When we first saw changeRoom at the MasterCard’s N>XT Developer Challenge in October, we speculated that, despite an early prototype, the company would be making noise with its webrooming solution soon. Soon appears to be Dx3 Canada, taking place March 11-12 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where the company announced today it will publicly reveal the final product.
changeRoom has built an innovative connector between the digital and brick-and-mortar retail experiences. The service allows customers to browse online, and pre-select merchandise to evaluate at a real-world location (perfect for when you really need to know if you can still fit into a medium). Once at the physical store, customers bypass the traditional brick-and-mortar sales path, allowing them to exchange and purchase their selections through integration with MasterCard’s secure payment network and the Nymi band as an authentication tool (despite recent internal shifts, payments is still one of Nymi’s target verticals).
changeRoom won a $10,000 prize at MasterCard’s developer event, and in a statement to BetaKit, co-founder Cory Rosenfield indicated that the payments provider has invested heavily to help make this debut a reality.
“Technology and Innovation are what make MasterCard tick,” Rosenfield said. “Their enthusiasm for next gen retail technologies, as well as the platforms offered by MasterPass and partner Nymi, are a testament to their commitment to improving the way business and commerce work to make consumers’ lives easier and their partner retailers more successful.”
For its part, MasterCard seems equally impressed with the potential.
“changeRoom participated in the MasterCard NEXT hackathon in 2014 and impressed us with their vision for a smartly connected retail shopping experience — and our MasterPass digital payment solution is a natural fit with their application,” said Jason Davies, Vice President, Emerging Payments, MasterCard. “Bringing the experience to life at the Retail Collective inside DX3 will show people what the future of shopping looks like.”
The Dx3 Retail Collective is curated by retail analyst Doug Stephens, and sponsored by MasterCard.