M&S pilots mobile wallet plan

Marks & Spencer is aiming to boost customers’ in-store experience by trialling a mobile payment app, just days after KFC revealed it is joining the “mobile wallet” revolution.
According to Forrester Research, it is estimated that mobile payments will reach $90bn (£60bn) by 2017.
The M&S pilot will allow customers to pay for their shopping using the Paddle app, created by Marks & Spencer’s innovation arm, M&S’s Digital Lab. Menus will be introduced in select M&S coffee shops compatible with the app.
An M&S spokesman said: “Our new digital labs team will be working with Paddle on a small-scale trial of its proposition. Mobile and contactless payment is part of the future retail landscape and this is exactly the sort emerging technology we want our digital lab to explore.”
Earlier this week, KFC joined McDonald’s and Starbucks in setting up a similar scheme. The fast-food company is piloting its first mobile and web app for ordering and paying for food across 10 of its UK outlets.
The service, called KFC Fast Track, has been built by a company called Airtag and, if successful, will be rolled out both in the UK and internationally.