An estimated 3.5 million Carphone Warehouse customers will get a personal introduction to mobile payments from this month as staff at 800 stores help customers install and register SimplyTap - an instant mobile checkout app developed by The Mobile Money Network (MMN).
Once customers register they can shop anytime, in any Carphone Warehouse channel. Consumers can also shop from an in-app marketplace on their mobile phone, or directly from any participating retailer using alphanumeric codes, QR codes and image recognition via an instant mobile checkout.
A joint venture between Monitise, retailer Best Buy Europe and Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone, Mobile Money Nework's SimplyTap mobile checkout technology went live with several UK retailers late last year. Merchants using the technology include the likes of HMV, Thorntons, Pretty Green, Daily Mail Shop and Universal Music.
In March, Visa announced plans to take a 15% equity stake in the venture. At the time, Visa Europe CEO Petar Ayliffe forecast that by 2020 more than half of all our transactions will be carried out on a mobile device.
Andrew Harrison, CEO of Carphone Warehouse points to recent research from Ofcom which shows that 31% of smartphone users have used their devices to take photos of a product and 21% already scan bar codes.
"There is no doubt that mobile is changing the way that people search for and buy products," he says. "Forward thinking retailers are already capitalising on this by installing Wi-Fi networks and launching specific apps. Carphone Warehouse is at the forefront of innovation to create a better mobile payments experience."