Pei Wei begins taking Apple Pay as Target trials retail beacons for iPhone users
Asian-themed restaurant chain Pei Wei announced the launch of Apple Pay support on Wednesday, as big-box retailer Target simultaneously began testing Bluetooth beacons at 50 of its locations.
Retail support for Apple Pay has been gradually expanding since the service launched in October 2014. Although dozens of companies are already onboard, many national U.S. chains -- like Anthropologie, Best Buy, JCPenney, and Trader Joe's -- have only pledged support, and not yet implemented it. Best Buy, at least, is due to launch by the end of the year.
When walking into one of the trial stores, people with the latest version of the Target iPhone app may be pinged with alerts about deals and recommendations, TechCrunch noted. To prevent unwanted spam, users will first have to opt into location sharing and notifications, and Target is promising that shoppers will get no more than two alerts per trip. These notifications can appear as both standard iOS notifications or in the app's Target Run tab.
The pilot stores are spread across Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle. The company is aiming to expand nationwide by Christmas, and add at some point add Android support.
The app should gain more beacon-connected features over time, such as automatic reorganization of shopping lists while walking through an outlet, and the ability to request help from clerks.
Target remarked that while it collects data from the app to track trends and preferences, beacon data is specifc to in-store locations.
Pei Wei enables Apple Pay
Apple Pay should now be available at all of Pei Wei's U.S. restaurants, numbering just under 200, the company said. In July, a pilot program tested Apple Pay at 16 Pei Wei restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona. The technology actually became usable across the chain on Tuesday, but the company waited a day to make an official announcement.Retail support for Apple Pay has been gradually expanding since the service launched in October 2014. Although dozens of companies are already onboard, many national U.S. chains -- like Anthropologie, Best Buy, JCPenney, and Trader Joe's -- have only pledged support, and not yet implemented it. Best Buy, at least, is due to launch by the end of the year.
Target experiments with Bluetooth beacons
When walking into one of the trial stores, people with the latest version of the Target iPhone app may be pinged with alerts about deals and recommendations, TechCrunch noted. To prevent unwanted spam, users will first have to opt into location sharing and notifications, and Target is promising that shoppers will get no more than two alerts per trip. These notifications can appear as both standard iOS notifications or in the app's Target Run tab.
The pilot stores are spread across Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle. The company is aiming to expand nationwide by Christmas, and add at some point add Android support.
The app should gain more beacon-connected features over time, such as automatic reorganization of shopping lists while walking through an outlet, and the ability to request help from clerks.
Target remarked that while it collects data from the app to track trends and preferences, beacon data is specifc to in-store locations.
Comments
It's nice that more and more banks are accepting ApplePay but I'd be great if more and more locations are accepting ApplePay.. That's what I'd like to read in the news more..
It is going start happening in a big way very soon because the EMV-compliant POS system deadline is October 2015. I'm not sure why so many retailers have not upgraded yet but there will probably be a big rush at the last minute. Since they will have to replace all their CC readers they will most likely opt for the NFC capable readers at that time. At that point there would little reason not to accept ?Pay.
On the other hand, here in the south, Publix supermarkets is big. I asked a manager (again) when they were getting ApplePay and she said it was supposed to be implemented in August, but they were waiting for all stores (over 1,000) to be ready.
I think some of the vendors that are installing the new EVM compliant terminals are spreading FUD about Apple Pay and convincing IT departments to shutoff NFC. I am seeing a lot of the new terminals around the DFW area and I always try Apple Pay. Some of the same exact terminals work at some merchants and not at others, so there is no doubt that NFC is intentionally being disabled.
What is refreshing is that the smaller the merchant, the more LIKELY that NFC is up and running and as we all know, that is ALL that is required for Apple Pay. For instance, our vet got a new terminal shortly after the iphone6 rolled out and I tried Apple Pay. They had no idea what I was about to do and it shocked them, and me, when it worked. I have since used my apple watch at the vet and that really blew them away.
I am surprised to see Pei Wei jumping onboard Apple Pay as seemed that they might well be secretly getting things setup for CurrenC since their loyalty program used QR codes. I refused to join their program even though we eat their several times a month.
“Pay Way”, huh? Sounds like Xiaomi’s eventual knockoff of ApplePay…
I've seen this a few places as well. A couple of retailers, however, mentioned to me that the issue was not so much ApplePay, but rather, the POS terminal contract they've signed on to: these contracts specify how the terminals can be used (e.g., Visa/MC only, swipe only, NFC-enabled, etc) and the retailer pays a monthly fee based on the menu (s)he chooses. Activating NFC apparently increases the monthly fee for the retailer substantially.
Don't know whether this is, indeed, true. Can someone verify?
Pei Wei is pretty bad food. The "real" food in China is worse. Chinese restaurants in the US are generally better than their in-China counterparts because they have access to better ingredients in the US.
I've seen this a few places as well. A couple of retailers, however, mentioned to me that the issue was not so much ApplePay, but rather, the POS terminal contract they've signed on to: these contracts specify how the terminals can be used (e.g., Visa/MC only, swipe only, NFC-enabled, etc) and the retailer pays a monthly fee based on the menu (s)he chooses. Activating NFC apparently increases the monthly fee for the retailer substantially.
Don't know whether this is, indeed, true. Can someone verify?
