Press release
Cologne/Lachen (Switzerland), 1 March 2021
The German EHI Retail Institute and the German newspaper Lebensmittel Zeitung have recognized Bluecode for its development of the jö&GO! payment feature in the jö Bonus Club app, Austria’s largest customer loyalty platform.
The European payment solution Bluecode has been distinguished with the “Top Supplier Retail” award by the German retail science organization EHI Retail Institute and the German newspaper Lebensmittel Zeitung, honouring Bluecode’s development of the jö&GO! payment feature in the app of jö Bonus Club, Austria’s largest customer loyalty platform. Thanks to Bluecode, collecting jö Bonus Club rewards, known as Ös, and making cashless payments can now be accomplished with a single scan. The jö Bonus Club and the Rewe subsidiary Billa were also recognized with the “Best Instore Solution” award, affirming Bluecode’s status as the best supplier in the retail sector.
“We are immensely thrilled to receive this award, as it signifies the retail industry’s genuine recognition of the importance of value-added and mobile payment solutions. We are convinced that blending value-added services with payment technology is the way forward for payments in retail”, comments Bluecode CEO Christian Pirkner.
Bonus Club benefits and payments in one app
With jö&GO!, Bluecode and the jö Bonus Club have successfully merged customer loyalty with payment processing. The jö Bonus Club app now allows users to collect and redeem rewards, such as Ö points, and to pay for their purchases with a single scan. At checkout, shoppers simply need to present the blue barcode generated within the jö Bonus Club app for scanning, thereby completing their purchase and collecting Ös at the same time. This is a major advantage, as Pirkner explains: “By integrating Bluecode into retailer apps, customers stay within one and the same app, which eliminates the need for separate cards or payment apps. This encourages them to spend more time engaged with the retailer’s app and strengthens the merchant’s ability to foster customer loyalty.”
Secure and anonymous payments with Bluecode
With Bluecode, jö&GO! ensures complete anonymity and security for its customers. Payments are processed through Bluecode and the customer’s primary bank. “We are immensely pleased to have brought this innovation to the Austrian market in partnership with the jö Bonus Club, and we are confident that it will serve as a benchmark project for Europe and the European retail sector”, says Pirkner. “From the very beginning, our core brand promise has been to keep payment information securely stored at the customer’s bank while still offering the option to link value-added benefits to a payment transaction. Bluecode operates technically independently from the jö app and is based on our anonymous, Europe-themed blue colour barcode.”
Simple and convenient payments with Bluecode
The Bluecode payment feature is activated in either the Bluecode app or a Bluecode-enabled app and securely and anonymously linked to the user’s primary bank account. No personal or banking information is disclosed to Bluecode. Upon successful confirmation in the app, Bluecode can be used immediately to make payments, with the transaction amounts being securely transferred from the user’s account upon confirmation of the transaction. To complete a payment, a blue barcode – the Bluecode – is displayed on the user’s device and only needs to be scanned by the checkout staff, without any physical contact being required. At the same time, value-added benefits linked to the user, such as digital coupons, discounts or giveaways, are automatically collected or redeemed. The entire process is fully contactless: users only interact with their smartphones without any need for using cash, debit or credit cards or PIN-entry payment terminals – an important hygiene factor in times of Covid-19. In addition, users with Bluecode-enabled apps can also pay at all other Bluecode acceptance points – a network that includes about 85% of all Austrian retailers and thousands of other stores in Austria and Germany.
Photos, reprint free of charge
Photo 1: Mario Linzbauer, Country Manager Austria, with the “Top Supplier Retail 2022” award. (c) Blue Code International AG/Philipp
About Bluecode
Bluecode is the European mobile payment solution enabling cashless payments via smartphone and smartwatch (iOS & Android). In addition, in cooperation with banks and retailers, digital value-added services are offered in the apps of these partners. The smart and highly secure payment method works with any bank account and is based on the unique blue barcode, named after its distinct Europe-themed colour. Bluecode is based on a high-tech solution and is also compatible with other transmission technologies. Absolute data protection for consumers, retailers and banks is guaranteed. Major European banks in Austria and Germany, leading retailers (including Müller, Rossmann, Globus Group, Konsum, REWE International subsidiaries Billa, Billa Plus and Bipa, and the Spar Austria Group), as well as sports clubs and arenas (including TSG Hoffenheim, SAP Arena Adler Mannheim, 1. FC Köln, FC Augsburg) are Bluecode network partners. The Hopp Family Office supports Bluecode’s expansion endeavours as one of its lead investors. Bluecode was distinguished with the “Top Supplier Retail 2022” award by the German EHI Retail Institute. For more information, please visit: www.store.bluecode.com.
Press inquiries:
Blue Code International AG
Schützenstraße 7
CH-8853 Lachen SZ Switzerland
Brendan Philipp
Email: b.philipp@bluecode.com / presse@bluecode.com
Phone: +43 1 803 30 84 16
