UK mobile payment provider Zapp has announced a wide range of retail partnerships across a range of sectors like Asda, Sainsbury’s, House of Fraser, Thomas Cook and Shop Direct (including the very.co.uk, Littlewoods, Isme, Woolworths.co.uk and K&Co brands).
“We know that the way that our customers shop is changing and we’re always looking 
at new and innovative ways to improve the experience,” comments Jon Rudoe, Digital and Technology Director at Sainsbury’s. “We’re one of the first retailers to sign up to Zapp to give our customers a quick, secure and convenient option to pay – both online and at the till.
This initiative will allow millions of customers to use Zapp to pay and acts as further proof that the UK’s mobile payment market is growing, will deliver improvements in security, convenience and speed, whilst ‘checking out’ both online and in-store.
According to the company, many of the largest payment providers in the UK including Verifone, Klarna, Touch Go, Siemens, Apogee International, Vix Technologies, Global Charge, Just Desire and RSL – are announcing that they will work with Zapp to bring mobile payments to market.
This broad group of retailers, billers and payment providers will roll out Zapp to more than 35 million customers and represents the largest coalition of retailer support for a new payment method ever announced in the UK.
“The high street is leading the charge for mobile payments as more retailers bank on smartphones for fast and easy sales. One in three people in the UK are already using cashless apps and nearly half of UK shoppers are using their phone in-store to check prices, with Zapp’s latest partnerships likely only to accelerate this trend,” explains James Frost, Chief Marketing Officer of Worldpay UK.
“We’re not yet at the stage where shoppers will walk out the door if they can’t pay via an app, however with consumers now so inseparable from their phones, retailers are clearly realising that mobile payments will make a sound commercial investment for the future.”
According to the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) 20 million adults will use their mobiles to pay for goods and services by the end of the decade, with the value of purchases tripling from current levels to £14.2 billion in 2018. The Cebr suggests that the uptake of mobile payments will be accelerated by the kind of inter-industry cooperation that Zapp and its partners are committing to.
“Today is a hugely significant milestone in the history of money in the UK. At last the promise of a truly mobile and digital payment method will become a reality, meaning easier and more secure checkouts for millions,” concludes Peter Keenan, Chief Executive of Zapp. “It’s amazing to have the support of such well known retailers. Together with our other partners this means millions of consumers will be able to shop at tens of thousands of merchants up and down the UK at launch.”
The full list of companies announcing support for Zapp is as follows:
Asda
Sainsbury’s
Shop Direct Group (very.co.uk, Littlewoods, Isme, Woolworths.co.uk and K&Co)
Thomas Cook
Clarks
Dune
Spar
Best Western
Bravissimo
QD Stores
Anglian Water
Bristol & Wessex Water
Sutton and East Surrey Water
Verifone
Klarna
Touch Go
Siemens
Apogee International
Vix Technologies
Global Charge
Just Desire
RSL
Previously announced Zapp partners:
HSBC / first direct
Nationwide
Santander
Metro
Worldpay
Elavon
Optimal Payments
SagePay
Realex
TrustPay Global
Checkout.com
Oxfam
Charities Aid Foundation
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