BY IAN REYNOLDS-YOUNG
Converting vending machines to take mobile phone payments without the need to buy a new vending machine is now a reality.
A new cashless payment system for vending machines, which is said to be ‘cheap to install and run, user-friendly and future proof’, is about to be launched into the UK market.
Carry On Vending has been on a mission to find a breakthrough in vending machine payment technology and the company believes that it’s finally completed its quest with the new, Quintus designed interface for the well-established Yoyo Wallet app..
Yoyo Wallet is a mobile payment and loyalty app. Founded in 2013, the company was processing 150,000 transactions per month after just a year on business, making it the second-largest mobile wallet in the UK – second only to Starbucks’ app.
Like Starbucks’, the Yoyo Wallet app processes payments using QR codes: A unique QR code is generated for each transaction on the user’s smart phone. The code is then read by a scanner attached to the vending machine and hey, presto… The funds to complete the transaction are drawn down directly from the user’s bank account.
There’s an old saying: ‘you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your handsome prince’, and Carry On Vending MD Helena Crowhurst spoke to ‘a number of mobile payment companies’ and, in her words, ‘got nowhere’ until Quintus MD Peter Quinney introduced her to Yoyo Sales Director, Chris Wells.
‘The Yoyo Wallet app is going to be a real boon for vending operators and caterers in the UK’, Helena said. ‘By adopting the new app, cash handling can be eliminated and the traditional bug-bear of vending operators – waiting weeks for payments to be credited – will be gone for good. What’s more, the app can also be used to limit the number of daily free-vend drinks issued to staff, thereby cutting both financial and eco wastage significantly.’
‘We’re delighted to be partnering with Carry On Vending’, said Chris Wells, Sales Director at Yoyo. ‘Having Yoyo Wallet-enabled vending machines, means hundreds of thousands of users across hundreds of corporate, education and retailer outlets will have more opportunities to use our fast, secure and rewarding mobile payment.
The app’s ability to promote special offers and multiple sale deals will appeal to savvy operators who appreciate the effectiveness of ‘push’ marketing techniques in the vending industry and they’ll certainly see the advantages incumbent in low transaction fees: the Yoyo app incurs costs of ‘less than three percent.’
The new payment system is now in advanced field trials, prior to its launch this summer.