Retail stores and restaurants can soon start accepting contactless payments on their Panasonic tablets, thanks to a partnership between Ingenico and Intel, which is bringing the technology to Panasonic devices.
The effort to integrate NFC technology in the device comes at a time when contactless payments are increasingly becoming more common in retail settings with the launch of mobile wallets, such as Apple Pay and Android Pay, in recent years.
“We recognize that the greater deployment of mobile technology to serve customers, combined with the increasing adoption of new ways to pay, including contactless card and smartphone payments, is driving the convergence of the POS and secure payment functions,” said Mark Thorne, director of computer products solutions in Europe at Panasonic, in a statement.
Now, with its contactless payments capability, the device might find a new market in restaurants and stores that are upgrading to accommodate NFC-based payments so as to cut down friction and time of transaction.
“A combined professional tablet with contactless payment allows retailers to process sales wherever they are in the store, while providing a safe and optimal shopping experience for their customers,” said Michel Léger, EVP of innovation at Ingenico Group.
The device has, so far, been marketed for its sturdiness and for passing the “torture test.” In an ad, the popular POS device is shown to be the sturdiest of its kind with its ability to withstand extreme conditions, ranging from being eaten up by piranhas in a water tank to withstanding 140° F in an electric oven.
The tablets sturdiness has helped it gain popularity in a variety of business settings, ranging from restaurants to retail stores, where rough handling of the device is not hard to imagine.
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