MasterCard hires out robot helper to Pizza Hut

MasterCard has unveiled a commerce application for SoftBank Robotics’ humanoid robot Pepper. The application will be powered by MasterPass from MasterCard that connects consumers with merchants to make digital payments across channels and devices.

Pizza Hut Restaurants Asia will be the inaugural launch partner, working with MasterCard, to create innovative customer engagement with Pepper.

The new app extends the robot’s ability to integrate customer service, access to information and sales into a consistent user experience. Pizza Hut Asia will be piloting Pepper for order-taking and personalised engagement to enhance customer service in-store by end of 2016.

“Consumers have come to expect personalised service, customized offers and simple and seamless processes both in-store and online,” said Tobias Puehse, vice president, innovation management, Digital Payments & Labs at MasterCard. “The app’s goal is to provide consumers with more memorable and personalized shopping experience beyond today’s self-serve machines and kiosks, by combining Pepper’s intelligence with a secure digital payment experience via MasterPass.”

A consumer will be able to initiate an engagement by simply greeting Pepper and pairing the consumer’s MasterPass account – either through tapping the Pepper icon within the wallet or by scanning a QR code on the tablet that the robot holds. After pairing with MasterPass, Pepper will be able to assist cardholders by providing personalized recommendations and offers, additional information on products, and assistance in checking out and paying for items. Pepper will be able to initiate, approve and complete a transaction by connecting to

MasterPass via a Wi-Fi connection and the entire transaction happens within the wallet.

“We are excited to welcome Pepper to the Pizza Hut family,” said Vipul Chawla, Managing Director of Pizza Hut Restaurants Asia. “Core to our digital transformation journey is the ability to make it easier for customers to engage, connect and transact with Pizza Hut.  With an order-and-payment-enabled Pepper, customers can now come to expect personalized ordering at our stores, reduce wait time for carryout, and have a fun, frictionless user experience.”

The app was built by the MasterCard Labs team in Singapore, one of the company’s eight research and development centers across the globe. The Pepper application adds to ongoing MasterCard programs that bring payments to any consumer gadget, accessory or wearable– from fitness bands to refrigerators and now robots. The integration with Pepper has the potential to open up opportunities in the world of retail such as personalized shopping and concierge services, in-aisle checkout and the ability to buy in store but get the goods delivered at home. The same capability would also be applicable to other consumer engagement locations such as hotels, banks, airports, and other customer service industries.