Author: JT

Mobile payments strategy preparing to launch between PayPal and Subway

| August 5, 2015

The sub sandwich chain has had a smartphone and web presence for quite a while but this will step it up.

Though Subway is far from new to the smartphone ecosystem, it is making its way into a new direction that is meant to provide enhanced transaction methods by way of mobile payments solutions.

They are now working on the launch of new options that will include integration with PayPal.

Karen Webster, the MDP CEO, has been working with the director of global payments and emerging commerce at Subway, Ken Moy, as well as the co-founder of Paydiant, Chris Gardner, in order to help to understand the way that the digital lifestyle and the healthful lifestyle are now coming together and how Subway can use this trend to benefit its customers. Among the solutions that they found was a range of new mobile payments options that include its web presence, its mobile app, and an integration with PayPal.

The goal of these mobile payments and m-commerce options is to make ordering very easy.

Subway - Mobile PaymentsThis is only the latest in a much broader strategy to incorporate the use of mobile technology into the Subway customer experience. The focus is to be able to broaden and bring together the various channels through which customers can interact with the brand and its restaurants, for a more complete, convenient, and seamless process.

According to Moy, “It’s the coming together of the healthy lifestyle Subway is known for with the digital lifestyle that consumers expect.” He went on to say that overall, customers expect that their favorite companies will be able to provide them with a “a beautiful customer and digital experience.” He stated that “we are going to need to be able to be flexible and continue to add on feature-functionality and other services to fulfill that digital promise to our customers.”

The mobile payments options are now being launched at the order.subway.com online experience as well as though its mobile app, so that there will be less friction when customers pay for their orders. PayPal is on Subway’s list of upcoming offerings and this will arrive before the close of the year.

UK consumers prefer mobile banking to human bank tellers

| July 31, 2015

Recent data released by the Halifax Bank of Scotland revealed that this preference is maintained in-branch.

The most recent indication that mobile banking is becoming increasingly popular and that the traditional form of banking by lining up and speaking to a human teller is on its way out, has now been released in the form of some interesting data from Halifax Bank of Scotland.

What it showed is that customers would rather use their smartphones or an ATM than speak to staff.

In fact, that preference is strong enough that customers would still rather use mobile banking or an automated machine, even when they’re in a bank branch. The vast majority of interactions that customers have with their banks are over devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and automated teller machines. In the branches, themselves, over half of the visits will include the use of one of the self service machines in order to pay using checks or cash. These are frequently chosen over the opportunity to speak with the human cashiers and other staff members.

Usually, mobile banking and other automated services are selected unless more detailed assistance is needed.

Mobile Banking Preferred by ConsumersIt appears that consumers would prefer to use devices whenever possible, and that staff members are consulted only when complex products (such as mortgages, for example) or detailed financial advice is required.

Online accounts are accessed by mobile devices and laptops far more frequently than branch visits are made. In fact, the data from Halifax showed that it had experienced 69 million interactions with consumers throughout the month of June, at a daily average of 2.3 million. This is an increase of 47 percent over the same month, the year before. This indicates that not only are people choosing to access their accounts online, but they’re accessing them more frequently than ever4 before.

Among those interactions, a massive 57.2 percent were made over the mobile banking app, as consumers increasingly use their smartphones and tablets for making payments and checking balances while they’re on the go. Another 29.4 percent used desktops and laptop computers to do the same thing. Only a tiny 10.3 percent of the interactions were actually branch visits and an even smaller 3 percent contacted their bank by phone.