The way people pay has evolved from a card to a cardless experience, from the physical point-of-sale to e-commerce to mobile and wearables, like smartwatches. With the internet of things promising payments via all connected objects, like a home or a car, the possibilities for how we will pay are seemingly endless. With that in mind, Visa recently announced its offering to merchants and partners of a three-sensory branding experience—a split-second sound, animation or haptic (vibration)—to help signify to consumers that a payment has been made using Visa whether in-store or online.
The impact of a sound on how customers pay
Research shows that Visa’s new sensory branding can signify speed, trust and convenience among consumers.
Listen to Visa's new sound, one part of a new multi-sensory brand experience
Manufacturers already onboard to pilot the Visa sensory branding with merchant partners cover approximately 60 percent of the U.S. merchant point-of-sale terminal market¹. Research shows that customers are more likely to consider a merchant more reputable if they see a Visa logo displayed; in turn, they might be more likely to go into the store or make a purchase online². So what can these new branding elements, which go beyond the Visa logo, do for business? Here’s what Visa learned when it surveyed consumers in eight countries²:
- 81 percent of participants said they would have a more positive perception of merchants who used either the sound or animation cues (“Any more bells and whistles to make me actually pay attention is important…I don’t want to take paying for things lightly,” said one respondent.)
- Less than a second in length, the sound of Visa was found to signal speed and convenience
- 83 percent of participants said the sound or animation cues positively impacted their perception of the Visa brand
Visa’s sensory branding is scheduled to be available as a software development kit (SDK) for iOS, Android, and Web solutions on the Visa Developer Platform on January 31. Developers can visit https://developer.visa.com/ to learn more about integrating the features into their solutions.
Attendees of the NRF 2018: Retail’s Big Show in New York can test the technology through an immersive, interactive demonstration at the event, where Visa CEO Al Kelly will also discuss the future of commerce and payments. Follow @VisaNews for news and updates from the show.
- ¹Nilson Report #1114, July 2017
- ² IPG Lab 2017