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THE battle over using cash, cards or digital wallets is intensifying as major cinema complexes compete to woo film-lovers to their venues with special offers if they use the modern way to play and pay.
Cinema bosses believe that jumping on the smart-phone payment method is simply meeting a growing demand and the companies behind the apps are convinced extra incentives will help drive the digital economy.
To quote one of the movie world’s most infamous characters, Godfather Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando: “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Last week bWallet customers were celebrating what was described as the ‘ultimate value for money’ offer of a ‘50 per cent cashback’ on movie tickets at Cineco until September.
Currently the deal is available at two Cineco screens at Seef Mall and it will soon to be available across other venues in Bahrain.
COO of Cineco, Bayalan Sunil Balan said: “Digital banking and customer centricity must add value and satisfaction to the end customers by offering a seamless banking experience which goes far in product and service offerings.
“Cineco is proud to be part of the digital transformation and shift in consumer purchasing behaviours and we look forward to our continued business relationship with bWallet.”
The move follows a promotional ‘Buy 1 and get 1 free’ deal on Gold Class movie tickets at rival Mukta A2 Cinemas in Juffair Mall, for bWallet-users, also running until September, and a recent ‘free movie tickets for students’ offer.
Akshay Bajaj, COO - Mukta A2 Multiplex, told GulfWeekly: “With continuing efforts to enhance the customer experience and with the recent launch of various digital payment solutions in the kingdom, Mukta A2 Cinemas looks to provide its guests with the most updated digital solutions.
“Digital wallets provide a convenient transaction processing method which is quick and easy. Considering guest convenience to be our core objective, Mukta A2 Cinemas is looking to partner with all available solution providers and provide its guests the luxury to choose their preferred mode of payment. It is clearly the way forward.
“Currently, Mukta A2 Cinemas has entered into a partnership with bWallet wherein guests can avail ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ on movie tickets when they pay with bWallet. This gives our guests great value and an enhanced experience when using it. The promotion has had a very successful start and we are working with the team at bWallet for many such activations in the near future.”
bWallet, the first of its kind in Bahrain to provide peer-to-peer money transfers, was launched earlier this year by FinTech enabler AFS, in partnership with telecom and Internet service provider, Batelco. Customers can scan a QR code for merchant transactions and ‘enjoy secure cashless payments with exclusive benefits’ through their mobile phones.
B Chandrasekhar, CEO of AFS, owned by 39 banks and financial institutions and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, said in a recent press statement: “This innovative payment service coupled with exclusive offers has placed bWallet as the leader in the digital payments sector across Bahrain.”
Other digital wallet providers have also got the big screen in their sights, such as CrediMax with its digital wallet MaxWallet.
“We provide incentives and rewards to make our customers get used to and opt for making secured card payments over cash payments wherever they are and whenever they want,’’ explained chief executive Yousif Ali Mirza, “as we have done very recently, we provided instant rewards for using MaxWallet at cinemas, fast food and coffee shops.
“Our 2018 campaign is driven from our goal and mission to reward our loyal customers and we plan many more to come in the year that will provide instant rewards for using our products and services.”
