Convenience store chain 7‑Eleven has launched the new 7-Eleven Wallet, which will allow customers to put cash into the 7-Eleven app and pay for items right from their cellphones.
The new app-based 7-Eleven Wallet “offers all customers — including those who would like to load cash — a true contactless, convenient way to pay nationally at participating U.S. stores,” the Irving, Texas-based company said in a Wednesday (Dec. 2) press release. Besides cash, the app allows for other payment options — including debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and prepaid 7-Eleven gift cards.
“Members are able to earn and shop with points, get exclusive offers, redeem rewards for free merchandise and pay in one easy step, simply by scanning the barcode in the app,” the company said.
Cash must be loaded in store at the register, while other payment methods can be loaded in the app. There is no fee for cash-loading transactions, which allow for participation in customer-loyalty offers like the chain’s 7Rewards program.
“7-Eleven Wallet meets the needs of customers looking for convenient, contactless ways to shop and pay during this unprecedented global pandemic,” 7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto said in the release. “Cash customers want to participate in the growing digital payment ecosystem.”
Sajjad Khan, 7-Eleven’s director of product management, added that the chain wants its 7Rewards program to have “innovative capabilities that enable a fast, frictionless shopping experience.”
7-Eleven added that for a limited time, first-time 7-Wallet users will be able to earn extra points for the 7Rewards program, which currently has 40 million users.
Over the summer, 7-Eleven also expanded its 7NOW delivery app to offer customers the option to order and pay for items ahead of time. The contactless service provides customers with convenience and minimizes time in stores, 7-Eleven said.
The moves come at a time when a recent survey done by PayPal and PYMNTS concluded that many consumers are still a bit gun shy when it comes to shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.
When PYMNTS and PayPal surveyed approximately 2,400 consumers in September, a majority (57 percent) said that merchants’ digital payment offerings would affect their willingness to shop in certain stores.