Mastercard Debuts Sonic Brand Melody on PoS Machines in South Asia 

by Suman Gupta

The distinct and memorable Mastercard acceptance sound will provide additional assurance to consumers about the safe and secure completion of their payment transaction

New Delhi – December 3, 2019 – In another step towards deepening trust around digital payments in India, Mastercard today embedded its sonic brand melody into Android based point-of-sale (PoS) devices. This milestone marks the first time Mastercard has rolled out the sonic melody on PoS devices in South Asia. Now, whenever Mastercard cardholders complete a payment transaction on these PoS machines, they will hear Mastercard’s sonic melody and see the double tick mark on the PoS screen. The new audio-visual sensory engagement provides simple, seamless familiarity and an additional assurance to the consumer and merchant that the transaction has been completed safely and securely.

In the first phase of rollout, Mastercard will work with India Transact Services Ltd., an omni-channel merchant digital payment solutions company and wholly-owned subsidiary of AGS Transact Technologies Limited, to enable 2,000 Android based ONGO PoS machines across five cities – Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune, with Mastercard’s sonic brand identity. In phase two, which will take place over the next six months, India Transact Services will implement Mastercard’s sonic tune on 10,000 ONGO PoS machines in more than 15 cities, including tier II & III centers such as Bhubaneswar, Patna, Satara and Coimbatore.

Since Mastercard launched its sonic brand identity globally in February 2019, Indian consumers have been exposed to the brand’s sonic melody through a number of digital campaigns as well as television advertisements featuring cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The tune was also warmly received by consumers and merchants wherever it was played during Mastercard events and workshops around the country. Following the receptive response, Mastercard is now taking the next step to integrate its sonic melody into Android based PoS machines powered by India Transact Services Ltd.

Talking about the launch, Mr. Ravi B. Goyal, Chairman & MD, AGS Transact Technologies Limited said, “We consistently aim to simplify the digital payments experience for consumers and merchants through our brand ONGO. Our pan-India presence along with Mastercard’s brand trust will be the catalyst for strengthening the digital payments ecosystem in India.”

Manasi Narasimhan, Vice President, Marketing and Communication, South Asia, Mastercard said, “Over the years, Mastercard has been working in India to increase consumers’ trust in the safety, security and convenience of digital payments. Sound is a powerful way to create an emotionally and culturally relevant connection with consumers. Mastercard’s partnership with India Transact Services enables the familiar, distinct and memorable melody to be played each time a Mastercard cardholder completes an Android PoS based transaction. This additional layer of reassurance will increase consumers’ trust and confidence in digital payments and goes a long way towards establishing Mastercard debit and credit cards as the preferred safe, secure, and convenient way to pay.”

Over the last few years, digital payments in India have grown substantially. In FY19, the country registered 31.34 billion retail digital payments. Further, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has recently increased the target of digital transactions for FY20 to 45 billion[i]. This represents a huge opportunity for growth beyond the metropolitan cities. Mastercard has been collaborating with fintech companies, partner banks and industry bodies to increase awareness and adoption of digital payments.  Mastercard’s partnerships with various stakeholders have helped to grow the number of PoS locations by over 200% in the last two years to more than six million merchant locations.  This is a result of training workshops for merchants, low cost acceptance solutions for small merchants, and educational advertising campaigns that have led to greater awareness and perception change.

About Mastercard: Mastercard (NYSE: MA),http://www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry.  Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone.  Follow us on Twitter @mastercardindia, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.