Sodexho Tests Cell Phone Checkout at Texas Cafe
Sodexho, the Gaithersburg, Md.-based wholly owned North American subsidiary of Sodexho Alliance, Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and 2Scoot are testing cashless payments using cell phones and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
Employees at the Nokia campus in Irving, Tex., can now point their cell phone equipped with a 2Scoot-enabled Nokia SmartCover at the cafe checkout register and bypass any lines. The 2Scoot RFID tag in the customer's cell phone identifies the user to the system which tallies food and beverage purchases at the Nokia Campus cafe. 2Scoot's back-end technology links the identification code in the 2Scoot tag to a customer's existing credit card, automatically authorizing and clearing payment in less than one second.
“This new, high-tech payment method designed by Nokia and 2Scoot is just the type of innovation today's customer is looking for,” said Tom Mulligan, president of Sodexho Corporate Services. “No one wants to wait in a line — whether they are in a hurry to get back to their desk or they just want more time to relax at lunch — cashless payment adds quality and convenience to life.”
Sodexho is one of the leading providers of food and facilities management in the U.S. and Canada, with $4.7 billion in annual sales. The Kingston, N.Y.-backed 2Scoot provides loyalty, rewards and cashless payment services for retailers. 2Scoot's patent pending system integrates with the retailer's point of sale, allowing live customer coupons and on-line ordering from home and work.
“Nokia is excited to be in the forefront of the emerging mobile commerce era with our products,” said Paul Chellgren, vice president, business development and product management at Nokia. “In the fast growing area of mobile commerce, Nokia's collaboration with 2Scoot and Sodexho is an important initiative and another example of our ongoing commitment to create a positive impact among our employees and our customers that extends the capabilities of the advanced technology products and services that Nokia offers.”
Reprinted from dc.internet.com
