Jamba Juice squeezes Apple Pay to deliver more consumer convenience
Jamba Juice, continuing its effort to streamline the customer experience, has integrated its operations with Apple’s mobile payments solution, providing an easy, secure and private way for consumers to pay for their fresh juices, smoothies and energy bowls.
The integration with Apple Pay lets consumers pay by placing their mobile device over a near field communication reader, keeping information secure. The integration fits with Jamba Juice’s other in-store moves to increase convenience and shorten transaction time for health-conscious consumers who tend to be mobile-savvy.
“We see the number of consumers using mobile for things like order ahead and payment increasing on a steady basis in our stores, which suggests that they expect a faster in-store experience overall,” said Julie S. Washington, chief marketing and innovation officer for Jamba Juice, Emeryville, CA. “Apple Pay is one of those tools that helps us meet those expectations.”
Accelerating service
The process takes a few seconds. First, the customer places a mobile device over a near field communication (NFC) reader. His or her name appears on the point of sale screen next to the transaction information.
The store team member then presses a button to approve the transaction.
Shortening transaction time for health-conscious consumers.
Jamba Juice has strived for some time to find ways to support the growing number of consumers who embrace mobile retail transactions.
In July, it said it had reached 1 million transactions through an Isis mobile wallet giveaway promotion. It had received 1 million more mobile subscriptions to its loyalty rewards program.
The Spendo-developed Jamba Insider Rewards loyalty program is outpacing other industry leaders in enlistment rates. The brand hopes to reach two million members by 2015.
Jamba Juice wants to please the forward-thinking consumer by offering as many technological experiences as possible with its health-conscious products.
Apple Pay, which is accepted at 700,000 merchant locations and supported by more than 2,500 banks, app uses NFC to initiate secure payment transactions between contactless payment terminals and Apple devices such as the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.
Apple’s release of details pertaining to its Apple Watch this week turned up attention on Apple Pay.
A person wearing the watch activates Apple Pay by being near the terminal where a NFC-enabled device detects the watch. A vibration alerts the consumer once a payment is made.
The watch is said to be easier than an iPhone to use to make an Apple Pay payment because the watch does not need to touch a merchant terminal or be unlocked with a fingerprint.
Retail footprint
That said, Apple is expected to have its work cut out persuading consumers to use the watch extensively for commerce, despite the excitement the maker of the iPhone, iPad and MacBook typically generates with new products.
Bringing convenience and security to mobile payments.
“We like to say that our large retail footprint makes Jamba a perfect partner for technology companies seeking to pilot or launch innovative platforms,” Ms. Washington said.
“At the same time, our corporate structure is relatively small and does not have a lot of layers of management, so we can make decisions and take actions to implement new technologies very quickly.”
Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter with Mobile Commerce Daily, New York