Skip to main content

Visa wants to give you instant gratification via sensory feedback when you pay

133_Visa_College_1206_300
The only thing you feel these days when you swipe your credit card might be a bit of trepidation about how shocking your bill may be at the end of the month. And the only thing you may hear is the clink-clink of coins as they empty out of your coffers. But now, you may be able to have a different sensory experience when you spend your hard-earned dollars. Visa is introducing a new suite of sensory branding that hopes to make the act of swiping that plastic even more exciting than it may already be. Because who doesn’t like a bit of instant gratification?

Debuting as part of the credit card company’s global advertising campaign celebrating the Olympic Winter Games, these new sound, animation, and haptic cues will let customers know when they’ve completed a transaction. Because sometimes, an alert from your bank or a shopping bag just isn’t enough.

Oddly enough, it seems like sensory feedback on a transaction is something customers actually wantAccording to consumer research conducted across eight countries, 81 percent of respondents said they would have “a more positive perception of merchants who used either sound or animation cues.” Apparently, haptic technology is advertising can incite feelings of happiness and excitement in consumers.

Ultimately, however, the rather gimmicky new cues are meant to make folks feel better about spending money — especially using Visa. The company also noted that 83 percent of survey respondents claimed “sound or animation cues positively impacted their perception of the Visa brand,” though it’s unclear as to why that may be the case. That said, if swiping a credit card were the same as poking the belly of a Tickle Me Elmo, we would be more inclined to swipe more frequently.

This isn’t the only innovation Visa is bringing about in anticipation of the Winter Olympics. The company has also debuted a number of wearable payment devices, including a pair of gloves, a few Olympic-branded stickers, and commemorative Olympic pins.

The new wearables are specifically meant to create a more seamless experience at the Winter Games. With a simple tap, fans and athletes are able to checkout without having to carry around additional forms of payment.

Visa’s sensory branding will be made available as a software development kit (SDK) on the Visa Developer Program and by way of the Visa Ready program for more robust integrations in 2018.

If you’re watching from home, you’ll also be able to shop Team USA apparel seen on athletes during the games using Visa Checkout. The shopping platform will be updated in real-time starting with the Opening Ceremony and throughout the games.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Don’t miss your chance to get an Apple iPad for $130
Apple iPad 9.7 on a table surface.

If you keep looking at iPad deals and wishing they could be cheaper, we've spotted the offer for you. Over at Woot, you can buy the iPad 6th generation with a 9.7-inch screen for just $130. Now, there's a slight catch to this. Besides being the older 2018 model, this is a refurbished B-grade model which means it's experienced a moderate level of wear and tear. That can mean a few scratches, dents, and dings, but it's still in full working order and there's a 90-day limited warranty with Woot. If you're fine to have something a little more rugged, this is an excellent deal. You can always add on a case to cover up any marks. Here's what else you need to know before you hit the buy button.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad 9.7
The Apple iPad 9.7 might not be one of the best iPads any more but it's still worth checking out, especially this cheaply. It featured as one of the best products of 2018 thanks to its strong set of features. It has a 9.7-inch Retina display with wide color and true tone support. Alongside that is an Apple A10 Fusion processor that was also used within the iPhone 7 range. While it's not exactly fast any more, thanks to iPadOS being so well optimized and there being thousands of apps to try out, you won't miss out too much.

Read more
I used a smart blood pressure monitor for the first time — and it blew me away
The Withings BPM Connect blood pressure monitor with the Health Mate app.

After getting a health check in April, I was told my blood pressure was slightly elevated and that I should get a monitor and keep a record of results for the next four weeks — after which time it would be assessed again and decided if I needed medication to control it. Not the best thing to hear, but not the worst either. Time to get the right equipment and get started.

I had access to a normal blood pressure cuff, but that was a bit, well, boring. Plus, the manual process of logging results and keeping records put me off. I'm used to health tech like the Apple Watch and the Oura Ring, where an app collates and presents the data, and everything is laid out for me. Could consumer tech come to my aid here and give my doctor all the required information after the month was up?
Step forward, Withings

Read more
I put the iPhone’s Dynamic Island on my Pixel 7 Pro — and I can’t go back
The expanded DynamicSpot Dynamic Island at the top of the Pixel 7 Pro.

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro got a big refresh last year, and key to that was a new selfie camera design with a pill-shaped cutout. Only, this is no normal hole -- it's the home of a new feature, the oddly-named "Dynamic Island." It's a notification bubble that lives behind the selfie camera that displays information like music tracks, timers, and anything else you need to know, but don't need a full screen for. If you're playing music on Spotify, it'll display the track name and controls. If someone calls you, it'll show the person's contact information. Waiting for an Uber? It'll show you how far away it is. It's even tied into the Face ID unlock process. It's a great use of the selfie camera — and one with a bright future.

At least, that's what we thought. The Dynamic Island has had a tough start, as app support was extremely limited, meaning it didn't live up to Apple's promises. This persisted for a number of months before the Dynamic Island finally got what it needed to live up to its hype.

Read more