Mobile Money Network™ (MMN) is the first mobile technology partner to get behind Pennies, enabling retailers to offer their customers the opportunity to make micro-donations when they shop using their mobile phones. Consumers will be able to donate using MMN’s new Simply Tap™ mobile application with an extra tap at checkout. This means retailers are now able to support Pennies via multiple purchasing channels: in-store, online and by mobile.
Pennies, the electronic charity box, has received its one millionth micro-donation in just 12 months, raising more than £250,000 from the public’s ‘spare change’ for more than 20 UK charities. Major national retail partners, including Domino’s Pizza, Travelodge, Zizzi, The Entertainer and the Rugby Football Union, have already signed up to Pennies, allowing customers to give quickly, securely, privately and conveniently.
Simply Tap™ is a new innovation that only requires a customer to go through a one-off registration process to securely capture information such as preferred card details and delivery address. Customers can then use the Simply Tap™ instant checkout service on their mobile phones to order products they see anywhere by tapping a code into their mobile phone, saving them time and allowing retailers to maximise sales. Customers can buy in-store, online and via advertising campaigns. Launched earlier this month Simply Tap™ already has a number of key retailers signed up, including Thorntons, Goldsmiths and Carphone Warehouse.
This new software integration will make donating a few pence to charity through Pennies even easier: consumers using Simply Tap™ to purchase via their mobile phones just need to tap once more and their payment is automatically topped up by a few pennies which go to charity. It’s quick – one small step in the payment process – it’s the consumer’s choice every time and it’s private too, there’s no pressure or commitment to give.
Commenting on the partnership with Pennies, John Milliken, MD of Mobile Money Network™ commented: “We are dedicated to bringing together the best and most innovative businesses in the mobile, media and retail spaces. We know that shoppers are turning to mobile more and more and ease of use is central to any mobile proposition. Pennies fits perfectly with our network’s promise. The ease of making micro-donations via a mobile platform such as Simply Tap™ makes sense for consumers looking to donate to charities and retailers looking to facilitate this.”
Alison Hutchinson, CEO of The Pennies Foundation added: “Pennies has collected over one million donations in just a year, through 5 retail partners so far, supporting over 20 charities. We are so excited that MMN’s Simply Tap is getting behind Pennies to give UK consumers the option to donate ‘spare change’ via their mobile phones. We’re looking forward to other mobile technology organisations following Simply Tap’s lead to help make 2012 a real turning point for electronic micro-donations.”