Flapper starts accepting bitcoin for charters and per-seat flights.
“Will the value held in our coins, bills, vexels and credit cards become obsolete in relation to virtual money? Will we get used to not holding money in our hands? Will we wrap our heads around the fact that money is an idea? What will virtual currency do to our society? Is it possible to transform our relationship towards the concept of value? Only time will tell.”
These are some of the questions that will be asked in the samba-parade theme by Imperatriz Leopoldina, a samba school from Rio de Janeiro, that will participate in the Marques de Sapucaí sambadrome festival during the Carnaval 2019 performances this March.
Some of the questions raised in these songs don’t have concrete answers and user behavior involving remains uncertain. Still, some companies are starting to take their chances in the virtual currency world. While is currently well below it’s historic high of $19,783.06 (some spikes reaching $4,100.00 last Saturday), some 2019 trends show that luxury companies still haven’t given up on the concept.
A recent report by CB Insight on Luxury Trends suggests that there is a growing trend in crypto-spending not only by new crypto-rich people but also by the fast-growing segment of millenials, with one in every four dabbling in the the digital currency.
In their eternal struggle with scarcity and uniqueness, luxury brands are starting to make their own bets. Last November Hublot launched a hand-crafted, limited-edition ‘Big Bang’ watch that retailed for $25,000.00 in celebration of ’s 10th birthday. Only 210 models were made as a symbolic nod to the 21 million Bitcoins in existence.
We have noticed a remarkable rise in demand for our chartered flights by foreigners last December. Flapper, as the main marketplace for executive aviation in the country, had to handle various last-minute requests for flights to the coast. With Carnaval fast approaching, hotels in Rio are expecting more than 90% occupancy rate. The countryside hotels in the state of Rio de Janeiro already reached 82.92% occupancy.
Although we still don’t know where the -frenzy will lead in the coming years, we believe that this is the time to start to test and measure user behavior related to . High demand on Carnaval holidays and Rio de Janeiro being the primary destination for the average foreign tourist creates a perfect scenario for the feature launch. It is now possible to pay via for charters or on a per-seat basis (with reservations made up to 3 days before the flight for the per-seat option). Currently available only for iOS, the new version can be downloaded .
Naturally, we had to account for the ’s volatility, which is why we spoke with our partners at , a Brazilian payment gateway that handles the entire crypto-transaction cycle with efficiency and transparency. Their newest initiative, , aggregates all services that accept in in one easy reference guide.
The payment ecosystem in is just starting to take form. While options such as the Grand Marnier or Peach Melba are not available for payment via , it is already available for jet flights from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro or a helicopter ride to the coast.
Technical Aspects and User Experience for bitcoin Payment
The main point to note when paying for any service or product within Flapper via is that it is not made as an In-App Purchase.
The fact that users have to exit the app where they are trying to purchase a product or service and finish their payment via their app makes this asynchronous process more complicated in case of mishaps. The diagram below illustrates how the cycle works when everything runs smoothly:
There is no other option for users other than to start the payment on the service-provider app and then switch to the crypto- app to complete the payment. It requires some effort from the user but that is the current reality for any app that offers payments. In an ideal scenario an industry standard would be established with universal links that trigger the app for payment, making the process more streamlined.
Still, the WarpExchange API operates perfectly when reporting transaction status. We will have to wait and see how the payment framework evolves alongside user behavior. Perhaps one day it will take 1-click payment options as we have with tokenised credit cards today.
When you try a new functionality with underlying technologies in development sometimes you have tounderstand some limitations and expect that early adopters will set the pace. The first step was made and we are sure that this is just a start.
Published at Tue, 26 Feb 2019 20:07:33 +0000
