6 payment innovations from CES

January 6, 2017 9:32 AM

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show is full of big ideas, from Internet-connected toasters to AI toothbrushes. A few inventions revealed at this year's show could have big implications for payments.

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The annual Consumer Electronics Show is full of big ideas, from Internet-connected toasters to AI toothbrushes. A few inventions revealed at this year's show could have big implications for payments.

David VanderWaal, vice president of marketing for LG Electronics USA, left, and Michael George, vice president of Alexa, Echo, and Appstore at Amazon.com Inc., speak about the Amazon Alexa partnership with the LG InstaView Door-In-Door smart refrigerator during the company's press conference at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. LG is seeking automotive alliances to accelerate autonomous driving, as well as acquiring artificial intelligence and robotics acquisitions to speed up its global expansion. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Alexa learns new tricks

Amazon's digital assistant, Alexa, already lets users order anything they want from the e-commerce giant's vast catalog. But even that wasn't enough for Amazon, which now lets consumers order food from the Amazon Restaurants takeout service in 20 cities. However, because of the limitations of voice control, the feature only lets users reorder past meals rather than place an order from scratch.

A handheld laser device shines light to measure the panel gaps on a Ford Vignale automobile during quality control checks at the Ford Motor Co. assembly plant in Almusafes, Spain, on Monday, April 18, 2016. Ford's Valencia plant is one of the most advanced, flexible and productive auto plants in the world according to a company statement. Photographer: Pau Barrena/Bloomberg

Pau Barrena/Bloomberg

An artificial passenger

Many technology makers are eager to embed Amazon's Alexa assistant into their own products, including cars by Ford and the Lynx android built by China's Ubtech Robotics. The robot is meant to add a sense of intimacy and approachability to Amazon's disembodied digital assistant; as for the cars, Ford is just the first to enable Alexa to monitor a car's status and respond to voice commands — though the features will be rolled out in phases.

A Honda Motor Co. employee points to different in-car applications available in a new vehicle during a press briefing at the Honda Silicon Valley Lab in Mountain View, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. According to Toshiaki Mikoshiba, chief of Honda Motor Co. North America, the company expects to sell a record 1.7 million vehicles in the U.S. this year. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

A car with its own parking meter

Another idea for in-car payments is the car that can pay on its own to park in designated spots or garages. Visa and Honda announced a partnership with IPS Group to integrate this technology in cars. The IPS app alerts the driver to an available parking spot, and the transaction proceeds from there.

Carnival Victory, one of the seven cruise ships docked at the Port of Miami, Florida backs away from its dock, Sunday, March 11, 2007. Miami bills itself as the world's largest crusie port. From right, world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International's 158,000-ton, Freedom of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Norwegian Jewel, and not shown, Norwegian Pearl and Oceania Regatta. (Photographer: Richard Sheinwald/ Bloomberg News)

RICHARD SHEINWALD

Wearables for passengers

Wearable technologies have had mixed success at resorts—they didn't work at Hershey Park but have been successful at Disney's properties. Now, Carnival is introducing the concept in its cruise ships. Its Ocean Medallion combines payments, access to staterooms, family and friend location, food ordering based on preference, gaming and other entertainment. Venturebeat reports the device is powered by internal technology that combines experiential computing and an "Internet of Things" network of sensors on the ship. The medallions can also be used to speed embarking and disembarking at port, according to the technology website.

A sign for the launch of the Apple pay system, from Apple.Inc is seen displayed at the entrance to a McDonald's Corp. restaurant in London, U.K., on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. Apple Inc. is making the U.K. the first market outside the U.S. for its digital-wallet system as the company fights for a place in the electronic-payments industry. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Apple Pay's loyalty potential

Vending machines are perhaps the least personal way to sell items, but it's possible to use mobile wallets such as Apple Pay to enroll vending machine customers into a loyalty program — a concept that seems at odds with the impulsive and anonymous nature of most vending machine purchases. USA Technologies has struck a deal to integrate its MORE. loyalty and payroll deduct platform with Apple Pay for use at as many as 300,000 machines across the U.S. Consumers can enroll and have the USAT loyalty card added directly to Apple Pay.

John Herrington, senior vice president at Samsung Electronics America Inc., stands in front of the FlexWash washing machine and FlexDry dryer as he speaks during the company's press event at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. CES, celebrating its 50th year, will showcase self-driving cars, TVs, drones, robots and a slew of other gadgets. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Food for thought

Samsung made a splash in 2016 with its WiFi refrigerators, luring partners such as Mastercard and FreshDirect, who were attracted to the appliance's ability to order and pay for online grocery orders. Samsung plans to up its game this year with six new web connected refrigerators, for a total of ten models. The technology guts are also getting a makeover, as Samsung updates the operating system to Family Hub 2.0, including a new 21.5-inch LED interface that allows everyone in the house to have a profile along with avatars, photo-sharing, calendars and memos.