If this is the case, I think I can see what Apple's next large corporate purchase should be...
I've always thought that, with its hardware chops and brilliant ability to create an ecosystem, Apple should be in the POS terminal business. In fact, the "razor and blade model" where it gives away the terminal, but charges a fee for each transaction.
Pei Wei is a mini "faster food" version of PF Changs. Scaled down version of the PF Changs menu. You order at the counter and they bring it to your table.
And then (in the US) there are RESTAURANTS who take your card away from the table to their register. Will they change to bring an NFC device to the table for me to pay via Apple Watch? I understand that letting the customer pay at the table is standard in other regions (Europe?).
I've seen this a few places as well. A couple of retailers, however, mentioned to me that the issue was not so much ApplePay, but rather, the POS terminal contract they've signed on to: these contracts specify how the terminals can be used (e.g., Visa/MC only, swipe only, NFC-enabled, etc) and the retailer pays a monthly fee based on the menu (s)he chooses. Activating NFC apparently increases the monthly fee for the retailer substantially.
Don't know whether this is, indeed, true. Can someone verify?
It is my understanding that the EVM chip contains the NFC circuits as well. Activating the chip and pin reader (i.e. the slot), also activates NFC, but I could be mistaken. What I have noticed is when a new terminal is present, if it does NOT do Apple Pay, it also WON'T do chip and pin as I try that as a secondary method. Starting Oct 31, merchants can continue to accept swipe cards, but if a chip and pin card is presented and the merchant lack the terminal to accept it, they accept 100% of the liability for any fraud regarding the transaction by reverting to the swipe technology. While the banks could not force anyone to upgrade to a newer terminal, they did make it almost mandatory.
Many merchants keep the POS device out of customer reach... so even if they upgrade hardware to include NFC, it will be hard USE it since you (as a customer) can't actually get close enough. Hopefully with the new equipment, the merchants will move it closer to the customer.
And then (in the US) there are RESTAURANTS who take your card away from the table to their register. Will they change to bring an NFC device to the table for me to pay via Apple Watch? I understand that letting the customer pay at the table is standard in other regions (Europe?).
As the chip and pin terminals are rolling out, the whole concept is that the card never leaves the control of the customer since the card must be inserted into the terminal slot, then the pin must be entered, then the transaction is completed at which time the card is removed. You would NEVER give a waiter your pin #! Restaurants are going to be forced to either go back to having you pay on exit or go with chip & pin terminals at the table.
I know that a lot of the restaurants were/are supporters of CurrenC, but that abomination is already DOA. CurrenC is all about eliminating the fees that are associated with credit/debit cards. The carrot that CurrenC thinks will entice end customers is loyalty programs. CurrenC requires you to directly link your checking account to CurrenC. CurrenC avoids the transaction fees of credit/debit cards as it runs through the banking system under the old check processing system as an electronic check, which offers little protection to the end customer for fraud, at least not on par with what we enjoy with credit/debit cards. CurrenC has refused to detail how they are securing the transaction and they have not stated if they are going to step up and provide end customer fraud protection on par with credit/debit. The banks can also simply enact fees for processing electronic checks on par with credit/debit, negating the whole reason Walmart came up with the idea.
... Starting Oct 31, merchants can continue to accept swipe cards, but if a chip and pin card is presented and the merchant lack the terminal to accept it, they accept 100% of the liability for any fraud regarding the transaction by reverting to the swipe technology. While the banks could not force anyone to upgrade to a newer terminal, they did make it almost mandatory.
The date is actually sooner, October 1, 2015. Unfortunately, liability won't shift at gas pumps until October 1, 2017.
As the chip and pin terminals are rolling out, the whole concept is that the card never leaves the control of the customer since the card must be inserted into the terminal slot, then the pin must be entered, then the transaction is completed at which time the card is removed. You would NEVER give a waiter your pin #! Restaurants are going to be forced to either go back to having you pay on exit or go with chip & pin terminals at the table.
Handheld readers are common in restaurants everywhere except the U.S. I hope to see them here too, but I'm not optimistic I'll see any for a while. The fact is, even if a U.S. consumer has an EMV card, it is probably chip + signature, not a chip + PIN, so I'm expecting many (most) restaurants will continue to take your card out of sight.
I've actually read statements from banks stating that "You won't have to worry about remembering a pesky PIN." In reality, it all came down to the cost to implement PIN vs. fraud risk.
The fact is, even if a U.S. consumer has an EMV card, it is probably chip + signature, not a chip + PIN, so I'm expecting many (most) restaurants will continue to take your card out of sight.
Wally World now requires AMEX customers to use chip, but no signature is required under a certain dollar threshold, and never a PIN.
I'm pretty sure Taco Bell still serves mystery meat in the U.S.
completely non-factual. the chinese in china is very different than US because US chinese has been americanized. more fried, greasier and not really like real chinese food. it has nothing to do w/ "better ingredients" in the US, at all.
this is how the problem was solved in europe -- portable readers that the server brings to the table. not a big deal.
Pei Wei is a mini "faster food" version of PF Changs. Scaled down version of the PF Changs menu. You order at the counter and they bring it to your table.
I tried it twice (the second time just to make sure the first time wasn't a fluke), then called it quits.
I'm pretty sure Taco Bell still serves mystery meat in the U.S.
Probably. I don't eat there either.