Another smartphone payment system launched today, this time centered around using iPads in retail establishments. Pago Mobile says it offers brick and mortar businesses a new way to interact with their customers through smartphone technology, allowing customers to browse, order and pay for local goods and services.
Pago is now available at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and launches today at more than 50 businesses in Mountain View, Calif., with the support of the Chamber of Commerce of Mountain View. Businesses anywhere in the U.S. are invited to sign up for the service.
Using an iPad that connects to their existing point of sale (POS) system, businesses can know who their customers are, provide deals on what they really want and reward loyalty as easily as sending an email, the company says in a press release. Merchants receive and view transactions on an iPad that interacts with a free consumer app. The consumer app is now available for iOS, Android and BlackBerry and coming soon to Windows Phone 7.
“Pago is a lifestyle approach to commerce, inspired by the inefficiencies in daily transactions for both consumers and businesses. From buying a morning coffee to picking up dry cleaning, we knew that commerce could be easier and more personalized,” said Leo Rocco, founder and CEO of Pago, in the press release. “Through smartphone technology, customers can purchase at brick and mortar businesses with online efficiency, and businesses receive invaluable data – and the tools to use that data – to keep customers coming back.”
The launch in Mountain View includes a variety of businesses, ranging from eateries to dry cleaning and flower shops. Mountain View is targeting to have 75 percent of all of its merchants accepting Pago by the end of the year.
Pago also includes social features that enable consumers to share recommendations and reviews through Facebook and Twitter and send gifts to friends.