Barclaycard is piloting ‘Contactless Cones’ – a refreshing solution to reduce long queues at ice-cream vans. The self-serve ice-cream van pilot will dramatically reduce the average wait time of almost eight minutes by introducing contactless technology to a typically cash-only service.
With ‘touch and go’ payments shaving 15 seconds off each cash transaction, Contactless Cones will let customers spend less time queuing and more time enjoying their summer treats.
How ‘Contactless Cones’ works
- Select:choose your ice-cream via the ‘Contactless Cones’ touchscreen
- Spend:touch your contactless card or device at the base of the machine
- Swirl:fill your cone and enjoy.
The upgraded van consists of two separate queues, allowing ice-cream fans who want a simple vanilla cone to pay and pour their own ice-cream in less than 60 seconds, freeing up the vendor to take orders simultaneously for ice-lollies and other snacks or drinks.
Research reveals just how popular ice-cream vans are with Brits as 65% say they make a purchase over the summer, with almost a third (32%) buying from an ice-cream van at least once a month. Yet with an average wait-time of 7 minutes and 42 seconds per visit, ice-cream fans could potentially be wasting almost an hour and a half (82 minutes) in queues over the summer season.
Almost half of ice-cream lovers (40%) report becoming frustrated by long wait times at ice-cream vans and over a quarter (26%) have given the queue the cold shoulder altogether, opting to forego their frozen fancy – meaning merchants who serve the popular treats could be missing out on lucrative sales during their busiest time of the year.
The demand for faster service
Brits are increasingly looking for quicker and easier ways to buy goods and services, as shown by Barclaycard’s Contactless Spending Index which reveals that ‘touch and go’ spending has leapt by 34% since the start of 2017. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that ‘ice-cream vans’ are one of the top ten services the nation would like to see become contactless-enabled, with almost a third of ice-cream fans (32%) wanting to pay via ‘touch and go’ technology.
Although Barclaycard launched contactless payments in the UK 10 years ago in September 2007, half of retailers are yet to adopt the technology. Yet such is the demand for ‘touch and go’ that businesses who accept contactless report seeing the number of sales they process rise by an average of 30% each day.
The research also settled the age-old debate of Britain’s favourite ice-cream favour. Scooping the accolade in the top spot was Vanilla followed by Mint Choc Chip and then Chocolate, showing that while demand to pay in newer ways is becoming more popular, traditional ice-cream choices are still flavour of the month.
Tami Hargreaves, Director of Innovation and Partnerships at Barclaycard Mobile Payments, explains between slurps: “Ice-cream vans have long been a real staple of British summertime and to mark the 10th anniversary of introducing contactless to the UK, we wanted to celebrate this popular tradition with a prototype that gives it a modern makeover. ‘Touch and go’ payments are continuing to soar in popularity, so that’s why we developed ‘Contactless Cones’ – where the ice-cream doesn’t melt away but the long queues do!”
Vince Bianco, Owner and Ice-cream Vendor, One Coronetto, adds: “I was delighted to partner with Barclaycard on the ‘Contactless Cones’ trial to see how contactless technology could help me serve even more ice-cream fans over the busy summer months. I am always looking for innovative ways to improve my business and anything that allows me to serve double the number of happy customers and reduce the queuing time is a ‘win’ for me.”
The prototype van was tested earlier this week with ice-cream van merchant, One Coronetto, at Riverside Slice, South Bank, London, upgrading a ‘191P Classic’ Carpigiani ice-cream machine within the van.
Rupal Karia, Head of Commercial at Fujitsu UK and Ireland, comments: “The Retail sector is always looking for new and innovative ways to make the customer’s experience more enjoyable and convenient. This latest trial from Barclays with the ‘Contactless Cone’ is testament to that, giving a queue-shortening option for those who wish to buy a classic favourite vanilla cone. Queuing is part of the retail journey which both customers and retailers themselves are growing increasingly impatient towards in the age of convenience. However creating a new system which permits two queues will reduce queuing time, which will both satisfy customers and free up the vendor to serve even more people in the process – win win.
“We have seen a steady increase in desire for convenience amongst consumers, wanting things to be made as easy for them as possible. Eventually consumers will reach a point, if they haven’t already, where they will not stand for long queues to pay for an item, and as a consequence will end up leaving shops where the wait is too long. In fact, our latest study found that 8-in-10 consumers would spend more with retailers that have a better technology offering to support the shopping process. That is why by bringing innovative new ways to change the way a store – or in this case ice cream van – functions, retailers can enhance the shopping experience to make it more interactive and seamless journey and boost customer loyalty along the way.”
Brits’ top five ice-cream flavours
| Rank | Flavour |
| 1 | Vanilla |
| 2 | Mint Choc Chip |
| 3 | Chocolate |
| 4 | Strawberry |
| 5 | Salted Caramel |
