KBank and business partners offer payment via credit card-swiping smartphone device

KASIKORNBANK and business partners have introduced a payment innovation, K-Merchant on Mobile, with a credit card-swiping smartphone device for payment, enhancing opportunity and flexibility in merchants’ sales and service. The Bank aims to increase partner merchants across all industries, including retail shops, by up to 50,000 merchants this year, with total card spending of 425 billion Baht, or growth of 20 percent, maintaining the top position in terms of market share at 33 percent.

According to KASIKORNBANK Executive Vice President Mr. Pakorn Partanapat, KBank has successfully introduced K-Merchant on Mobile with good response from partner merchants. The highly-secure innovation allows credit card payment with merchants’ smartphones and tablets used together with mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) as a card swiping device for any Visa or MasterCard credit card, to ensure customers’ payment security. KBank currently has 90,000 card-accepting merchants nationwide and expects to achieve total card spending for 2013 of 425 billion Baht, an increase of 20 percent over-year, holding on to its top-ranked market share at 33 percent.

In cooperation with business partners, last October the Bank and Nok Air introduced “Nok X, for a convenient reservation and comfortable flight with K-Merchant on Mobile” service for air ticket reservations, providing customers convenient payment service via mPOS. The device can be used at a variety of events, with Nok Air staff being able to provide detailed information of flights, ticket reservation and payment acceptance via mPOS. This also helps reduce traffic congestion at the airline’s small booth at any event. There is also a new promotion for K-Credit Card customers who use card payment for Nok Air tickets via mPOS in March.

 

 Amway (Thailand) Limited has recently introduced the “I’m Smart” application to be used along with K-Merchant on Mobile for credit card payment via smartphones and tablets of more than 330,000 Amway businesspeople, a convenient innovation for anytime-anywhere business flexibility in response to their lifestyle of business conducted via mobile phone. Amway and KBank are also offering new promotional campaigns. The first 1,000 customers who purchase at least 7,000 Baht of Amway products via “I’m Smart” and K-Merchant on Mobile from March 12 to April 30 will be given an Amway Glister toothpaste and 2x reward points for K-Credit Card, or 4x reward points for Amway-KBank Credit Card.

Muang Thai Life Assurance Pcl. is a leading insurer which uses K-Merchant on Mobile with at least 600 of its regional executives and sales agents for premium payment acceptance, and is expected to expand this service to sales offices and agents nationwide. The service provides customers flexibility together with a modern and efficient selling approach, and reduces risks associated with collecting insurance premiums in cash. In March, Muang Thai Life Assurance is also offering special gifts for K-Credit Card customers.

Placing emphasis on its leadership in the mobile phone market, Thai Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has teamed with Berli Jucker Pcl. to introduce the “Business in a Box” package, an innovation of bill payment that helps boost sales of mobile phones among retail customers/businesses, in particular merchants who do not yet have a smartphone to use with KBank’s mPOS.

KBank has also introduced additional promotional campaigns offering 2x reward points for customers conducting card payment via mPOS, while those using all types of co-branded cards under this campaign will be given 4x reward points, available until the end of April.

Mr. Pakorn added that KBank is the top player with approximately 90,000 card-accepting merchants, a number it expects to increase by an additional 50,000 merchants within this year, with total card spending via K-Credit Card by 425 billion Baht, an increase of 20 percent, maintaining the Bank’s top market share at 33 percent. K-Merchant on Mobile will be used to penetrate new card-accepting merchant markets in all leading businesses, including SME operators. With this service, merchants will have flexibility and convenience in accepting card payment without the constraints experienced with traditional credit card swiping devices, which need a fixed-line telephone connection to the Bank’s system. The service will soon be enhanced for product list display, as well as utility and mobile phone bill payment. Interested persons can apply for the service today or ask for more information by calling the K-Contact Center at 02-888-8888.