People in Estonia are adopting modern digital convenience solutions at a much faster rate compared to residents of Nordic and other Baltic countries, according to statistics for Circle K’s number plate recognition payment solution.
In Estonia, one in every five fuel purchases at Circle K stations is made via a mobile app using the license plate recognition method. In contrast, in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the share of such payments is only a few percent.
Circle K’s number plate payment solution allows for completely contactless and touch-free payments for automotive fuel. The system automatically identifies the vehicle’s number plate upon arrival at the gas station, activates the corresponding pump, and enables payment directly through the app. The system, which launched in Estonia in 2022, is now used by nearly 20 percent of customers here. While payment by license plate recognition is also available in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, and Lithuania, the user percentages there are significantly lower.
Raimo Vahtrik, motor fuels sales director for the Baltics at Circle K, said that for example, Latvians and Lithuanians make about half as many transactions using the license plate recognition payment method as Estonians. In the Nordic countries, these numbers are even lower.
According to Vahtrik, residents of Estonia appreciate comfort and speed, as well as independence, when refueling. Refueling automatically with license plate recognition saves each customer two or three minutes on each refueling session.
“Paying with a bank card at the filling station takes more time than paying by license plate recognition because you have to enter your bank card, then your PIN, and only when the system has accepted them, the pump opens. A receipt is also important for most customers, who need to additionally push a button at the pump to get one. By filling up with the mobile app and number recognition, these steps are not necessary, as you can start filling up immediately and the receipt is also automatically stored in the app,” Vahtrik explained.
To date, nearly 60,000 people in Estonia have downloaded the Circle K app, and an average of 3,000 new users sign up every week. The average number of new subscribers per week is 1,300 in Latvia and 1,900 in Lithuania, even though these countries have larger populations.
Source: BNS
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