Selfridges and Dwell are expected to be among 30 high street retailers involved with the Simply Tap mobile payment initiative developed by the Mobile Money Network, the mobile marketing company chaired by Sir Stuart Rose.
Tens of thousands of products including fashion, homewares, accessories and technology will be available to purchase through Simply Tap next month.
Participating retailers will include an alphanumeric code for products in their advertising and marketing communications such as press and outdoor advertising and instore activity, which will allow registered shoppers to buy the product in a one-step process.
SMS, QR code and image recognition tools are also due to launch later this year so that consumers have a number of ways to purchase products via the Simply Tap app or mobile handsets.
Consumers will then be able to use their mobile phone camera to photograph a product in a magazine or outdoor ad to buy it immediately as the app remembers all payment, preference and delivery information for users to simplify the mobile purchase process.
John Milliken, managing director of The Mobile Money network, says: “A call to action in an advert is an incomplete way of selling stuff, with Simply Tap you can identify the product and buy it right away.”
“There is massive value in conventional media but consumers are migrating away from it, so it’s just a case of utilising the right technology to make it relevant again.”
High street technology and fashion brands and traditional media outlets such as Bauer Media and its portfolio of magazine brands are also expected to be involved.
Simply Tap is currently in a trial with more than 10,000 Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse staff ahead of the consumer launch.
The initiative is a joint venture between Monitise, Best Buy Europe and Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone. Sir Stuart was named chairman in March.
Simply Tap will also be provided as part of Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy’s “Walk out Working” scheme and installed as default in handsets bought from the retailer.
The Mobile Money network plans to launch a consumer ad campaign in the run up to Christmas to focussing on gifting opportunities via the service to support the retailers that have signed up and raise awareness of the Simply Tap logo and the service it offers.
It will also use social media and digital channels to build the Simply Tap brand.
