Major bill payment opportunity for convenience retailers

PayPoint has started to roll out a major new service for convenience retailers in Ireland. For the first time, local shops are able to collect bill payments and sell meter tokens for the ESB. There are 9.5m such payments a year, a significant proportion of which are likely to be attracted by convenience stores. The service is exclusively available through PayPoint.

PayPoint will be extending its service to include other major Irish billing companies. PayPoint provide a terminal which will also be able to support debit and credit cards and mobile phone top-ups for Vodafone, 0₂ and Meteor. Retailers will earn commission on each bill payment transaction. The service is free of charge to the customer.

The service will be available to a selected number of retailers with initially 120 outlets, giving coverage across Ireland. The network will grow steadily in order to maximise the footfall benefits for participating agents.

In Britain and Northern Ireland, where PayPoint has been running an equivalent service in 9,000 stores for five years, shops average 300 transactions per week, with a high proportion of these customers buying other items in the shop. Alan Fitzsimmins, Trading Director of the Henderson Group who operate and supply Spar, VG and Vivo stores across Ireland says, ‘PayPoint is a valuable service to our customers and in most stores will help drive footfall. We have PayPoint terminals in 35 stores so we have had plenty of opportunity to evaluate the impact this service has had on our business. The PayPoint service is well received by our customers and we strongly recommend PayPoint as a ‘must have’ service for convenience retailers’.

Mr Fitzsimmins’ enthusiasm is shared Bernard Shankey, owner of Shankeys Quik Pick in Cootehill, County Cavan who is one of the founder retailers in Ireland. ‘We have just been installed and it was all very straightforward. The terminal couldn’t be easier to operate and we have already had customers using the service and they like it. I have no doubts that offering the PayPoint service is going to be good for my business’.

There are a few remaining opportunities for retailers to participate in the PayPoint launch. Interested retailers can contact PayPoint on 1 800-923-259.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Peter Binns, Marketing Manager, PayPoint – 1800 923 259