PowaTag platform allows customers to top up in a matter of seconds using a mobile or tablet
Vodafone UK has announced that its PAYG customers will be able to top up their mobile device credit at any time of the day while out and about, and in a matter of seconds, thanks to Powa Technologies’ mobile commerce platform, PowaTag. The solution turns magazine adverts, catalogues, posters and even product packaging into immediate points of sale, allowing customers to top up directly simply by scanning a specialised tag.
All Vodafone’s customers will have to do is download the app, scan the PowaTag and choose their top up value. The app allows for a quick and seamless process, as users only have to enter their personal information and card details once and can also receive automatic email receipts.
Vodafone customers will be able to use the PowaTag solution to top up in a variety of locations and destinations across the UK, including Vodafone’s plus-500 retail stores as well as Argos, Brighthouse, Co-Op, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, JD Williams and Wilkinsons stores. Thousands of international students coming to the UK in September have also received a Vodafone SIM pack from UCAS this month with a PowaTag printed on the back, which allows them to top up as soon as they arrive.
Cindy Rose, consumer director at Vodafone UK, commented: “Our customers have told us they wanted a tool that allowed them to top up swiftly at their leisure at a time which is convenient and which suits their schedule. Our pay as you go plans offer great value and which are affordable and flexible: with this top up addition we are making Vodafone the network our customers can depend on.”
PowaTag uses hybrid technology, a combination of PowaTag Beacon and PowaTag Transact, that turns an impulse into a purchase, allowing consumers to walk up to an item, billboard, screen advert or retail display and purchase the promoted product with a touch of their smartphone screen.
The solution from PowaTag combines a number of different technologies into one comprehensive platform. Scans are completed using the smartphone’s camera or microphone and well-established triggers including QR codes, java script, iBeacons, NFC technology or audio tags embedded in broadcast media either live or pre-recorded, while purchases and deliveries are facilitated using pre-entered payment and address information. All sensitive user information is not stored on the mobile device itself, but hosted separately by Powa on a secured PCI Level 1 compliant site.
Dan Wagner, CEO and founder at Powa Technologies, added: “PowaTag allows people to top up their phones virtually anywhere at any time and with 46 million people expected to use smartphones by 2018 in the UK [eMarketer], so this is perfect timing for us to team up with Vodafone. Mobile users can top up quickly, efficiently, and effortlessly using our platform.
“We created PowaTag to give people a universal solution to complete everyday transactions quickly and efficiently. It allows them to do anything from topping up their mobile phone, purchasing a handbag, or donating to charity, while turning almost any medium into virtual shop fronts,” he continued.
PowaTag is a free mobile app available from the iTunes and Google Play stores.
