SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Convenience-store retailer Parker’s has launched Mobile Pay, which allows customers to pay for transactions at the pump or in stores using their smartphones. This GPS-enabled technology, available exclusively to Parker’s PumpPal members, saves customers up to 14 seconds on every transaction, compared to the current chip-and-PIN technology in credit cards, the company said.
Designed to save customers time, the user-friendly Mobile Pay option is integrated into the free Parker’s app. Using the new technology, PumpPal members can pull up to a Parker’s store, enter the gas-pump number, type a PIN, fuel up and go without scanning a PumpPal card or using their wallet. The pump can even be turned on before getting out of the car.
“The app does a lot of the work for you,” said Jeff Bush, Parker’s director of fuel management, who spearheaded the company’s Mobile Pay development over the past eight months.
“This is the new frontier in mobile technology,” said Greg Parker, president and CEO of Parker’s. “Our customers want to save time and money. At Parker’s, we’re helping them do both with our new Mobile Pay option. We complete more than 100,000 transactions every day, and this technology will help our customers pay faster than ever.”
For in-store purchases, the GPS technology automatically identifies the store where a customer is located. PumpPal customers with the Parker’s app can scan their bar code at the cash register, enter a PIN and hit “enter.” The PIN-protected encryption technology makes each transaction safe and secure, said the company.
The new Mobile Pay option also allows customers to filter fuel prices by grade and to receive exclusive coupons offering special savings at Parker’s. The app has a messaging feature through which customers can stay up to date with Parker’s news. All customers who download the Parker’s app receive a digital coupon for a free 32-ounce fountain drink.
In order to develop this robust mobile payment system, Parker’s strategically united five different vendors, including app developer Zingon. Parker’s said it tested the system extensively before the launch to make sure the technology would work seamlessly.
Savannah, Ga.-based Parker’s operates 44 convenience stores in Georgia and South Carolina.
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