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Shop tills to ring to 'optimistic' chime for Visa transactions in new era of 'sensory branding'

Paying with Visa is about to get a lot more noisy - Bloomberg
Paying with Visa is about to get a lot more noisy - Bloomberg

Shoppers already driven to distraction by the incessant dinging, and beeping of self-checkouts could be about to face a new headache.

Payments using Visa will soon be accompanied by a ‘signature sound’, which will chime out each time a card or smartphone is presented, or an in-app purchase made.

Marketing employees at the company have spent a year choosing the perfect noise which, they claim, signals ‘speed and convenience,’ while being ‘energetic and optimistic.’

The insist it is not ‘overly intrusive’, and claim other ‘chimes’ were eliminated for being too ‘angry’ or eliciting ‘visceral reactions.’

The company is also launching a unique vibration which users will feel when paying by smartphone, claiming it is entering a new era of ‘sensory branding.’

The company has made the change because fewer tills carry Visa logos now  - Credit: PA
The company has made the change because fewer tills carry Visa logos now Credit: PA

The new sound and vibration were picked after spending months carrying out neuro-research to test the physical reactions of volunteers when they were played different sounds. The company claims users were left feeling ‘happy’ and ‘excited’ by the new chime and vibration.

“We wanted to make sure we had the global view, not just four-to-five uninformed people deciding which sound won the popularity contest,” said Visa’s marketing chief, Lynne Biggar.

“You’d be surprised by how excited and how competitive or opinionated we all can be about very short sounds.

“We all are becoming very responsive to the use of sound.”

Companies like Intel are already using sounds as part of their logo. The 'Intel Inside' bong is still going strong after 20 years. 

The new sound will launch in January  ahead of the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with a new advertising campaign featuring athletes making payments by swiping a credit card, tapping a phone and completing purchases online.

“As new payment experiences continue to take shape in the world, this suite of sensory branding elements will give consumers the assurances we know they want every time they use Visa,” added Miss Biggar.