Mobile payment app developer Droplet completes national launch

A MOBILE payment app developer based in Birmingham has completed its national launch.

Droplet, the brainchild of tech entrepreneurs Steffan Aquarone and Will Grant, has used £575,000 of Crowdfunding to take the world’s first fee free payment app into eight cities across the UK.

More than 300 independent retailers across Cambridge, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Norwich are now accepting transactions by using the simple mobile app.

“There seems be a real appetite among consumers to buy from independent retailers and support community shopping and we’re trying to tap into this with the national rollout,” said Aquarone, who devised the payment app while sitting in a Birmingham coffee shop in 2011.

“What originally started as a way of making payments over your phone has evolved a fair bit and we have coincided the national launch with the introduction of Droplet Rewards, which is basically a loyalty platform for local merchants.

“This means they can provide digital stamps to their customers in return for special offers and free treats like a cup of coffee or glass of wine. They can also message the local Droplet community via the app.”

In essence, the app offers a rewards scheme that can match a lot of the big chains but for a fraction of the cost.

Aquarone said many smaller retailers were really embracing the app, with 100 signed up in the first month.

The first eight cities have been chosen due to their vibrant independent scenes and their willingness to embrace new idea.

Local ambassadors, who are well known in the community, have been appointed in each location to work with merchants to introduce the technology and grow the Droplet brand organically.

With user numbers now over 23,000, there are plans already in place to build on the initial rollout by targeting another 10 cities in 2016.

However, Grant said Birmingham remained a critically important city for the business.

“This is where the Droplet story all began and we have just strengthened our team here to include new ambassador Laura Patricia Jones. She will be charged with building on our existing merchant base of 35 retailers and growing our user numbers in the city,” he said.

The firm considers Birmingham the ideal place to first test and rollout the app as it is a city that embraces disruptive technology and both businesses and consumers are early adopters.

With new developments such as Grand Central now open and helping to raise the city’s profile even higher, Droplet said now was the ideal time to be pushing the Rewards platform and capitalise on the massive increase in footfall now expected.

Customers using the Droplet app tap the ‘pay here’ button on their smartphone when entering a registered outlet for the first time and the payment is taken directly from their chosen card. They also receive a notification on their phone showing how much they have been charged and the reward stamps they have earned.