MasterCard Powers First Commerce Application within SoftBank Robotics’ Humanoid Robot “Pepper”
May 24 2016 - 7:15AM
Business Wire
Pizza Hut Restaurants Asia P/L to pilot
commerce-based application of Pepper to deliver a range of new
in-store consumer experiences
MasterCard today unveiled the first commerce application for
SoftBank Robotics’ humanoid robot Pepper. The application will be
powered by MasterPass, the global digital payment service from
MasterCard that connects consumers with merchants, enabling them to
make fast, simple, and secure digital payments across channels and
devices. Pizza Hut Restaurants Asia P/L will be the inaugural
launch partner working together with MasterCard to create
innovative customer engagement with Pepper.
A major first step forward in bringing conversational commerce
experiences to merchants and consumers, this new app extends the
robot’s ability to integrate customer service, access to
information and sales into a seamless and consistent user
experience. Pizza Hut Asia will be piloting Pepper for order-taking
and personalized engagement to enhance customer service in-store by
end of 2016.
“Consumers have come to expect personalized service, customized
offers and simple and seamless processes both in-store and online,”
said Tobias Puehse, vice president, innovation management, Digital
Payments & Labs at MasterCard. “The app’s goal is to provide
consumers with more memorable and personalized shopping experience
beyond today’s self-serve machines and kiosks, by combining
Pepper’s intelligence with a secure digital payment experience via
MasterPass.”
A consumer will be able to initiate an engagement by simply
greeting Pepper and pairing the consumer’s MasterPass account by
either tapping the Pepper icon within the wallet or by scanning a
QR code on the tablet that the robot holds. After pairing with
MasterPass, Pepper will be able to assist cardholders by providing
personalized recommendations and offers, additional information on
products, and assistance in checking out and paying for items.
Pepper will be able to initiate, approve and complete a transaction
by connecting to MasterPass via a Wi-Fi connection and the entire
transaction happens within the wallet.
“We are excited to welcome Pepper to the Pizza Hut family,” said
Vipul Chawla, Managing Director of Pizza Hut Restaurants Asia.
“Core to our digital transformation journey is the ability to make
it easier for customers to engage, connect and transact with Pizza
Hut. With an order-and-payment-enabled Pepper, customers can now
come to expect personalized ordering at our stores, reduce wait
time for carryout, and have a fun, frictionless user
experience.”
The app was built by the MasterCard Labs team in Singapore, one
of the company’s eight research and development centers across the
globe. The Pepper application adds to ongoing MasterCard programs
that bring payments to any consumer gadget, accessory or wearable–
from fitness bands to refrigerators and now robots. The integration
with Pepper has the potential to open up opportunities in the world
of retail such as personalized shopping and concierge services,
in-aisle checkout and the ability to buy in store but get the goods
delivered at home. The same capability would also be applicable to
other consumer engagement locations such as hotels, banks,
airports, and other customer service industries.
The app is being showcased at the Pepper Partners Europe event
hosted by SoftBank Robotics Europe (a SoftBank Robotics Holdings
group company) in Paris from May 24 - 26, 2016.
About MasterCard
MasterCard, www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in
the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest
payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial
institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than
210 countries and territories. MasterCard products and solutions
make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling,
running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and
more efficient for everyone. Follow us on
Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on
the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the
latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
About Pizza Hut:
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM),
delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in
the world. The company began 58 years ago in Wichita, Kansas,
when two brothers borrowed $600 from their mom to start a
pizzeria.
What started out small has become the biggest pizza company in
the world and today operates more than 16,000 restaurants in over
100 countries serving innovative pizzas, traditional favorites
like the signature Pan Pizza, and much more. For
more information, visit www.pizzahut.com.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160524005509/en/
MasterCardChaiti Sen, 914-263-6542chaiti_sen@mastercard.com
MasterCard (NYSE:MA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
MasterCard (NYSE:MA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024