July 10, 2014 Paypal Here – now accepting payments on the mobile device (in England) New Tech Share this post: After Square, there was Triangle. Mobile payment is one of the biggest and most exciting areas of innovation and digital disruption in retail. {Tweet this} In North America, you will now find hotdog vendors that can accept credit cards thanks to a Square or Triangle dongle and a connected iPhone. Dongle and iPhone for swiping credit cards PayPal launched a “PayPal Here” triangle dongle (pictured right) in the US in 2012 to compete with the rapidly spreading Square (launched in 2010). These technologies – in their dongle format — haven’t made it across the Atlantic due to the chip & PIN technology of the European credit card. However, PayPal has just rolled out a device that enables credit card (swipe or chip/PIN) payments in the UK with a palm-sized card reader terminal synced up to an iPhone. I have had the chance to play with the new device and wanted to make a review. PayPal Here in the UK The PayPal Here card reader terminal which measures 10.8cm x 7.2cm x 1.8cm and weighs 110g, is small enough to fit into a pocket. Once you download the corresponding app, the bluetooth pairing is easy. Only the power button on the left side of the device is a little difficult to manipulate. I haven’t tested the terminal for battery life, but it comes with a standard recharging plug. You will find in the app (side menu “Card Readers”) information on the battery level of the terminal. Once the device is paired, taking a payment is literally child’s play. A receipt is sent to the There is also a substantive desktop terminal (Bouncepad) which can be used at the cashier. PayPal Here download For a UK-based merchant who wants to get the device, you need to download the PayPal Here app and initialize the PayPal account with your bank account, which is just to establish your banking credentials. From your PayPal account, you can then order the terminal. It costs £69.95 with free delivery in the UK. Similar to the fee structure in the US, the processing fee is 2.75%. PayPal Here will work with Android smartphones and iOS iPhone and iPad. Using PayPal as a customer Via the regular PayPal app, as a paying punter, you can find the nearby merchants that are accepting PayPal with a handy geolocation (BTW, left, you can see that I accept credit cards now!). In the list around me in Richmond, the other day, I found and visited the fine cafe, Richmond Revolution. When you click on the merchant in question, you go through to an information page, including a little map. See right. When you check in to the establishment on the Paypal app, your image pops up and will also be visible to the cashier for better recognition of who you are once you tell them you are paying with Paypal. You can choose to have a receipt sent by email. Order and pay ahead Another great function (option for the merchant) is to allow the Paypal customer to place their order ahead of time. For example, at a nearby Wagamama, I would be able to pre-order and pay for a pick up. The app allows you to choose a pick-up time (in 15 minutes segments). While the presentation could be a little more attractive, the user experience is surprisingly quick and effective. Having not tried out the pick up itself, one needs always to make sure the last yard is seamlessly synchronized. It would be rather frustrating to show up at the location and have to wait… In sum, the PayPal Here terminal should provide merchants with a superior customer experience. And, for the customer, PayPal is part of the new wave of exciting new ways to consume. The real trick, as far as PayPal is concerned, will be finding ways to remind its customers of the PayPal option. The challenge may very well be creating awareness and distribution of the app. NEWSletter Subscribe to Minter’s Bi-Weekly NEWSletter and receive a free copy of the exclusive and updated 8 Golden Rules of an eReputation Your Gift For Signing Up 8 Golden Rules of an eReputation SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed! credit card, disruption, mobile payment, New Tech, Paypal, paypal here, paypal triangle, square, squareup Minter Dial Minter Dial is an international professional speaker, author & consultant on Leadership, Branding and Digital Strategy. After a successful international career at L’Oréal, Minter Dial returned to his entrepreneurial roots and has spent the last ten years helping senior management teams and Boards to adapt to the new exigencies of the digitally enhanced marketplace. He has worked with world-class organisations to help activate their brand strategies, and figure out how best to integrate new technologies, digital tools, devices and platforms. Above all, Minter works to catalyse a change in mindset and dial up transformation. Minter received his BA in Trilingual Literature from Yale University (1987) and gained his MBA at INSEAD, Fontainebleau (1993). His newest book Heartificial Empathy, Putting Heart into Business and Artificial Intelligence, bowed in December 2018 and won the Book Excellence Award 2019 as well as being shortlisted for the Business Book Awards 2019. It's available in Audiobook, Kindle and Paperback. He is also co-author of Futureproof (Pearson, Sep 2017) and sole author of The Last Ring Home (Myndset Press, Nov 2016), a book and documentary film, both of which have won awards and critical acclaim. Minter has a new book on leadership, You Lead, How being yourself makes you a better leader, published by Kogan Page, that released January 2021. It's easy to inquire about booking Minter Dial here. View all posts by Minter Dial Previous post Next post
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