LevelUp, a mobile payments company, has partnered with NCR, a leading supplier of point-of-sale software in the U.S. Together, the two companies will focus on spreading mobile payments throughout the U.S. and getting consumers more comfortable with the concept of using their smartphones and tablets to pay for products. Mobile commerce has been growing more common in the U.S., but many consumers are still leery as there are many security concerns that surround the subject. LevelUp, along with NCR, hopes to placate these concerns by providing consumers with a comprehensive mobile payments platform.
LevelUp continues to generate hype in mobile commerce
LevelUp has managed to generate some hype in the world of mobile commerce, especially in the retail sector. The company offers its own mobile payments application, which can be used by consumers to make purchases from a mobile device. It also offers a platform designed for retailers who are interested in reaching out to mobile consumers, providing them with a way to facilitate mobile payments. This platform leverages the universal usability of QR codes to help make mobile payments more available to a wider range of consumers. Near the end of 2012, more than 500,000 people were making use of the LevelUp application alone.
NCR contact may prove beneficial for LevelUp
NCR has an extensive network of connections in the retail sector as well as the food industry. The company specializes in designing point-of-sale systems and has taken note of the rise in demand for mobile commerce systems in recent years. NCR is working to meet the needs of its clients by putting more focus on supporting mobile payments. LevelUp is expected to benefit from its new partner’s extensive access to businesses in the retail sector.
Companies look toward food industry
LevelUp is not only focused on the retail sector, of course, and has interests in the restaurant business as well. LevelUp believes that mobile payments can be especially successful in restaurants that work to cater to mobile consumers. As such, the company has been working to break new ground in this sector and grow more appealing to those in the food industry. NCR is expected to aid in this endeavor as it has connections to the food industry.
The test run is being launched at college campuses in partnership with Chartwells.
LevelUp, a mobile payments startup, has just announced that it is taking an important step forward in the smartphone based transaction environment by running a trial of its service among the demographic that is most likely to carry compatible devices.
It is starting this pilot project on college campuses, as students of this age are highly likely to carry smartphones.
This mobile payments test is being conducted in partnership with Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services, a company that supplies food to colleges across the United States. Throughout this trial of the smartphone transaction service, certain colleges will allow LevelUp to be used to pay for meals at the dining halls.
At the moment, the mobile payments trial includes Northeastern University (Boston) and Buffalo State (New York).
According to Chartwells, it agreed to take part in the LevelUp pilot project at the two colleges because it believes that mobile payments will help to make the ordering process at mealtime both faster and more convenient. The vice president of marketing and creative services at Chartwells, Patti Girardi, explained that “Chartwells chose to pilot the new payment system at Buffalo State and Northeastern because we thought it was a perfect fit for our partners.”
Girardi went on to explain that LevelUp was a strong match for Chartwells because it is also capable of offering the company analytics about the purchases that are being made, the visits that are made to the sites, as well as the return visits. This data could be highly beneficial in determining precisely which limited time offers and promotions have been successful among students, and when sales fluctuations are occurring at retail locations. The information could be applied to better understand the purchasing behaviors of the students that they serve.
To use the mobile payments service, the student will need to have downloaded the LevelUp app. It functions in the same way at the dining halls in the college as it does at other merchants who accept these transactions. A payment card is linked by the student to a personal QR code, which is then rendered on the app. The point of sale is equipped with a scanner that can scan the code in order to complete the transaction.
