(16 November 2012 – Australia) Smartphones and a mug shot may soon be all that is needed to make a purchase with the new technology tipped to be the next big thing within three years.Simply go to a store, “check in” on your handset via the web, place an order and have a sales assistant confirm your photo ID when it flashes up on their terminal.
Online payment provider PayPal unveiled the technology this week, taking advantage of Australian’s becoming increasingly inseparable for their phones.
Nielsen figures, estimate annual purchases of goods and services using smartphones in Australia have rocketed from A$155 million to A$5.6 billion in just two years.
PayPal’s innovation will be unfurled by the end of the week at Sydney fashion outlet Glue Store’s Pitt St flagship site ahead of a rollout at other locations in Victoria, NSW and Queensland by the end of the year.
Cashless and cardless mobile transactions within stores are automatically charged to customers’ PayPal accounts linked to their bank or credit card funds without the need to even touch a point-of-sale terminal.
PayPal expects to roll out the technology at many more stores.