Italian hypermarket chain Iper has rolled out the Jiffy digital payment service to all 27 of its outlets across seven Italian regions.
Using the service, customers will be able to pay via a smartphone app, which connects directly to their bank account.
Online shoppers can also collect their purchases from 16 pick-and-pay points (Iperdrive) in the Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna regions.
Following an initial launch in hypermarkets in Seriate, Orio al Serio, Rozzano and Vittuone, the innovative payment service is now available to Iper customers in seven Italian regions.
How It Works
The payment is made via Jiffy, a service developed by SIA, which associates a mobile phone number to an IBAN, and therefore enables money to be transferred in real time between individuals, and also payments to be made to merchants.
After making the purchases, customers need to open the app and scan the QR code generated by the cash desk with the smartphone. After this, they just need to touch the screen to complete the payment.
The service is also available at self-service points of sale.
The transaction is made in a secure banking environment, protected either by user credentials or the most evolved biometric systems, while the merchant, on the other hand, is equipped with an innovative system for the management and receipt of payments.
Jiffy can be installed on smartphones with Android and iOS operating systems, and the user must hold a current account at a participating bank.
To activate the service, the user needs to register on his or her bank’s website and download the app provided by the bank itself.
New Possibilities
Iper is the first mass-market retailer to offer this service in Italy, with the aim of enhancing the customer experience with new payment possibilities.
In Italy, smartphone transactions are constantly increasing from year to year.
In 2017, some 21% of all cashless payments took place on digital media, indicating the growth potential of this sector.
Jiffy now has more than five million users in Italy, thanks to the recent decision by UBI Banca and Gruppo Banca Carige to increase its usage among their customers.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
