Mastercard Eyes the Future of Retail with AR.

The concept is being demo’d at a payments trade show two weeks ago in Las Vegas by the credit card company.



Says a press release:

Mastercard unveiled an augmented reality shopping experience today that for the first time incorporates Masterpass and Identity Check Mobile with iris authentication for safe and seamless payments.  Developed with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and ODG (Osterhout Design Group), it delivers photorealistic augmented reality and provides consumers the ultimate customized, security-focused shopping experience.

Augmented reality has the potential to reshape the retail environment, making it more immersive and efficient. This new AR experience from Mastercard will not only let shoppers view digital representations of products before they commit to a purchase, but also learn more about what they are buying, see additional options not available in the physical location and get instant recommendations or other information relevant to their unique experience. When done shopping, users can pay for items using Masterpass, which will first authenticate the user’s iris using Qualcomm Technologies’ iris authentication. The shopper then selects a card from their Masterpass-enabled wallet and completes the purchase by selecting the Masterpass button on the screen. Items can be taken home from the store or shipped, depending on availability.

“At Mastercard, we are seeing major shifts in how commerce is conducted, as people lead increasingly connected, digital lifestyles,” said Sherri Haymond, executive vice president, Digital Partnerships, Mastercard. “As the physical and digital worlds blend together, we are focused on developing solutions that provide merchants with the ability to accept payments across all technology platforms possible—in-store, in-app, online, and in AR and VR—to help drive how people will experience shopping and payments in the future.”