Today’s international money transfer custom-
ers have individual preferences based on their
digital sophistication, expectation of ease and
convenience, as well as the preference for the
speed of a cash pay-out.
Western Union’s mobile app has been
launched in a number of European markets,
including the UK, France, Germany and Italy.
The app is enabled with a host of new fea-
tures, including Touch ID, phonebook integra-
tion and credit/debit card scanning. The app
will shortly be evolving into an omni-channel
app, offering customers the option of staging
transactions from the palm of their hands
with a choice to complete the transaction
from their mobile phone using a card or at a
retail location using cash. The first prototype
of this omni-channel mobile app is expected
to launch in the UK and US in late summer,
with a host of other European markets set to
launch in the latter part of the year.
The digital self-service kiosks allow tech-sav-
vy customers to take control and complete
their transaction at a kiosk co-located within
the retail store and pay for their transaction at
check-out.
How do digital self-service kiosks work?
The self-service kiosks are a simplified Point
of Sale solution in which the customer stages
their transaction in private at a self-service
kiosk in-store and then proceeds to a
self-checkout.
These digital transactions are paperless
and enable a fast checkout experience for
customers looking to make a money transfer
at a very convenient location. Validation of
personal details as a part of compliance con-
trols, foreign exchange values and rates are
available at the touch of a button.
This offering aligns with Western Union’s
strategy to provide an integrated retail and
digital customer experience, designed to
make it convenient for customers to complete
their money transfer transactions by simply
using self-service kiosks while shopping or
visiting a retail shop.
In Europe, the company has recently rolled
out these digital self-service kiosks at almost
300 WHSmith locations - a leading UK
bookseller, stationer and newsagent, and
are currently in the process of doing like-
wise across 300 Franprix stores, the leading
French convenience store chain that is part of
the Casino group.
Across its global footprint, kiosks are now
available across the US, U.K., France,
Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico, Japan and
Taiwan.
Strong value proposition for both agents
and customers
For the agent, this solution enables a fast,
efficient transaction, similar to other products
sold at a retail location, with no data entry
requirements on the part of the Front Line
Associate (FLA) and a transaction time that
typically takes less than 45 seconds.
This quick and easy cash-in/cash-out process
means that limited FLA training is required.
Transactions are already cleared through
compliance during the staging process and
so the FLA has only to check the sender’s ID
when required.
For the customer, less time is spent in line,
with more privacy whilst entering their details
directly into the system and no manual form
to complete. This also leads to a reduced
chance for errors in terms of spelling or
language barriers. Furthermore, the built-
in compliance clearing during the staging
process means that there are no surprises
prior to completing the transaction at the Point
of Sale.
The solution represents a natural evolution in
the Western Union’s omni-channel strategy,
connecting the digital world to the strength of
Western Union’s physical network, offering
consumers more ways to send and receive
money globally via the platform of their choice
and creating new opportunities for its existing
agents and partners.
3
Massimiliano Alvisini
Regional Vice-President, Northern Europe &
Iberia
Digital self-service kiosks - digitizing
the checkout experience at retail
Massimiliano Alvisini, Regional Vice-President,
Northern Europe & Iberia, Western Union
6 Eurogiro News
