Most people have somewhere else they'd rather be than be standing in a checkout queue. There are errands to run, meetings to get to, children to pick up, or simply a few quiet minutes to reclaim in an otherwise busy day. Yet even a quick stop at the supermarket, pharmacy or neighbourhood shop can come with an unexpected wait when it is time to pay.
Sometimes, it is the little things that slow everyone down. Finding the right M-PESA Till number, typing it correctly, entering the purchase amount, or checking whether the details match what the cashier has provided. The payment itself may take only a moment, but getting there can involve more steps than necessary.
What if paying at the till could be as simple as tapping your phone or scanning a code?
A simpler way to pay at checkout
With M-PESA Tap-to-Pay and Scan-to-Pay now available on the Pesapal POS, customers have two more convenient ways to complete in-person purchases. Both options are designed around a simple idea: spend less time entering payment details and more time getting on with your day.
With M-PESA Scan-to-Pay, the cashier enters the purchase amount on the Pesapal POS, which generates a QR code containing the transaction details. The customer opens the My OneApp, selects Scan to Pay and scans the code. The merchant details and amount are populated automatically, so there is no need to type them in manually. After reviewing the amount and authorising the payment with their M-PESA PIN, the customer is done.
M-PESA Tap-to-Pay offers another option for customers with NFC-enabled smartphones. At checkout, the cashier enters the purchase amount on the Pesapal POS and selects M-PESA Express. The customer unlocks their phone and taps it on the terminal. My OneApp opens with the transaction details, which the customer reviews before authorising payment using their M-PESA PIN or biometric authentication, where supported. Once the payment is successful, the POS prints a receipt. There is no one manually entering a Till number. No typing the amount into the payment app. Just review, authorise and go.
Small changes that make a difference
The value of a better checkout experience is not only measured in seconds saved. It is also in the small frustrations that disappear along the way.
When customers do not have to enter merchant details and payment amounts themselves, there is less room for mistakes. They can complete their transactions without sharing their phone numbers with the merchant, while PIN or supported biometric authentication provides an additional layer of transaction security.
And because people have different preferences, offering both tapping and scanning gives customers a choice in how they pay.
For someone making a quick purchase on the way to work, a parent fitting shopping between other commitments, or a customer picking up an order during a busy lunch break, these seemingly small improvements can make paying feel less like another task to get through.
A better checkout works for businesses, too
For businesses, the checkout is an important part of the customer experience. Long queues can frustrate customers, particularly during busy periods as manual payment entry introduces additional steps for both the cashier and the person paying.
By bringing Tap-to-Pay and Scan-to-Pay to the Pesapal POS, businesses can offer customers faster ways to complete transactions using M-PESA. The POS generates the transaction details, customers authorise their payments on their phones, and successful transactions are confirmed at the terminal.
This gives merchants more ways to serve customers without introducing a separate device for each payment method. Whether it is a retail shop, supermarket, pharmacy or restaurant, a simpler payment process can help staff manage checkout more efficiently and give customers a better reason to return.
