seconds you can then buy your items without having to enter any amount manually. All that is required is your usual MobilePay app login, when you open the app.

Danish Supermarket Bilka embraces mBeaconPay technology

An alternative secure method of payment

Since last summer we have been working very hard in developing a smart beacon solution that can satisfy the need of banks, consumers and merchants. That is our mBeaconPay solution which now is starting to be deployed nationwide in Denmark in cooperation with Danske Bank, GoAppified, and POS vendors.

One example is Danish Supermarket Bilka group of hypermarket that since June 18 is ready with MobilePay mobile payment in all 18 Bilka hypermarkets.

As simple as 1-2-3

You can pay by holding your smartphone over a Netclearance’s Smart Beacon box with MobilePay logo on. After entering your usual 4-digit PIN in MobilePay app simply confirm the purchase with a swipe motion. 

A new generation of Smart Beacons

It all can be done through the use of NFC and Bluetooth technology to allow smartphone with Android , iOS or Windows Phone communicate through MobilePay with Netclearance’s smart beacon. Alternatively, a unique QR code is scanned with the app, if your smartphone does not support the wireless technologies, hence making the solution ubiquitous for all smartphones.

Fast and easy

The payment is so easy and effortless that it has attracted attention outside the country. People from Germany, China, Spain, the UK and Finland have made a visit to the first supermarket-department store with MobilePay- with mBeaconPay payment technology. “They have all been mighty impressed by how easy and fast it is. People get really pleasantly surprised, and sometimes they have to try several times because they have a hard time believing that it really is that easy, ” says project manager in Danish Supermarket, Steffen Skov Larsen.

The Future of In-Store Mobile Advertising

Mobile ad networks work by matching mobile advertising inventory with available mobile advertising space, a place where advertisers and publishers meet to gain consumer’s attention. So as more people spend more time consuming mobile media, brands will spend more of their ad budgets on mobile. Seems simple, right?

Wrong! According to eMarketer, recent estimates show that more than 50% of the $16.5 billion worldwide mobile ad market is split among Google Mobile Search, Facebook Mobile App, and a handful of other players like Pandora, Twitter, YP. This means that the majority of mobile ad networks that sell banner ads have failed to deliver the return in ad spend (ROAS) that marketers expected.

It’s Just Not Relevant

One problem with ads served by mobile ad networks is lack of relevancy. For example, a banner ad displaying an in-store product promotion while a consumer is playing a mobile game, or reading an article on a mobile web site, does not deliver the ROI and rate of conversion that in-store mobile advertising could achieve.

Everyone Benefits

At Netclearance we have developed the first in-store mobile ad network that only offers ad inventory to a mobile application while the user is shopping in the store. This type of right-time targeted mobile advertising increases conversion rates by getting people’s attention throughout their in-store path to purchase, where they are most likely to make a purchase.

And Netclearance’s in-store mobile ad network benefits the entire ecosystem — brands, retailers, app publishers and consumers.

Brands

• The in-store mobile ad network gives brands a direct way to reach consumers in-aisle, at-shelf or at end cap via mobile shopper marketing.
• Patent-pending wireless beaconing technology allows brands to reach and engage with consumers through a branded mobile app, or through the retailer’s app.
• Brands can send customized deals and additional product information directly to a customer’s smartphone.

Retailers

• Stores can offer access to this wireless ad network to their product manufacturers, providing each brand marketer a direct to shopper advertising vehicle.
• Retailers can create a new revenue stream by offering premium mobile ad space to marketers that can engage in-store customers and increase sales.
• Retailers can use the mobile platform to create a more pleasant shopping experience that boosts sales and customer loyalty by offering real-time deals, personalized greetings, mobile interactive games and product information.

App Publishers

• App publishers can now boost revenue and click-through rates (CTR) by tapping into a premium ad inventory that is much more relevant and localized (which can in turn command a higher cost-per-click (CPC) and conversion rates!).
• Netclearance’s in store ad network inventory can be coupled with in-store location services to provide relevant ad impressions and boost conversions.
• Targeted ads based on customers past click rates and preferences can increase customer interaction.

Consumers

• Consumers can enjoy relevant ad content that promotes new product discovery.
• Consumers can save money with instant deals and promotions.
• Consumers will feel like “special guests” by receiving personalized messages relative to their location in the store.

The bottom line is that Netclearance’s turnkey in-store ad network solution provides all the tools necessary to install, run and administer an ad network that can boost sales, increase revenue and delight costumers. 

Pernod-Ricard’s Martell – launches an App-less mobile experience at Paris Intl. Airport

Immersive mobile experience

Martell celebrates its 300th anniversary this year and to mark the momentous occasion in travel-retail, the oldest of the great Cognac Houses is set to take its immersive pop-up installation to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport as part of its extensive tricentenary celebrations.

The Cognac House will engage with travellers digitally via a private network powered by Netclearance mBeacon3 allowing those walking by the pop-up in T2E gate to connect via their smartphone and register for their Martell multi-sensory experience.

App-less experience

The solution is based on our mBeacon3 smart beacon series which provides the ability for brands to offer proximity based mobile experiences without the need to develop an expensive mobile application and the hassle of forcing consumers to download an app.

By utilizing Wi-Fi technology ubiquitous on all smartphones, instead of Bluetooth LE, the user is able to engage within proximity with the brand through his/her phone’s internet browser, hence the solution supports all smartphones regardless of make,model and operating system.

The system also collects insightful foot-traffic information that provides feedback necessary to staff the pop-up accordingly to the foot traffic variations throughout the day.

If you are traveling through the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport don’t forget to stop by the terminal and experience it for yourself

Beech forest, music and smart beacons

Mobile payments at festival’s stores and bars

Danish Bank and Smukfest running a pilot project in which 15-20 smart beacons in Zanzi Bar, Beautiful Shop Beech scenes and Beautiful Shop Sherwood is possible to pay with Mobilepay through Netclearance mBeaconPay technology.

Danish Bank informs that the bank for a long time has had inquiries from many festivals, events and transport companies on land, at sea and in the air who want to use technology, but where there may be challenges with a poor mobile coverage and a lot of pressure because many people are gathered in a small place.

In Skanderborg a more advanced solution is being deployed this year with a smart beacon, which is coupled to the cash register. The solution launched Danish Bank earlier this year and has already sold 13,000 smart beacons to retailers.

Faster than credit cards

“Credit card is too slow when many customers are queuing at a bar and have to pay. Mobilepay is faster than credit card. I’m excited to get out to a bar, when busy, and see how fast it really goes, “says Betina Lykke Andersen.

During the week, guests have been able to use Mobilepay and it’s so far gone without problems. Smukfest is ready to introduce mobile payments in full scale at next year’s festival, if the pilot project ends as a success.

Excerpt from original article: Mobilepay debuts at Smukfest 2015

Fashion retailer Jack & Jones adopts mobile payments with smart beacons

Fashion brand Jack & Jones now debuts as the first Danish fashion brand for Danske Bank MobilePay payment in 24 of the brand’s stores in Denmark using Netclearance smart beacon technology mBeaconPay. And it will be easy and fast to pay with MobilePay in stores. The customer just opens MobilePay app and hold his/her phone to a smart beacon connected to the retailer’s POS and next to the credit card terminal. Then, the amount is approved by a swipe of the phone.

“We want to offer our customers the best experience in our stores. The option to pay by MobilePay is an added service to our customers, “said International Retail Manager at Jack & Jones, Ole Bech

Excerpt from: Fashion Brand introduces MobilePay with smart beacons