Through our previous article Cash-In the passion fruit we explored how Cash-in can be a pain to any new mobile payment installation, and in the previous Saving the titanic article we explored some potential benefits for mobile payment.
We will carry on here to explore hidden benefits and values in mobile payment, and why we should consider mobile payment as on of the most innovative or revolutionary product.
Mobile payment is a new way to redefine our daily relations and operations, adding new unlimited features and helping the economy rising in emerging and poor countries.
Merchant boundaries,
If you are a certain product or store chain fanatic, most likely you are subscribed to your addicting product loyalty program either through mobile application or a plastic card. In developed countries users might join unlimited loyalty programs and during their daily trades they keep collecting points from different merchants and redeem it with simple gifts or discounts from time to time.
In emerging markets, with the absence of such mega stores or chains customers that does not have the same motivation to spend money, such deals or offers can’t be sponsored with those local dealers and micro merchants.
Value limits,
Another factor would be the transaction value, its a fact that mobile payment is designed for mini scale transactions, and tracking those micro payments will be a headache specially that a lucky customer should perform thousands of transaction to reach the minimum announced loyalty limit.
Due to the above limits both customers and merchant usually lose passion for loyalty programs and it does not help retaining a loyal customer or even help merchants to increase their sales, moreover it does not allow manufactures to run regular offers as usual.
Mobile payment and loyalty collection,
Thinking out of the box to overcome this situation mobile payment can help introducing a new loyalty concept, rather than being rewarded from a certain manufacture after achieving a preset purchase target. Loyalty programs may be combined under a group of merchant alliance offering customers rewards on the accumulated purchases target.
With your limited value purchases customers may collect points on their total bill value regardless the product or the store they are shopping in! Imagine collecting points for paying your monthly bills, buying food, coffee, pencils … etc. And being rewarded with unlimited rewards category from the program sponsors.
Rather than being focused on a certain brand mobile payment with its tracking capabilities will allow merchants and stores to run a new vertical loyalty concept, helping customers to stay engaged and increasing the traffic for merchants.
Photo Credit: http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs170/1103447193880/img/248.jpg?a=1114698228637