Healthy on-the-go brand Tossed has claimed a sector first with the opening of completely cashless sites in the City—and CGA Peach data suggests the public is becoming more and more confident about new payment options.
Tossed’s new sites on Coleman Street and Upper Thames Street take orders at self-service kiosks and accept card, contactless and Apple Pay methods, but not cash. There is also a dedicated collection point for orders made online or via an app.
Tossed thinks the model will make for a quicker and smoother guest experience and streamline its operations at front and back of house. It plans to roll out the kiosk offer to the rest of its 26-strong estate in due course. Feedback from early trials had been very positive, it added.
CGA Peach research suggests that the public is getting accustomed to paying by mobile. As of February, 12% of consumers said they use mobile devices to speed up their payment—a figure that has doubled since July 2014.
With more operators starting to facilitate mobile and contactless methods, this confidence is likely to increase. CGA Peach data shows that in July 2014, 31% of people who didn’t use mobiles to speed up payment cited a lack of trust in the payment method as a reason—but by February, this was down to just 20%. It shows that while more work remains to be done in persuading people of the benefits of pay-by-mobile, the method is now becoming firmly embedded in the mainstream.
Tossed founder Vincent McKevitt said of his company’s trial: “Most operators face speed and capacity issues at lunchtime, but ours are intensified because we make our food fresh-to-order and most guests like to customise their food to suit their health and taste requirements. This unique point-of-sale solution allows our team to focus their energy on our speed of production.”
