Rating: Great automated automated online purchasing app
By happy co-incidence, whilst networking at the MWC 2013 here in Barcelona, GoMobile News came across Richard Harris (not that one) who is CEO with a mob called Ensygnia. He got us extremely interested in the company’s technology which is called ‘onescan’. Harris described this offering as a kind of ‘visual NFC’. Given GoMobile News’ own poor experiences with NFC at MWC, we can see this technology going great guns. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company isn’t snapped up by one of the Big Banks. What onescan does is make online (and even offline) purchasing a piece of cake merely by harnessing the power of your smartphone.
The demo which Harris gave, involved a typical web surfer landing on a merchant’s we page and discovering exactly the product that he or she wants.
Typically, this product won’t be on sale via one of the massive online merchants – say Amazon or eBay, but a more specialist e-tailer.
Typically, the user has to jump through multiple hoops to provide all the necessary data – delivery address, for example, as well as all the usual payment details.
With onescan, the process becomes extremely simple. You point your smartphone at the onescan symbol and trigger the Ensygnia app.
Basically, as a onescan user you have already provided all the necessary data just the once. This will include all of your preferred payment methods.
The onescan app supplies all of this information to the participating merchant’s web site and basically does all the hard graft for you.
Such as putting the product in the trolley; offering you payment options; and then checking out for you.
Whilst this whole process is happening, the onscan logo changes so that you can tell when the process has been completed.
The company is in closed beta with versions of its app for Android, iOS and WP7/8.
Ensygnia is attending MWC in the hope of exciting the operator community, Harris explained.
The only thing holding onescan back is a chicken and egg situation.
Consumers will only download the app once merchants install the onescan logos on their pages. With a low installed base, such merchants won’t want to commit.
Harris hopes, however, that MNOs might help to kick off the entire onescan community.
An MNO or MNVO could provide the onescan app to users for free.
It could then encourage users to make online purchases because they will opt for ‘operator billing’ to actually purchase the items.
GoMobile News firmly believes that once a decent onescan community becomes established, the technology will kick off big time.
Once that happens, a Bank could then snap up Ensygnia so that its own credit/debit cards are the main preferred payment option.
Just a thought.
I use Amazon several times a week. The website, and especially the iPhone app, are incredibly easy to use. No hoops jumped.
Yep, most people have an Amazon account. But often I find I am buying something from an e-tailer that I have not used before and I need to spend time typing in all my information. Quite a barrier to spending for me. Easier to just buy from the big e-tailer if they have the same product, even it is more expensive. I like the sound of this point-and-order facility. Bring it on – sounds like it can save me time and it sounds cool too!