McDonald’s makes a move on mobile commerce
McDonald’s has been experimenting with mobile engagement recently. The company has been adorning food packages with QR codes in an effort to connect with mobile consumers more effectively. Mobile commerce has now caught the attention of the fast food corporation and it plans to begin testing a new NFC-based payment service in Belgium in 2014. McDonald’s will be working with Seamless, a Swedish mobile payments firm, for this initiative.
Seamless to support new mobile commerce venture
Seamless has partnered with the Bpost Bank in order to allow the bank’s customers to make mobile payments at McDonald’s restaurants located in Belgium. Seamless’ Seqr mobile wallet will be used for the initiative, giving consumers a convenient way to pay for their meals at the restaurant. The mobile wallet is compatible with NFC technology, but McDonald’s is not keen to limit the accessibility of its mobile commerce venture. As such, QR codes can also be used to conduct mobile payments at the company’s restaurants.
Similar project to be launched in Kuwait
This is not the first time that McDonald’s has partnered with Seamless in regards to mobile commerce. In June, the company announced that it would be launching a mobile commerce project in Kuwait using the Seamless mobile wallet. This venture is meant to test the interest that consumers in the Middle East have in mobile commerce. Like the project in Belgium, the venture in Kuwait leverages both NFC technology and QR codes to facilitate mobile payments.
Mobile commerce and fast food are a rare combination
Mobile commerce is relatively rare in the fast food sector. Several companies support quick pay options, such as those coming from Visa and MasterCard, but few have shown interest in facilitating payments from mobile devices. McDonald’s believes that mobile commerce offers more convenience to consumers and could be used to improve the experience that these consumers have in the company’s restaurants.
