PopID and Toshiba Partner on Facial Recognition POS Systems

PopID and Toshiba have partnered to add biometrics to point-of-sale (POS) and self-checkout systems.

With the new collaboration, PopID’s biometric solution PopPay will be integrated into Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions’ Elera Commerce Platform, enabling the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based facial recognition software that authenticates consumers’ identity so they can pay or get loyalty rewards, the companies said in a Friday (Jan. 13) press release.

“Whether at restaurants, convenience stores or in other retail segments, consumer interest in non-traditional payment methods is growing exponentially across the globe with regions previously dominated by cash leapfrogging card transactions into mobile payments,” Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions President and CEO Rance Poehler said in the release. “Even in the U.S., where card payments showed strong acceptance, the adoption of non-traditional payments has seen an uptick.”

Biometric payments have been gaining ground in grocery stores, for example, because consumers who are used to the speed and convenience of online shopping are growing frustrated with the time-intensive process of traditional checkout.

As PYMTNS reported in May, Mastercard has added biometric payment options that enable in-person transactions via a smile, a wave of the hand, a face or a fingerprint, while Amazon has expanded the use of its Amazon One system that lets consumers pay by scanning their palms.

In practice, with the new integrated solutions from PopID and Toshiba, customers can opt in, scan items and then select a button to have their face scanned. Because PopPay biometric cameras authenticate them for loyalty or payment, customers don’t need to use a card or phone, according to the release.

“With nearly a quarter of America’s consumer spending running through Toshiba’s point-of-sale solutions, Toshiba is the largest retail-focused solutions company in the U.S. and globally,” PopID CEO John Miller said in the release. “This partnership will enable Toshiba’s customers to use our technology to increase revenue, drive loyalty engagement, improve operations and lower costs while enhancing the overall customer experience.”

With the comfort level of younger demographics that have grown up taking selfies, PopID’s verification system is both familiar and trustworthy, Miller told PYMNTS in an interview posted in March.

“These college students have grown up taking pictures of themselves and putting them all over the internet with TikTok and Snapchat,” Miller said at the time. “The idea that you can take a picture of yourself to get your loyalty and pay is a natural extension of what they’ve been doing their whole life.”