Delhaize Belgium is set to launch a contactless payment service, Payconiq, at checkout counters of its stores as more customers have started using mobile payments in the country since last year.
The number of mobile, or contactless, payments increased by 88% in Belgium in the past one year, the retailer said citing data from Bancontact Payconiq Company.
Payment Methods
The retailer believes that health-related safety measures in stores, which have been in place for more than a year, have encouraged consumers to opt for newer payment methods at Delhaize stores.
Customers now pay for their purchases more often by using the contactless function on their bank cards, or with the payment apps on their smartphones.
The trend towards mobile payments is clearly noticeable in Belgium, where 4.9 million Belgians paid with their smartphone last year.
As a result of the shift towards mobile payments, cash transactions declined and accounted for less than 10% of sales in Delhaize supermarkets.
Delhaize Payconiq
Delhaize is offering customers a contactless payment method via Payconiq using the Bancontact app on their smartphones or a banking app that supports the Payconiq payment method.
Cash registers in the retailer's stores will be equipped with an integrated QR code that will be scanned with the smartphone to transfer the amount to be paid.
Payments will be successful after shoppers verify the transaction through pins, fingerprints, or face recognition system.
'New Payment Method'
Xavier Piesvaux, CEO of Delhaize, said, "Mobile payments are clearly on the rise. The current health crisis has only increased this trend even further.
"The launch of Payconiq as a new payment method is in line with our strategy and ambition to make the customer's life even easier. By responding to new digital trends such as mobile payments, we literally want to keep up with life."
The Payconiq payment function will be available from May in Delhaize supermarkets in Ekeren, Kraainem, and Tubize.
Payconiq will be activated in all 128 integrated supermarkets by the end of summer and later in the participating affiliated stores, the retailer added.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
