Texas grocer sports the Bling
MT. PLEASANT, Texas — The Bling is coming to Brookshire’s. Brookshire Grocery, a chain of more than 150 supermarkets and pharmacies operating in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, last week partnered with Bling Nation — a mobile technology platform that enables a new way to pay for groceries or prescriptions using only a mobile phone.
The tap-and-connect mobile phone capabilities available through Bling Nation also will allow Brookshire’s to connect with its customers through its Facebook page.
"Bling Nation has had a large amount of community support and success in Mt. Pleasant, and now we can expand these capabilities to our customers," stated Tony Mize, store director of one Brookshire Grocery location in Mt. Pleasant. "Through this introductory program, we are bringing the convenience of mobile payments for our busy customers to pay for groceries, while earning bank rewards with just one tap of their phone."
It’s an introductory program, but it could be just a peek into what retailing might look like sooner than later: an army of shoppers wielding their shopping-assistance apps at the shelf, using that same phone to pay for the purchase at the checkout counter and then Tweeting about their shopping experience as they walk their purchases out to the car.
Meanwhile, the actual transaction is captured by Bling Nation (sans personal data) and credited toward loyalty programs — and Brookshire’s Bling Nation Citizens save 5% with every transaction up to $100 with their BlingTags at store locations operating under the Brookshire’s banner. The BlingTag is a quarter-sized microchip sticker that adheres to the back of a mobile phone. While BlingTags do not store any personal information, they work much like Exxon Mobile’s Speedpass; place the phone near a payment kiosk, record the transaction and away you go.
"Together with Brookshire's, we're leading the way with mobile technologies that improve the customer shopping experience in store," said Wences Casares, co-CEO of Bling Nation. "With our new in-store kiosks, it is easier than ever for consumers to sign up with Bling Nation, and they can take advantage of the bank rewards programs with Brookshire's and other local businesses, as well as feel good about investing in their local community."