Pennies charity app sees 100 percent growth through Verifone partnership London (June 14, 2017)
Verifone (NYSE: PAY), a world leader in payments and commerce solutions, and Pennies, the digital charity box, today report that their partnership has seen consumer donations in the United Kingdom double over the last 12 months.
The Pennies application works by allowing consumers to donate small sums under £1 by ‘rounding up’ or ‘topping up’ when paying by card, in-store and online, at retailers using Verifone devices and managed payment services. Participating Verifone retail clients include Hobbycraft, Notcutts, Ask Italian, and Dixons Carphone – the latter being the latest retailer to join the micro-donation movement and contributing to the 100 percent growth of micro-donations collected from customers. In April 2017, Pennies recorded over 227,000 monthly consumer donations made across Verifone’s Pennies-enabled retail clients – compared to approximately 103,000 in April 2016.
This represents a significant increase in consumers giving their small digital change a big purpose by supporting causes across the U.K. Kevin Freeguard, Vice President and Managing Director, Verifone, UK and Ireland said: “The partnership with Pennies is a fantastic application of our technology to enable consumers, merchants and charities to support great causes through an innovative channel. The Pennies app demonstrates how easily merchants can leverage their investment by adding value to the point of sale. We encourage all our U.K. merchants to enable Pennies on Verifone devices to continue to support worthy charities on the roster.”
To date, over 6 million micro-donations have been made across the partnership totaling in excess of £1.4m. These funds have supported more than 20 charities including Together for Short Lives, Cancer Research U.K., Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, and The Mix.
Studies show that more and more consumers, especially younger generations, are likely to seek out socially-conscious brands. Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO of Pennies said: “Verifone has helped Pennies collect millions of micro-donations through food retailers such as Zizzi and ASK Italian; luxury brand Gieves & Hawkes; and high street brand Dixons Carphone. We’re thrilled with all we have achieved so far, and are working together to enable millions more to give, both anonymously and when they choose, and feel good about helping others.”
About Verifone: Verifone is transforming everyday transactions into opportunities for connected commerce. We’re connecting payment devices to the cloud—merging the online and in-store shopping experience and creating the next generation of digital engagement between merchants and consumers. We are built on a 35-year history of uncompromised security with approximately 30 million devices and terminals deployed worldwide. Our people are trusted experts that work with our clients and partners, helping to solve their most complex payments challenges. We have clients and partners in more than 150 countries, including the world’s best-known retail brands, financial institutions and payment providers.
About Pennies: Pennies is the digital equivalent of the traditional charity collection box. It enables consumers to round-up their bill at participating partners in-store, online or in-app – to give small digital change a big purpose. Pennies estimates that if U.K. cardholders donated 30p once a month, over £175m would be raised for charity every year. Pennies is enabled in around 60 well-known brands including Domino’s Pizza, Zizzi restaurants, Topps Tiles, The Entertainer, Screwfix, and Virgin Holidays.
