GERMANY. Munich Airport has become the first location in Europe to offer a new mobile, cashless payment system billed as ‘Smart Checkout – Tap, Pay, Enjoy’.
This follows the roll-out of the system – offering frictionless payment in a self-checkout version for retailers – at a retail unit of eurotrade, a wholly-owned retail subsidiary of Munich Airport.
The solution allows consumers to use their smartphones to pay for items at the store shelf by scanning an electronic price tag, obviating the need to pay at the tills. For payment, the customer is redirected to a mobile website; unlike existing payment systems on the European market, it is not a requirement to download an app.
The application has been developed in a partnership with Wirecard, SES-imagotag and wirecube.
To shop and place articles in the shopping basket, customers present their smartphone to the SES-imagotag digital shelf labels. The product is captured via near-field communication (NFC) or a camera scan of the QR code. Within seconds the phone opens a wirecube mobile web app where the customer can complete the purchase, either by scanning a credit card with the phone camera or entering the card details by hand. Alipay is also available as a payment option.
Travellers at Munich Airport are already able use the new mobile payment solution for selected items in the MyCorner shop, which is located post-security in Terminal 2. Following the pilot phase, the airport said the payment system will be extended to other eurotrade retail locations, including 12 duty free shops and 14 other stores offering magazines and newspapers, travel items and souvenirs.
“By simplifying and speeding up the checkout process, we can deliver an even better shopping experience for our 48 million passengers per year and keep pace with their ever-increasing expectations.” – Munich Airport Vice President Center Management Philipp Ahrens
Eurotrade Managing Director Sven Zahn said: “The new payment system gives our customers a self-checkout option for the first time. This offers significant added value for travellers in a hurry. The customer avoids waiting time at the cash register and, as Munich Airport’s retail arm, we are expecting a boost in sales – especially for fast turnover goods that are purchased on the go.”
He added: “With ‘Smart Checkout – Tap, Pay, Enjoy’, we are teaming up with Wirecard, wirecube and SES-imagotag to set new standards for mobile payments.”
Munich Airport Vice President Center Management Philipp Ahrens said: “With the new payment system, Munich Airport is playing an active role in the digitisation of retail and showing yet again that, along with its status as a vibrant and cosmopolitan retail location, it is also increasingly innovative.
“By simplifying and speeding up the checkout process, we can deliver an even better shopping experience for our 48 million passengers per year and keep pace with their ever-increasing expectations.”
