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Coca-Cola Introduces New “Pour by Phone” Contactless Technology

Contactless payments have been there since the 1990s, but the COVID-19 pandemic has brought it to the limelight. Moreover, the trend is here to stay for a more extended period, given the circumstances.

Recently, the global beverage brand, Coca-Cola, is all set to add a variant by launching a contactless option for its consumers’ feasibility regarding pouring their beverages. A touchscreen-operated dispenser would deliver around 200 drink options with a simple tap on the smartphone.

According to Chris Hellmann, Coca-Cola Freestyle’s vice president, “All Coca-Cola beverage dispensers are safe with recommended care and cleaning. However, given these uncertain times, people may prefer a touchless fountain experience.”

Speaking of this, this newly launched contactless solution makes selecting and pouring a drink just a few clicks away for consumers.

How Pour By Phone Works

All it takes for the customer is to scan the QR code on display, leading them to the cloud, bringing the Coca-Cola Freestyle user interface to the phones. Following this, they can feel free to select their favorite drink and flavor from the menu. Before making its way to the Coca-Cola, the idea was run through initial testing at Firehouse Subs, Five Guys, and Wendy’s locations in Atlanta.

We intentionally designed this so anyone with a smart device could pour a drink,” Michael Connor, chief architect of the Coca-Cola Freestyle, said in a statement. “When you have a tray or a sandwich in one hand, you don’t want to deal with downloading an app.” He also added that they have invested time and effort and went the extra mile to ensure necessary steps have been taken to make the solution easy and fast and the experience super-reliable.

The Need of the Contactless Technology

By this summer, the software will be available at around 10,000 Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers. Also, all of the dispensers will be compatible with contactless technology by the year-end.

As per a study from Civic Science, about 65 percent of people going to a restaurant choose to pour drinks on their own than having a waiter do it for them.

It is pertinent to mention that QR code now making waves once enjoyed a maligned status. However, it has managed to come up as the enabler of contactless commerce. This development came in when China-based Alipay and rival Tencent’s started making use of QR code and went to fulfill their endeavor of standardizing it.

Subsequently, a consortium of platforms has emerged normalizing the use of QR codes to process transactions. Walgreens now accepts payment through the platform of Alipay while Apple is upping its game via Apple Pay. In addition to this, even Walmart has also altered its Walmart Pay app to incorporate QR codes and adopt the new touchless technology.

Final Thoughts

Ever since the COVID-19 crises erupted, many experts suggested contactless payments to curb the spread of the virus through cash, debit, or credit cards.

The news of contactless dispensers is another addition as going contactless became the new normal amidst the COVID-19 global crisis considering that many businesses resorted to the contactless payment option. All eyes are now on how these touchless dispensers by Coca-Cola would fair in the coming future.

Contactless Payment Trends in 2020 – Apple Pay, Google Pay, NFC, and More

Amidst the global pandemic, many countries are resuming the routine life and easing the lockdown. However, recent studies have shown that around half of the US population is still worried about their health and how shopping, eating, and social interaction can affect it. Therefore, many businesses and shoppers are more inclined to make contactless payments, which has shown a 40% jump in the first quarter of 2020. As the payment trend has grown prominence, NFC-enabled payments across the world can exceed $130 billion within 2020.

What are Contactless Payments and Their Global Outreach?

Contactless payment is a well-encrypted, secure payment mode to buy products or services using NFC (near field communications) enabled devices or cards. When the reader and payment device are near, it activates NFC chips to exchange encrypted data for money transfer. In simple terms, you wave your device in front of an NFC powered payment terminal to make purchases, contact free. But you also require NFC-encrypted payment apps such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit Pay, or Samsung Pay on your mobile device to make the contactless payment happen.  Some credit and debit cards also have contactless capability embedded in chips that you can then wave or tap to pay on an NFC enabled reader.

Before the Coronavirus outbreak, this global trend wasn’t prevalent in the US, as only 10% of the consumers were using the technology. Europe however had the largest share in the contactless payment terminal market, due to an increase in smartcard rollouts and technological advancement. According to UK Finance, around 1/3rd of all the card-based payments happened through contactless methods in Q1, 2019. However, the Asian region has been slower to adopt NFC based technologies due to its efficient QR code system that doesn’t require select apps, or POS systems.

Coronavirus – The Driving Force for Contactless Payment in the US

The number of digital wallet users worldwide has doubled in 2020, with Apple Pay and its 227 million users becoming the most prominent, according to the Wall Street Journal.

apple pay google pay samsung pay

https://www.statista.com/chart/19972/digital-wallet-users-double-2020/

The pandemic has redefined consumer priorities, making no-touch payments a necessity. New York Transit Authority laid the groundwork in May 2019, when it announced contactless payments for select subway lines. Being early adopters, they were still pretty late in the global market in relation to other significant metropolises, including London Underground System which adopted the technology in 2014. It is not only public transport, but the worldwide financial industry that relies on contactless payments today. In the Netherlands, every store allows no-touch payment methods, whereas the US didn’t have major adoption for NFC until 2019 when contactless payments increased by 150%.

Meanwhile, food services brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Dunkin’ led the way with their contactless payment apps. The wearable market also accelerated the adoption rate in the US with the popularity of smart watches and similar devices. The tech-giant, Apple, teamed up with many different brands to improve mobile payment experience. Scooter rental company Bird and clothing retailer Bonobos some notable partners offering NFC-enabled payment to Apple users, without the need for any third-party apps. Small businesses have also reported a 27% growth in the contactless payment made through smart cards and mobile phones.

Nevertheless, card issuers control the widespread adoption of contactless payment in the US. Analysts believe NFC-enabled technology can coexist with traditional card systems and mobile wallets as depicted by tech-savvy nation worldwide.

Walmart Pay

Walmart Pay to Deepen Information about Shopper Habits

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Businesses are striving to stay on top of trends in consumer behavior, and mobile payments have been a hotbed of activity. Walmart Pay just rolled out nationwide, and the company is hoping that the app will help them collect more information about how customers use their products and make purchasing decisions. Credit card processing has seen huge changes recently, and new mobile payment apps like Walmart Pay and Apple Pay are certainly capitalizing on this trend.

Mobile Applications are seeing a ton of investment from the tech sphere, and Walmart is only one of the many companies trying to launch their propriety applications for their customers. The applications are supposed to make purchases easier for consumers. The app can track purchase history, which will allow customers to reorder frequently purchased items.

The application also speeds up the checkout process in-store, which is intended to increase the frequency that customers will visit Walmart and open their wallets. Walmart Pay is also intended to provide more information to the company. Businesses of all sizes are interested in the big data trend, and this application will help them further analyze the purchases and products that customers are viewing.

Walmart Pay also incorporates mobile payments, another major industry trend. Other apps like Apple Pay have been allowing consumers to create e-wallets that allow them to pay using their smartphones. This has been a major shakeup for credit card processing firms, and there have been many startups looking to help companies take mobile payments. While mobile payments have yet to catch on in a major way in the United States, Walmart is hoping that they can help move the needle on this.

The company is rolling out the application nation-wide, after testing the product in smaller markets across the United States. The application does not yet support third-party e-wallets, but customers can currently connect the application with debit, credit and prepaid cards. The company might decide to pair with Apple Pay in the future, but for now the options are slightly more limited. Time will tell if this application sees mainstream adoption. One thing is for sure, the evolution of e-wallets and retailer applications is going to be a transformative force for firms that do credit card processing.