Lloyds busts the coffee queue with WoraPay

Lloyds Banking Group is contemplating the introduction of advanced mobile order and pay at its inhouse catering points following a pilot trial with UK startup WoraPay.

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Lloyds busts the coffee queue with WoraPay

Editorial

This content has been selected, created and edited by the Finextra editorial team based upon its relevance and interest to our community.

The pilot pitched WoraPay with Gather & Gather, a catering business that runs the food and beverage counters at all of the Lloyds Group’s offices.

The proposition allows staffers to buy food and drink and pay in advance with their mobile using their existing payment cards. The refreshments are ready for pickup when the user arrives at the counter, without having to queue.

From an initial trial at the Chiswell Street London office, one of the bank's digital hubs, the WoraPay pilot has since extended to Lloyds' other London sites, as well as to offices in Halifax and Bristol.

Daria Mitaenko, a senior manager at LBG Innovation Labs, says: “As a Startupbootcamp partner, we met WoraPay on the FinTech programme and were keen to see their innovative solution in action. While testing it with our catering partners, we were impressed by the convenience of the service. Because it’s so easy and quick to pay remotely, it’s turned into a habit for many of our colleagues. The feedback from users has been fantastic.”



WoraPay says it is now in discussions with Gather & Gather about the possible roll-out of the service across the entire Lloyds Banking Group estate, as well as with other external catering companies to launch the service.

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Comments: (7)

Elizabeth Lumley

Elizabeth Lumley Global FinTech Commentator at Girl, Disrupted

WoraPay were one of our hardest working startups at Startupbootcamp FinTech last year. It was inspiring to watch the success of this pilot within the walls of our partner Lloyds Banking Group. Well done Viadas, Aurimas, Richard, Tom, Daria at Lloyds and the rest of the team! It really did feel awesome to get this coffee delivered via WoraPay :-) 

A Finextra member 

Thanks Liz. Happy to see when partners start finding how #OrderAndPay is changing their lives to good. Many hours (even days) saved from queueing. Increased sales for retailers. #FinTech is bringin win-win solutions.

Phil Allen

Phil Allen Product Owner, Group Transformation at Lloyds Banking Group

I saw them pitch at StartUpBootCamp and have been a user of their app in Chiswell Street since launch.  You could say I'm a fan.  Simple proposition that lets you beat the queue; what could be better.

A Finextra member 

Thanks Phil. We are exited to hear such feedback from you and thousands of other your colleagues that use the service every day and enjoy extra time saved from queuing.

Ketharaman Swaminathan

Ketharaman Swaminathan Founder and CEO at GTM360 Marketing Solutions

Kudos to WoraPay. From personal experience at another top UK bank, that's a saving of at least 15-20 minutes per day. Great use of technology for the welfare of humankind - exactly what my alma mater told us 35 years ago that technologists should be doing! Best wishes for spreading this technology in more and more corporate cafeterias.

A Finextra member 

Thanks Ketharaman. Calculations in the article are based on assumption that average waiting time is 3min for each order (1.5min waiting in queue, 0.5min telling your order and paying, 1min waiting for coffee/tea to be made). We also see that is very much undercooked as there are many times when people wait 10-15 mins in queue. But even with undercooked numbers savings are great! If you are willing to save that time in the bank you mentioned, drop me a line on vaidas (at) worapay.com and we will contact catering company of the bank about the service.

Ketharaman Swaminathan

Ketharaman Swaminathan Founder and CEO at GTM360 Marketing Solutions

@VaidasAdomaukas: TY for your comment. My 15-20 minute wait time was for food during peak lunch hour rush. That said, even my wait for coffee used to be longer than 3 minutes - even the coffee / tea would be "undercooked" in 1 min!

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