With more than one million customers purchasing their products and services on their phones, merchants of all sizes are warming up to mobile payment technology, according to The Motley Fool.
Mobile contactless payment provides customers a seamless way to purchase products and services. When taking this technology to the forecourt, it allows customers to digitalize their wallets and pay for fuel with a simple tap of their smart phones. Contactless payment is not only convenient for the customer, but because it decreases wait time, it will alternatively help increase the flow of customers coming in and out of your forecourt.
Taryn Brice-Rowland, NATSO's director of member engagement, told Stopwatch that he suggested c-stores whom are considering upgrading to EMV, should also think about taking advantage of also adding on contactless payment options.
Fuel dispensers with near field communication (NFC) capabilities carry an extra punch of protection that EMV chips provide with credit cards. Like EMV cards, NFC uses data encryption when creating a channel of sensitive information between your phone and the reader.
What does this mean for you and the customer? That hackers are going to have a much harder time stealing your customer’s information and in turn, save you from being financially liable for chargeback costs. This feature provides the added security needed in a world where credit card skimming continues to be a major issue.
Parker Burke, director of Operations for Gilbarco Veeder-Root, told Stopwatch magazine that “operators that offer a variety of payment technologies and various mobile payment options such as Apple Pay, will appeal to more customers that do not want to download an app for every store they shop at.”
Another great feature of NFC mobile payment is that it is versatile. Other merchants create their own apps that customers would have to download for each business and then create an account in order to pay. What NFC technology brings is that you can not only use Apple Pay to pay for gas at the pump, but you can purchase products in the c-store and then across the street at Whole foods or another merchant that accepts mobile payment.
If you are looking to build a loyal customer base, accepting contactless transactions is a great option to consider venturing into. Technology is taking c-stores to new levels for upselling and building loyal customers. From digital signage to contactless payments, the customer personae are evolving and so should your store.
If you want to learn more about contactless and/or mobile payment technologies, check out Gilbarco Veeder-Root’s contactless payment and mobile payment options. For more details on Gilbarco's c-store and gas station POS systems, check out our suite of POS terminals that allows your customers to transact at your register with ease.