Startups in the U.K. are Loving Apple Pay

[Maura]

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog, startup businesses in the U.K. are already loving the newly launched Apple Pay system.

With Apple Pay making its European launch in the U.K. last week, more than 250,000 U.K. locations, including the London Underground (or “Tube”), now accept payment via Apple Pay.

As Digits notes, many areas in the U.K., and in particular London, were already well-positioned to adapt quickly to Apple Pay, as contactless payments are already widely used in major U.K. cities. And in certain instances, such as using the bus, tube or train in London, for example, you actually get cheaper fares by using contactless payment instead of cash, so the incentive is already there.

For this reason, says Digits, many smaller businesses and start-ups in the U.K. have been quick to adopt the Apple payments system in the hope that it will lead to increased sales.

Digits visited Shoreditch Grind, a coffee shop in London’s Shoreditch neighbourhood, which was one of the first independent businesses to test Apple Pay.

The manager, Alex Ghalleb, told Digits that while only a few customers have used Apple Pay so far, he thinks that it will eventually give Shoreditch Grind an advantage over its competitors, especially after the shop launches its own bespoke app next month that will enable customers to preorder their coffee and pay via smartphone.

Photo credit: Shoreditch Grind Shoreditchgrind Twitter

Source: U.K. Startups Embrace Apple Pay as Mobile Payments Grow - Digits - WSJ