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USA Technologies Widens Cashless Choices Reward Programs

Maeve McKenna Duska USA Technologies senior vice-president of marketing and strategic development Maeve McKenna Duska said that, based on the vast number of transactions the cashless payment giant sees, it's a clear that consumers increasingly want and expect to be able to use their preferred method of payment even beyond basic cash and credit card acceptance. To help operators meet that expectation, USAT is doing its part on the "back end" of the technology to enable vending...

October 14, 2018

	Maeve McKenna Duska

USA Technologies senior vice-president of marketing and strategic development Maeve McKenna Duska said that, based on the vast number of transactions the cashless payment giant sees, it's a clear that consumers increasingly want and expect to be able to use their preferred method of payment even beyond basic cash and credit card acceptance. To help operators meet that expectation, USAT is doing its part on the "back end" of the technology to enable vending and micromarket operators to accommodate customers, whatever their preference, including campus cards and payroll deduction.

"Banks have their own apps, too, and now consumers want to be able to use them," McKenna Duska said. "The payments ecosystem keeps growing, and it's our responsibility as a service provider to keep accepting what comes to the table."

Another example of new payment demands that she cited is Alipay, a third-party mobile and online payment platform widely used in China and Japan. "More and more tourists in the U.S. are looking to use Alipay," McKenna Duska pointed out. "The cashless payment landscape is broader and more varied than ever these days, and it only keeps growing and evolving."

Beyond the need to adapt quickly to as many new forms of payment as possible, she added, developing and implementing on-screen advertising and loyalty programs is increasingly important to promoting unattended points of sale. The programs not only drive volume, but allow operators to connect with consumers in the ways to which they've become conditioned in today's retail world. These enhancements to customers' engagement also yield insights into their purchasing habits, McKenna Duska added.

To facilitate seamless implementation of loyalty and rewards programs in vending and micromarkets for operators and patrons alike, USAT is working to offer ApplePay users the ability to automatically enroll in its More loyalty program. USAT recently completed a pilot of a new application that automatically checks patrons' Apple Wallets when they present their phone for payment using ApplePay, to see whether they are enrolled in the More loyalty program. If they are, they automatically receive More loyalty and rewards points and offers. If they aren't, they are invited to join.

"Previously, customers were prompted to register at the point of sale to participate in More, but they had to remember the website when they got back to their desks," the USAT executive explained. "There were a lot of hurdles in the unattended environment. Now they're prompted at the point of sale and, with a couple of touches to their phone, it's all tied in with the purchases made with the card they use for ApplePay."

McKenna Duska added that USAT's ePort Interactive screens have demonstrated their ability to exert a substantial and persistent influence on customer behavior at the point of sale, whether it's purchasing a new or higher-value product or a vending machine staple that simply hadn't caught their attention before.

"In some cases, operators have seen double-digit sales lifts by highlighting products on ePort Interactive," she said. "We're working with our partners to take that to the next level with advertising products and discounts through mobile wallets, and leveraging the mobile screen to create 'stickiness' that inspires them to come back for more."