WiGroup, a South African mobile transaction provider, has been trialling its NFC payments and coupon solution with a substantial retailer in the country amid reports it intends to bring the technology to Europe.
The company, which already has offices in the UK, could be a good fit for the prospering performance marketing industry in Europe. It features an electronic point of sale (EPOS) system, which can link with mobile digital wallet software capable of catering for coupons, vouchers, rewards and loyalty.
A WiCode is sent to to a consumer’s handset by SMS, mobile site or app to kick the transaction off. Retailer staff can then link to the mobile through the EPOS screen by entering the WiCode. All the transactional tasks are performed offsite on a central WiPlatform server.
Mobile Wallet Growth in South Africa
South Africa now seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to NFC. There are said to be tens of thousands of WiGroup platform-supported checkout lanes accepting mobile transactions or payments.
Mobile sales revenue of more than $147 million has gone through WiGroup’s platform. The company also revealed how it processes more than half a million mobile coupons and vouchers each month.
Despite this frenetic activity in South Africa, interest from top-level mobile device manufacturers in the wallet technology is lukewarm at best. Even Apple’s recent refresh of its mobile phone product line failed to dampen concerns over mass market adoption.