Wendy’s First Kitchen is First QSR Chain in Japan To Accept Face Pay
Pasadena, CA and Tokyo, Japan - PopID, Japan Computer Vision (“JCV”, a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp), and Wendy’s First Kitchen (“WFK”) announced today the launch of PopPay – PopID’s face-recognition-based ordering and payment system – in Tokyo, Japan. As a first step in the launch, Wendy’s First Kitchen locations in Akasaka Mitsuke, Shibuya Center, and Jiyugaoka will begin accepting payments using PopPay, representing the first time a QSR chain in Japan is accepting payments authenticated using a customer’s face.
Customers visiting the stores can link their face information with their credit card, or house prepaid card issued by First Kitchen, and pay by simply holding their face up to the camera-equipped tablet connected to the PLANET Self-Order Kiosk installed in the store. In cases where consumers' hands are full or when they don’t have their wallets with them, they will be able to make payments without the need for cash or a mobile phone.
PLANET and JCV have jointly developed a hospitality solution that uses face recognition technology to simplify transactions in restaurants, solve problems, and strengthen the creation of new points of contact with customers.
“We believe that PopPay is a safer, more convenient, and faster way for our customers to order and pay. We will work together with our partner companies to make this payment method the one that our customers prefer,” said WFK. “In the near future, we would like to upgrade the system so that customers can enjoy even more of the benefits of being a loyal customer with just one look, even if they come to the store empty-handed,” WFK also said.
Andrew Schwabecher, CEO of JCV said, "Hundreds of brands now accept PopPay in the United States, and we have witnessed exponential growth in consumer usage.” He also said, “We have worked closely with the PopID engineering team to customize the platform for the Japanese market, and we expect businesses and consumers in Japan to embrace PopPay as a better way to transact.”
In Asia, face pay has recently exploded as the preferred payment method for consumers, because it is more convenient and secure. "Multinational financial institutions believe that face pay is likely to become a global standard because it is the most effective way to prevent payment fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID. He also said, “Outside of the US market, we will create open-loop platforms for banks, wallets, and other payment companies to enable consumers to link any payment system to their faces to spend against.”
