Graphene trialling innovative table payments

​With the help of the Graphene Flagship, Payper has launched a new restaurant payment method, which will be trialled for the first time at the Lowry Hotel River restaurant. Using graphene-enhanced receipt paper, the user simply places their phone on the restaurant bill and a payment screen appears on screen in seconds. A short video of the invention can be viewed here.

Having secured the first trial site in Manchester at the five-star Lowry Hotel River restaurant, Payper technology will be put to practice for the first time in the hospitality industry.

Targeting restaurant owners wanting to refine the checkout process, Payper's five-second payment method uses graphene's unique properties in its printed electronics, which enable the mobile phone to detect and display the receipt data using native NFC functionality. An option to pay will then appear on-screen, allowing customers to make the payment in two clicks, without waiting for staff or needing to download an app.

Payper came up with the idea after 69 per cent of customers said that paying is one of the most infuriating experiences when dining out. Payper's research has indicated this more streamlined checkout process will result in increased customer loyalty, and a 30 per cent uplift in customer lifetime value.

"The pioneering idea was conceived by the founder, Dr Thanasis Georgiou after he was left waiting to pay the restaurant bill for 20 minutes," explained Payper co-founder Renate Kalnina.

"After spending ten years on advanced material research, he saw a clear opportunity to use graphene to address this industry problem. We solved the issue of card terminal jams and downtime, allowing restaurants to run their operations more efficiently at a reduced cost.

"Throughout development, we needed a way to manufacture graphene, which meant having a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of different techniques. We were able to formulate conductive inks that have sufficient characteristics to work with our antennas.

"Once we had manufactured the graphene antenna rolls, we then built the necessary software to handle the payments. We are now in discussions with multiple restaurants who have expressed an interest in trialling the technology."

"We are delighted that The Lowry Hotel will be the first to launch this exciting new technology within the hospitality industry," added commercial director of Lowry Hotel Kelly Andreasson.

"Introducing new technology into the hotel is a passion of ours and Payper provides advantages to both our team and our guests through a simple, efficient and seamless way to pay."

If you wish to trial the product in your restaurant or want to integrate it with your point of sales system, contact Payper Technologies here or send an email to renate@payper.ukd.