ScreenReach Testing Mobile Shop And Buy With PayPal
December 13, 2011 by Dave Haynes
[youtube id=”jsP0oDaYi9I” width=”600″ height=”350″]
My friends at interactive mobile start-up ScreenReach have a very intriguing trial project underway with online payment giant PayPal, effectively bridging media on shop windows with a mobile app consumers can use to browse and buy product even when the stores are closed.
As reported on The Next Web, “An interface is projected onto the window, which passers-by can interact with on their mobile phones. This allows them to browse the contents of the shop and buy items directly from their phone to have them delivered to their homes. This puts shops to use even when they’re closed, as well as just being damn cool.”
“PayPal has worked with UK startup Screenreach to produce this prototype, and it’s hoped that it will be up and running in a working form in London’s Oxford Street during the city’s Fashion Week.”
A couple of interesting things here:
1 – The handset is effectively tying in to the device that’s driving the media, and taking over. So the need for a physical touch overlay or buttons is eliminated.
2 – The whole security issue that was raised with other touchscreen shopping apps on windows – the worry of typing personal information like names and credit cards on a screen in full view – is gone. I can’t tell you how secure a PayPal mobile account is, but my guess is pretty damn secure.
The use case demo’d here is not all that compelling – as I am not sure how many people will buy clothing they see in a window. But there’s all kinds of other things that would be pretty interesting – including hooks into daily and instant deals offers.
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