A Kiwi technology company has created a new device which could revolutionise the way New Zealanders pay their bills and provide better cash flow for local businesses. Swipe HQ is the latest offering from technology company Optimiser HQ, which specialises in email software, web design and business solution software. The Kiwi company, owned by Manas Kumar, recently hit headlines when it became one of the first local technology companies to list on the German stock exchange.
CEO Kumar says he created the new mobile credit card terminal to create better payment flexibility for both businesses and consumers in our increasingly cashless society. Kumar says like most Kiwis he carries little cash if any, and it has made for some embarrassing moments with his lawn mowing contractor and other tradespeople.
"I ended up just feeling really bad. Often tradespeople would come to do work and I had simply forgotten to withdraw any cash to pay them. I talked to other friends who said they were often in the same position so I created Swipe HQ." Kumar says this will not just mean greater flexibility for customers but better surety of payment for the merchant. Swipe HQ is a device smaller than a matchbox which plugs into the audio jack of any smartphone. Much like a normal credit card terminal, the merchant enters the amount of the transaction, swipes the credit card and the heavily encrypted transaction is completed. Electronic receipts can then be sent by text message or email to the customer.
Due to its high levels of data encryption the product is already available to export markets with Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore likely to introduce the technology within the next few months. Although the lawn mowing franchisee was the original inspiration for the product, Swipe HQ has the potential to be used in any retail setting where there is a queue to pay for products and services. Kumar says allowing customers to stand in line to pay for your products is a fundamental customer service failure and queue-less checkout is one of the reasons for the rapid rise of online shopping. He says his mobile payment terminal would allow retail staff to approach customers in a queue, process payments and issue electronic receipts before they got to the counter. It would also allow staff in busy restaurants to take payments at the table cutting bottlenecks and improving the customer's experience.
For more information visit www.swipehq.com.
