Ordering and paying for snacks in an Australian cinema using NFC

MasterCard Commonwealth Bank and Hoyts partner for ordering and paying for snacks in Australian cinemas using NFC

MasterCard, Commonwealth Bank, and Hoyts cinemas have partnered to bring a new facility for cinema goers that allows an app, NFC tag or QR code to be used to order and pay for food or snacks in Sydney theaters. Australia has embraced NFC and smartphones quickly and, in fact, Google stats show that smartphone penetration in Oz outpaces everywhere else globally. It’s a pretty natural progression of NFC payments to see niche apps that allow you to purchase items and browse menus in different environments. Whether that be on a plane, at a theme park or even at a cinema (Americans, read movies).

The app is called QKR, pronounced “quicker”, and allows consumers to download an app that facilitates snack purchases from your chair in the cinema. After booting up the app, a user either scans a QR code, scans an NFC tag or types in a numerical code to start the process of ordering food and drinks. Scanning the NFC tag gives your seat number to the app which then sets your location to have your food delivered QKR.

Each La Premiere seat armrest at Hoyts cinemas contains an NFC tag and sticker showing a QR code with an alphanumeric label. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices and allows users to not have to choose between seeing the movie or getting snacks.

QKR app cinema snack ordering with NFC demo video

We are not sure that the absence of walking and cinema food will be good for your health, but it does offer a preview of how our experiences will change in public areas. There was no mention of BlackBerry devices being supported, which is odd because RIM has major inroads in Australia with its NFC smartphones. We have seen a lot of NFC innovation come out of Australia.

Remember the NFC food court ordering projects? Or perhaps Commonwealth Bank being one of the first banks globally to deploy an NFC mobile wallet? That’s not even mentioning Tapit, which is one of the world’s top NFC marketing firms. Using NFC in a cinema to order your high carb and fat treats? Why not? It’s just another example of how NFC is getting set to impact our lives in and out of a cinema.