Tech entrepreneurs launch Leeds mobile payment app

TECHNOLOGY entrepreneurs are set to launch mobile payment app Droplet Rewards with Leeds businesses as their sounding board.

Steffan Aquarone and Will Grant are launching Droplet Rewards, allowing customers to collect rewards on their phone, creating personalised loyalty schemes.

After a £575,000 crowdfunding initiative, the original Droplet app was launched in Birmingham, Manchester, Norwich and Cambridge.

The fee-free system will allow payment with one tap of a button, and 25 Leeds retailers have signed up already, including Cafe 164, Tall Boys, BangWok and several Corn Exchange businesses.

Mr Aquarone said: “Leeds is one of the UK’s fastest growing cities, with a thriving food and drink scene and an army of independent retailers prepared to be part of a ‘quiet’ payment revolution.

“Droplet was founded on the belief that you can do payments differently, with absolutely no transaction fees for merchants or consumers – unlike contactless, credit cards or Paypal.”

“We needed to move this forward even further and came up with the idea of ‘Rewards’, where the merchant could award the customer a virtual stamp every time they spend in store.

“This could then translate into a free cup of coffee, 20% off a meal or even a free product.

Payment is taken from a chosen card when the “Pay here” option is tapped on the app.

Cafe 164 manager Amy Balderston said: “Droplet was originally introduced to us under the umbrella of Leeds Indie Food, a city-wide celebration of independent food and drink.

“We relish the ethos behind it; the fact it is supporting companies like our own to build stronger relationships with our customers in a very affordable way.

“As a small independent, the fact it is a fee-free way of taking payments was a massive attraction.”