Participating Fleet Drivers Overwhelmingly Approve Mobile as "Easy, Fast and Convenient" Payment Method
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 19, 2009--
Wright Express Corporation (NYSE: WXS) has announced that its multi-city
NFC mobile payment pilot with Sheetz and ViVOtech has been successfully
completed. During the trial, drivers used their Sheetz Fleet Business
Advantage card loaded into their specially enabled Near Field
Communication (NFC) mobile phones to make fuel and convenience store
purchases at hundreds of Sheetz locations by just waving their NFC
mobile phones at contactless-enabled readers. Wright Express was able to
authorize and process the mobile transactions as easily as those done by
drivers using plastic cards.
“The mobile payment pilot was a huge success, meeting and exceeding our
initial objectives,” said Russ Lamer, Wright Express manager of emerging
technologies. “It helped us gain insight into the benefits of using a
mobile phone as a payment device, document fleet driver usability at the
pump and inside the store and also better understand the mobile payments
operating systems.”
Post interviews with participating fleet drivers showed they
overwhelmingly approved the NFC mobile technology, saying that the phone
was an “easy, fast and convenient” payment method. Some mentioned that
they preferred purchasing with the phone “because they always carry a
phone, but sometimes forget their wallet.”
One important feature of the pilot program was the ability to make
mobile phone purchases both inside the store and at the pump. Sheetz
stepped up for the industry to show that using a mobile phone for
purchases at the pump is both safe and convenient. Sheetz has enabled
all of its locations with contactless payment technology at the pumps
(Outside Payment Terminals or OPTs) and inside the store at the cash
register (Inside Payment Terminals or IPTs).
“Petroleum and convenience stores were among the pioneers in introducing
contactless payments to consumers in the late 90s, breaking ground for
the technology that the entire payments industry is now adopting” said
Mohammad Khan, ViVOtech President and Founder. “Now, with Wright Express
and Sheetz taking the lead, companies in this industry are once more
showing how mobile handsets will bring a new wave of rich experience to
commercial payments.”
“Our next steps are to work on a business model and evaluate how we can
eventually be ready to offer commercial mobile payment services to our
customers once NFC phones become widely available and accepted by our
merchants,” said Lamer.
ViVOtech provided the complete end-to-end NFC mobile solution for this
pilot including a mobile wallet, Over The Air (OTA) fleet card
provisioning infrastructure software and contactless/NFC terminals
previously installed at Sheetz locations.
ViVOtech will be showcasing its contactless and NFC mobile payment
solutions at the NACStech show, May 18-20Dallas, TX at Booth # 530.
About Wright Express
Wright Express is a leading global provider of payment processing and
information management services. Wright Express captures and combines
transaction information from its proprietary network with specialized
analytical tools and purchasing control capabilities in a suite of
solutions that enable fleets to manage their vehicles more effectively.
The Company's charge cards are used by commercial and government fleets
to purchase fuel and maintenance services for approximately 4.7 million
vehicles. Wright Express markets its services directly to fleets and as
an outsourcing partner for its strategic relationships and franchisees.
The Company's business portfolio includes a MasterCard-branded corporate
card as well as TelaPoint, a provider of supply chain software solutions
for petroleum distributors and retailers, and Pacific Pride, an
independent fuel distributor franchisee network, as well as
international subsidiaries. For more information about Wright Express,
please visit www.wrightexpress.com.
About Sheetz
Sheetz has more than 350 high-energy locations throughout Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina that provide
award-winning food, beverages and fuel savings to its customers. Total
Customer Focus ("TCF") has been at the heart of the family owned and
operated business since its founding in 1952. With a legacy of
innovation, customer focus and employee development, the company's
mission today is on meeting the needs of customers on the go. The
company is committed to providing fast and friendly service, quality
products in clean and convenient locations.
About ViVOtech
ViVOtech (www.vivotech.com)
is the market leader in Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile payments,
promotions and over-the-air (OTA) provisioning infrastructure software,
transaction management software, NFC smart posters, and contactless
terminals. These innovative solutions allow millions of consumers to
make contactless payments with radio frequency-enabled
credit/debit/prepaid cards and NFC enabled mobile phones, and to enjoy
exciting savings and enhanced shopping experience using NFC enabled
promotions and loyalty programs. ViVOtech’s products are used by the
most prominent retailers all over the globe and today the company has
shipped close to 500,000 contactless terminals to more than 35 countries
worldwide. In 2009 ViVOtech received the prestigious Frost and Sullivan
North American Smart cards Product Line Strategy of the Year Award. In
2008, ViVOtech was named #1 in ABI Research’s Contactless & NFC Reader
Ranking Report.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements regarding Wright Express Corporation’s plan to develop a
business model and evaluate the potential for offering commercial mobile
payment services using NFC enabled mobile phones. These forward-looking
statements include a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially, including: volatility in fuel
prices; future fueling patterns; effects of competition; the potential
loss of key strategic relationships; decreased demand for fuel and other
vehicle products and services and the effects of general economic
conditions on the commercial activity of fleets; the Company’s ability
to rapidly implement new technology and systems; potential corporate
transactions including alliances, mergers, acquisitions and
divestitures; achievement of the expected benefits of the Company’s
alliances, mergers and acquisitions; and the other risks and
uncertainties included from time to time in the Company’s filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the annual report on
Form 10-K filed on February 27, 2009, and the Company’s other periodic
and current reports. Wright Express Corporation undertakes no obligation
to update these forward-looking statements at any future date or dates.
Source: Wright Express Corporation
Wright Express
Jessica Roy, 207-523-6763
Jessica_Roy@wrightexpress.com
or
Russ
Lamer, 207-523-7106
Russ_Lamer@WrightExpress.com