The international group of companies Penki kontinentai has successfully implemented an innovative payment project on the Georgian market. BS/2 Georgia and ASHBURN International, both subsidiaries of the group, collaborated with TBC Bank, one of the country’s largest banks, to develop an integrated solution for Meama, a coffee capsule manufacturer.
Business Idea: Autonomous Coffee Pod Sales in Shopping Malls
Meama placed a coffee capsule vending machine in the City Mall supermarket alongside a regular coffee machine to attract consumers. This provided shoppers with an alternative option: they could now purchase a capsule and brew their own drink with it.
However, to increase sales, it is essential to not only be accessible to customers but also offer them a convenient “User Experience,” especially when it comes to payment methods. Typically, vending machines require payment in coins. However, potential consumers may not always have cash on hand. As a result, they may not be able to purchase the drink, resulting in lost profits for the business. In the beginning, Meama customers could purchase the capsules using a QR code or a mobile app on their phones.
To provide customers with a bank card payment option, Meama approached ASHBURN International, which had already implemented similar projects in Georgia, including TBC Bank, the country’s second-largest bank in terms of assets.
How Did ASHBURN International Help Meama Accept Payments?
Next to the vending machine, an Ingenico Lane 3000 payment terminal and a tablet for placing orders were placed. ASHBURN International’s TransLink.iQ software was installed on both devices, allowing for bank card payments. The software’s functionality also recognizes loyalty cards, and the next step is to add the option of paying with ERTGULI loyalty points. What makes this solution unique is that a computer is integrated with the payment terminal. Typically, a cash register is used as a computer.
“Banks trust Penki kontinentai group’s expertise and consider us a reliable partner, recommending our services to their clients. Whenever there is a need to organize a payment system, we always have a good solution,” says Jerzy Mardosiewicz, Director of the Payment Solutions Development Department at ASHBURN International. – To implement Meama’s idea, our specialists drew from their own experience and know-how based on the technology used in shops. We created a computerized system where customers can select the desired product and pay for it.”
The capsule manufacturer was satisfied with the result and plans to expand the business by installing machines in other outlets throughout the country.
ASHBURN International in Georgia
In the Georgian market, the Penki kontinentai group of companies, which includes ASHBURN International, services over 36,000 payment devices from TBC Bank, Bank of Georgia, and Liberty Bank. These banks are provided with Terminal as a Service (TaaS), which includes terminal rental, repair, and replacement, as well as Software as a Service (SaaS). Comprehensive monitoring of the system’s functioning is carried out remotely from Lithuania.
