We’re witnessing the dawn of mobile and virtual payments, and MasterCard has been noteworthy at staying up to date with the competition.
With the launch of its own incubator—MasterCard Labs—in 2010, the company has generated several successful in-house startups including Simplify Commerce, Shop This! and QkR.
QkR made its first appearance in 2014 at Melbourne’s Mentone Primary School. The mobile payment app was a partnership with Commonwealth Bank to allow parents to pay for meals, uniforms, and other school expenses with their mobile devices.
About a year later, MasterCard partnered up with Wagamama to tackle the one thing every restaurant has in common: the bill. It takes on average 12 minutes between the moment a customer asks for the bill and completing payment at a restaurant, a considerably long process that doesn’t go along with today’s consumer expectations.
“Today, we’re looking for convenience in all parts of our lives. Though grab-and-go retail is becoming increasingly popular with those on the move, consumers maintain high customer service expectations.”
Mark Elliott, division president of MasterCard Southern Africa
So, QkR made a comeback as Qkr by Masterpass. By using the app to check into the restaurant location, users are given a table code that enables them to see their bill. They can now use their smartphones to order and pay for meals, split the bill, give a tip, and just walk out of the restaurant when they’re done.
“By removing the headache of managing bills, it will allow their staff to focus more on service.”
Betty DeVita, chief commercial officer at MasterCard Digital Payments & Labs
Qkr first launched in Colombia, Australia, Mexico, and the UK, expanding to Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States in 2017. You can now also make payments at gas stations, parking lots, stadiums, vending machines, and more, with the options to skip lines by ordering in advance and to request takeaway and deliveries.
“A key way in which we are delivering on this commitment is through the development of highly functional digital payment ecosystems that not only make it exceptionally easy for customers to make payments and for merchants to accept payments, but also provides merchants with a range of tools to efficiently manage and grow their business. (…)
Qkr! with Masterpass is an excellent way for businesses to ensure they stay top of mind with their clientele thanks to innovative push technology that makes marketing, promotions and customer engagement easy and effective.”
Mark Elliott, division president of MasterCard Southern Africa
Retailers are able to use Qkr’s application programming interfaces (APIs) to create targeted promotions and rewards schemes, view and manage menus, product inventory and pricing, and get reporting information in real time.
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