From ‘Chuun paan’ to ‘Reload man’
Sri Lankans more familiar with the ‘chuun paan’ bakery guy will soon see a similar, ingenious marketing strategy: The ‘reload man’ with the same tickle!
The ‘reload man’ dressed in an orange glittering outfit will be at public locations including the main bus stands and railway stations and identified easily making a sound akin to the ‘chuun paan’ trishaw, this time with a credit card machine in his hand which typically makes the sound. Prepaid (reload) mobile phone users can reload their mobile phones easily rather than going to a reload shop.
Anyone who wants a reload simply hands over cash to this man, dials 8811 from their mobile phone and holds it above the screen of the credit card machine. In less than two seconds the transaction would be made and the reload man will give a receipt for the transaction made.
This technology was introduced for the first time in Sri Lanka by Sampath Bank together with Imovation Solutions (PVT) Ltd in the name of ‘Sampath Z Reload service technology’, at a launch in Colombo.
Speaking to the Business Times on the sidelines of the launch, Sampath Bank Deputy General Manager Marketing and Business Development Tharaka Ranwala said, “Sampath Bank has plans to further improve the technology to many other modes of transactions. The mobile phone could simply be used as a credit or a debit card and any transactions could be made easily in the future.”
Statistics show that 90 per cent of the country’s mobile users rely on reload services whereas the majority of reload outlets do not provide reload facilities for all mobile communication networks.