Barclaycard to push wearable payment brand bPay as data insight tool

The payment services provider says bPay, which was trialled as a payment device at its sponsored events earlier this summer, will be offered as a white label device to partners that can be branded under their name.

It is working with CRM provider Green 4 Solutions to explore ways to add functionality that would allow collected payment data made inside and outside of stadiums and venues to be intergrated with CRM systems.

It is not yet known if it will be offered to brands in sectors outside of sports, leisure and entertainment, Green 4 Solutions’ area of expertise.

The hope is the data will be used to improve service and develop loyalty schemes and competitions as well as experiential activity such as social media check-ins.

Mike Saunders, managing director for digital consumer payments at Barclaycard, says there is a demand for greater functionality from wearable payment devices.

“Consumers tell us they want more than one function from their wearables; payment capability is just one ingredient, there are a wide range of potential applications – access, loyalty, branding, affiliation and recognition.

“We can help sports clubs access new data sources to gain valuable insights into their customers’ behaviour by providing an integrated payment and ticketing solution. This will help venues looking to understand their customers better, grow loyalty and maximise revenues through a joined-up approach to technology.”

The Barclays-owned brand has launched a number of dual-purpose services offering payment solutions and data insight for partners in recent years including Bespoke , which provides customers with personalised offers from retail partners that also receive aggregated, non-personal data on participants.

BPay is linked to a users’ Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card and is accepted in 300,000 locations across the UK.