Imperial College London rolls out mobile payment and loyalty app on campus
Imperial College London has become the UK’s first university to let people pay for goods on campus by using an app on their mobile phones.
By downloading Yoyo, a London-based mobile payment and loyalty app, over 20,000 students and staff can purchase food and drink at 32 retail outlets across the university’s South Kensington campus.
Users of the app have grown to more than 4,000 people since Imperial College London integrated it into till systems at the start of the year, with Yoyo now out-performing contactless cards, handling around 30,000 transactions each month, with an average spend of £3.08.
Imperial College London said that by using the app, the university can provide a slicker service. “The cafes and restaurants on campus can get really busy during lunchtime and we are always looking for ways to speed up transactions and improve the service we offer to staff and students,” said Jemma Morris, head of catering operations.
“We are pleased that there has been such a positive reaction to the app by both staff and students.”
In an effort to further reduce queues across campus, Imperial College London is now in the process of introducing Yoyo fast-track tills.
To pay with the app, users need to download it from the App Store or GooglePlay, and attach a funding method to top up their account.
Yoyo uses a unique QR-code for each transaction which is scanned at the point of sale using a QR-code scanner. Users collect loyalty points automatically in the app and can receive offers and promotions from the retailers they favour.
The company said that the platform gives retailers a set of tools which help them to better target their customers with relevant rewards, offers and incentives.