"The mobile payment pilot was [image-nocss] a huge success, meeting and exceeding our initial objectives," said Russ Lamer, Wright Express manager of emerging technologies. "It helped us gain insight into the benefits of using a mobile phone as a payment device, document fleet driver usability at the pump and inside the store and also better understand the mobile payments operating systems."
Post interviews with participating fleet drivers showed they overwhelmingly approved the NFC mobile technology, saying that the phone was an "easy, fast and convenient" payment method. Some mentioned that they preferred purchasing with the phone "because they always carry a phone, but sometimes forget their wallet."
One important feature of the pilot program was the ability to make mobile phone purchases both inside the store and at the pump. Sheetz showed that using a mobile phone for purchases at the pump is both safe and convenient, the companies said. Sheetz has enabled all of its locations with contactless payment technology at the pumps (outside payment terminals or OPTs) and inside the store at the cash register (inside payment terminals or IPTs).
"Petroleum and convenience stores were among the pioneers in introducing contactless payments to consumers in the late 90s, breaking ground for the technology that the entire payments industry is now adopting" said Mohammad Khan, ViVOtech president and founder. "Now, with Wright Express and Sheetz taking the lead, companies in this industry are once more showing how mobile handsets will bring a new wave of rich experience to commercial payments."
Lamer said, "Our next steps are to work on a business model and evaluate how we can eventually be ready to offer commercial mobile payment services to our customers once NFC phones become widely available and accepted by our merchants."
ViVOtech provided the complete end-to-end NFC mobile solution for this pilot including a mobile wallet, Over The Air (OTA) fleet card provisioning infrastructure software and contactless/NFC terminals previously installed at Sheetz locations.
South Portland, Maine-based Wright Express is a leading global provider of payment processing and information management services. It captures and combines transaction information from its proprietary network with specialized analytical tools and purchasing control capabilities in a suite of solutions that enable fleets to manage their vehicles more effectively. The company's charge cards are used by commercial and government fleets to purchase fuel and maintenance services for approximately 4.7 million vehicles. Wright Express markets its services directly to fleets and as an outsourcing partner for its strategic relationships and franchisees. The company's business portfolio includes a MasterCard-branded corporate card as well as TelaPoint, a provider of supply chain software solutions for petroleum distributors and retailers, and Pacific Pride, an independent fuel distributor franchisee network, as well as international subsidiaries.
ViVOtech, Santa Clara, Calif., is a leader in NFC mobile payments, promotions and OTA provisioning infrastructure software, transaction management software, NFC smart posters and contactless terminals. These solutions allow consumers to make contactless payments with radio frequency-enabled credit/debit/prepaid cards and NFC enabled mobile phones, and to experience savings and enhanced shopping using NFC-enabled promotions and loyalty programs.
Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz has more than 350 convenience locations throughout Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.
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