Shortly after we reported that McDonald’s officially launched in Vietnam, McDonald’s Singapore made an announcement: to bring more convenience to its customers, McDonald’s Singapore is first in Southeast Asia to launch card payments through its mobile application for food delivery.
From today onwards, McDelivery users in Singapore will be able to use their Visa cards to pay for orders through the McDelivery mobile application (app), rather than having to pay cash upon delivery.
To make use of this new payment feature, customers simply create a one-time user account on the app and securely register their Visa cards. When orders are placed, the pre-registered Visa account will be used and payment can be made with a single click. Card details are encrypted and securely managed by Visa’s payment gateway CyberSource.
Ooi Huey Tyng, Visa country manager, Singapore and Brunei, says Visa is excited to be working with retailers across the island to drive eCommerce.
“McDonald’s is known for the convenience it offers through McDelivery. Allowing consumers to use their Visa cards will make paying for meals even more convenient, without the need to reenter their card details every time they place an order. With the rise in mobile usage in Singapore and the increasing comfort level for technology, this new service provides a viable alternative to what has been a traditional cash-based service. There is no more fumbling for the exact amount in notes and coins, or waiting for change while your food sits there.”
Visa believes that the mobile app payments service represents a growing opportunity to provide greater convenience to Singaporeans who are readily embracing cashless transactions. Singapore is also an ideal market for this service as smartphone penetration is high.
The Nielsen report, Decoding the Asian Mobile Consumer, reveals that Singapore’s smartphone penetration is at 87%, one of the highest is Asia Pacific.
Yvonne Low, Senior Marketing Director, McDonald’s Singapore says, “We are always looking at ways to innovate and to improve the customer experience. This new payment option provides an added level of convenience for our McDelivery app users, and we think they will enjoy the smoother ordering process, enhanced interface and greater payment flexibility.”
In celebration of the launch, McDelivery users who use the mobile app and pay with their Visa cards from 17 February – 30 March 2014 will receive a free set of 2-piece McWings for every purchase.
Perhaps what’s interesting about this launch is that McDonald’s Singapore along with Visa is pushing for more mobile commerce, as well as improving the delivery convenience to its customers in Singapore. In Malaysia, convenient store 7 Eleven has also pushed out delivery services for its customers as a move to bring more convenience to them, as well as encouraging more spending.
Back in Singapore, McDonald’s has a network of 127 restaurants island-wide, fifteen Drive-Thrus, over 30 dessert kiosks and over 40 McCafé outlets. According to McDonald’s, it employs 9,000 people in Singapore and serves more than 6 million customers every month.
That’s more customers than the whole population in Singapore! Eating too much of it is unhealthy, and McDonald’s know that: it recommended its own employees to avoid burgers and fries whenever possible due to health risks.
Also read: McDonald’s advises staff not to eat fast food; hypocrite much?