Moneris Solutions Corporation (‘Moneris’), one of North America’s largest processors of debit and credit payments, announced today it will be entering into a relationship with Powa Technologies (‘Powa’) to be the preferred Canadian provider of PowaTag, a unique mobile solution that extends the world of online commerce to traditionally offline environments.

PowaTag is an innovative technology that connects consumers to the things they want to buy through a simple, easy to use mobile payment application. The solution offers a number of ways for merchants and consumers to interact and make purchases instantly, for example:

• PowaTags can be added to window displays so consumers can scan the tag and make an instant purchase and pick it up in store, or have it delivered to their home
• Audio tags can be added to radio and TV ads allowing users to ‘listen’ to the ad with the app and immediately purchase an item
• For charities, PowaTags enable instant-donations by using tags in advertisements on billboards, online and direct mail

“Technologies like PowaTag deliver a streamlined route to buying that is in high demand from today’s consumers,” said Rob Cameron, Moneris Chief Product and Marketing Officer. “Businesses need to leverage the ubiquity of mobile devices in order to convert as many customer touch points as possible into sales. Turning every point of contact into a point of sale is a very powerful solution for merchants. It fundamentally changes the way in which they can interact with customers, gain sales, and drive awareness.” 

PowaTags can be QR codes, audio codes, or embedded inside applications. These PowaTags can appear almost anywhere including social media, posters, catalogues, email, mobile apps, YouTube videos, websites, store windows, and even on product packaging. When a PowaTag is triggered, the consumer is presented with a simple, frictionless path to making a purchase. With PowaTag, merchants can say goodbye to the days of shopping cart abandonment frustration.
Research has found abandonment to be as high as 97 per cent when browsing on smart phones[1] and 68 per cent on tablets[2].

Dan Wagner, Founder and CEO of Powa Technologies, comments: “We created PowaTag with the mission to transform the way people interact and transact with their favourite brands every day. With Moneris standing as Canada’s largest processor and acquirer of card payments, this partnership is a fantastic endorsement of our vision to change the retail landscape."

Available for both iOS and Android, with Windows Phone coming in Q3, PowaTag technology can be easily integrated with merchants’ existing e-commerce and payment systems. Not only does PowaTag open doors to new sales opportunities, the platform provides deep location-based analytics and insights into the purchasing decisions of customers.