An estimated 3.5 million Carphone Warehouse customers will get a personal introduction to mobile payments from this month as staff at 800 stores help customers install and register the Carphone Warehouse Mobile Checkout powered by SimplyTap – the instant mobile checkout app developed by The Mobile Money Network (MMN).
Once customers register they can shop anytime, in any Carphone Warehouse channel, from the store, to the catalogue to the web and mobile web. Consumers can also shop from an in-app marketplace on their mobile phone, or directly from any participating retailer using alphanumeric codes, QR codes and image recognition via an instant mobile checkout.
Carphone Warehouse is a large stakeholder in Mobile Money Network and has spent years developing this mobile payment solution, which seeks to integrate as many ways as possible to initiate payment in any channel through mobile devices. MMN retail partners already include the likes of HMV, Thorntons, Pretty Green, Daily Mail Shop and Universal Music.
“We are keenly focused on making the customer journey through all our channels as easy as possible and as leaders in mobile retail we need to spearhead these initiatives,” says Matthew Smith, director of mobile strategy at Carphone Warehouse. “But we also want to make sure sales completion through all channels is a key focus for us. It is also about doing all this as cost effectively as possible.”
Andrew Harrison, CEO of Carphone Warehouse adds: “There is no doubt that mobile is changing the way that people search for and buy products. We know consumers and retailers alike want to take advantage of mobile payments. Ofcom recently confirmed that 31% of smartphone users have used their devices to take photos of a product and 21% already scan bar codes. Forward thinking retailers are already capitalising on this by installing Wi-Fi networks and launching specific apps. Carphone Warehouse is at the forefront of innovation to create a better mobile payments experience.”
