Digitization enables innovative m-commerce solutions
Since the company was founded in 2010, Crunchfish has focused on interaction between humans and devices. The company addresses the new interaction needs that arise in the AR/VR paradigm shift. Crunchfish develops two technologies, gesture control and proximity-based interaction named Connected AR. Within gesture control, Crunchfish focuses on AR products and software platforms for industry […]
Since the company was founded in 2010, Crunchfish has focused on interaction between humans and devices. The company addresses the new interaction needs that arise in the AR/VR paradigm shift. Crunchfish develops two technologies, gesture control and proximity-based interaction named Connected AR. Within gesture control, Crunchfish focuses on AR products and software platforms for industry and consumer. Within Connected AR, the company focuses on m-commerce applications for proximity-based payment and marketing.
Joachim Samuelsson, Chairman of the Board and Paul Cronholm, Crunchfish’s Founder and CTO, explain the focus on m-commerce.
Why is Crunchfish’s technology for m-commerce interesting right now?
Paul: The breakthrough for mobile payments is happening now on a market that is about to replace cash funds. At the same time, consumers demand more personalized shopping experiences as well as better and more convenient ways to pay. In addition, a new EU directive repeals the monopoly of banks and credit institutions on customer payment information, enabling other actors to create alternative payment services.
How would you describe the digitization in traditional commerce?
Joachim: Traditional commerce feels the competition from e-commerce and lags behind in digitization. In order to create a better customer experience and meet consumer demands, a combination of mobile apps, cash registers and proximity-based technology is needed.
“The breakthrough for mobile payments is happening now.”
How can Crunchfish contribute?
Joachim: Crunchfish’s technology makes it possible to discover and communicate with everything and everyone in the vicinity, which can be used for mobile proximity-based payments and personalized marketing in-store. We provide new services that create better interaction and experiences for the customers.
Paul: We offer, for example, mobile payment technology that works for everyone and is not limited to specific operating systems or banks. It gives both the store and customer lower costs. Our technology also supports mobile coupon management in an app, which makes it easier to retrieve, store and use coupons. For stores, the digitized handling means, for example, that they get better knowledge of the customer and can offer more relevant marketing.
Joachim: With proximity-based technology, we also offer more marketing opportunities to the customer in-store, enabling personalized and more relevant offers and creating more opportunities for up-sell. The technology also enables better customer service through more information directly related to products.
“We provide new services that create better interaction and experiences for the customers.”
How far has Crunchfish come?
Paul: Our technology has been on the market since 2017 in the order and payment app Pej. It is used at places where a lot of customers need to be served as quickly as possible. This requires a quick, easy and reliable solution for ordering, payment and delivery. Pej meets those requirements, which makes it possible to serve more customers in less time, thus increasing sales. At a restaurant, the customer can avoid the queue, peacefully sit down at the table and order and pay directly in the Pej app. In arenas Pej is used to pre-order food and drink for the break, where the reserved amount only needs to be confirmed at the pickup.
Joachim: We have recently initiated collaboration with ClearOn, Sweden’s leading player in coupon handling and payment services. The first step in our joint offer is smart mobile coupons, that create new opportunities for merchants and brands to communicate with the customer both in the store and at home. The customer receives targeted coupons directly in an app. In the store the customer gets reminders of offers and can pick up more digital coupons directly from the shelf by blipping the phone. The second step is a payment solution that is not limited to specific operating systems or banks.
