Whether refueling or recharging, parking or picking up a meal at a quick-service restaurant, we make payments in and around our cars all the time. Until now, all these payment journeys have been fragmented. We tap and swipe to pay for fuel at the pump, enter our zip codes to confirm, use our mobile phones to pay at a parking meter, order and pay for takeout food via an app, and so on.
In-vehicle commerce unifies these fragmented journeys, making ordering, activating, and paying for all these ‘car-related’ services all possible on your car’s infotainment screen.
Sheeva.AI has the technology in place to make in-vehicle payments a reality and is working with auto manufacturers to embed this technology into new vehicles globally.
When Sheeva.AI came to us, they needed a payments company who could support this journey from pilot to product. One who could take the incredibly complex world of digital remote payments and create an experience that was instant, secure, and seamless for both drivers and service providers. And one who could do it across multiple regions where consumer behaviors, favorite brands, and banking systems are so different.
Sheeva.AI has created technology that opens the door to in-car commerce.
To do this, Sheeva.AI created the SheevaConnect™ platform and three key pieces to unlock the in-vehicle payments puzzle:
First, Sheeva.AI developed SheevaLocate™, a patented geolocation technology that pinpoints your vehicle location within two meters.
Next, they mapped millions of service points, including fuel pumps, parking spaces, and EV chargers across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and India, as part of their SheevaFence™ product. When you put those together, Sheeva.AI can tell exactly where you are and what fuel pump, charger, car park, toll gate, or retail outlet you’ve arrived at.
The third piece of the puzzle is SheevaServ™, an open API platform that communicates with and activates the hardware—whether it’s a gas pump, parking meter, or EV charger—and connects it to your car so you can order, operate, and pay for services via a simple tap on your infotainment system.
Token Management Service does all these things. The key is Visa Acceptance Solutions’ unique capabilities, which link and manage network tokens from all card brands, banks, payment types, and channels.
No raw payment data is exposed. There is no issue with which party owns each transaction. And the in-car experience for the driver is incredibly frictionless. A one-touch confirmation on screen is all that’s needed to authorize a transaction.
Imagine you’re driving along and you need to charge your EV
Sheeva.AI can tell you where the nearest charging point is and show you how to get there. When you arrive, you’d tap your infotainment screen to activate the charger and pay. At the same time, a menu from a nearby restaurant will pop up on your screen, where you can order and pay for a snack and get it delivered to your car.
Once you’re charged, you carry on to your destination
You could go through a toll gantry without stopping—your credit card will be charged automatically if you enroll in the service. And when you arrive, with one more tap, your parking is paid for before you’ve opened your door.
All secure, all seamless
Behind this ease of use, the secure tokenization service keeps your card details protected in Visa’s data vaults. And with network tokens, your details are updated automatically in the system if your cards are lost, stolen, or expire.
New experiences that surprise and delight
As the technology matures, in-car payments could help you maximize the time spent in your car in all sorts of useful ways, from paying your household bills to helping you order your groceries while waiting for a charge.
Sheeva.AI’s payments-agnostic platform allows merchants to connect service points to the in-vehicle commerce ecosystem quickly and easily.
Stronger customer relationships for traditional roadside operators
As a service provider, Sheeva.AI’s solution makes your customers’ payment experience even easier. And tokenization can help you understand shopper behaviors, enabling seamless customer experiences, loyalty, and rewards programs.
New revenue opportunities via connected services
Ultimately, in-vehicle commerce will benefit many retailers, not just car-related services. If you’re selling groceries or clothes, you’ve now got access to customers in a new environment. If the merchant sends the right message while their potential customers are parked nearby, they might be open to stepping inside the store or restaurant today or in the future.
Revenue growth from improved authorization
Tokenization can also improve payment approvals and conversions, helping you capture revenue previously left on the table through false declines.
Secure, compliant payments
The multi-use tokenization service we’ve developed with Sheeva.AI guarantees secure payment processing and simplifies compliance with encryption and data security. It also provides merchants with solutions for global processing, recurring billing, fraud management, and more.