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“Since many of our prepaid customers don’t use credit cards, and usually rely on in-store cash top-ups, FLOW Lend gives them the assurance that they can always stay connected, even when they are out of cash and can’t make it to a top-up station. We’re happy to provide this convenient option to our customers, and we’re honoured to be recognised for our efforts and investment in technology that has transformed our customers’ experience”.

James McElvann, vice-president for products at Cable and Wireless, the operators of FLOW, commenting on FLOW Lend

FLOW Lend is really hot news in the Mobile world.

The app, which was created in partnership with technology firm JUVO, has lent over J$150 million, about US$1 million, over a six (6) month period in the Caribbean. The FLOW Lend app allows customer to basically borrow credit from FLOW as explained in detail in my ditty FLOW Jamaica launches FLOW Lend so you can borrow Voucher Credit.

Juvo has benefitted immensely from the popularity of the App, which additionally has won the Mondato Innovation Award for Digital Finance and Commerce. This product was long overdue as evidenced from the huge amount of downloads and subsequent usage of the app.

So says founder and chief executive officer of JUVO, Steve Polsky: “C&W is a true partner and we are thrilled to be working with their team to offer FLOW customers real-time access to credit to help them stay connected. Receiving the Mondato Innovation Award, along with the high volume of credit advances issued via FLOW Lend, reaffirms the real need for this solution – and we’re excited to provide the identity-scoring technology that powers it”.

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So how did the FLOW Lend app become so popular?

FLOW Lend – How it works and who uses it

The FLOW Lend app allows customer without a Credit card to borrow credit and pay it back within 7 to 30 days.

To determine if customer are credit worthy, FLOW dips into their massive database and uses the following data to determine who can use the FLOW Lend app:

  • Frequency of top-ups
  • Usage patterns for Data and Voice Calling

Once a customer has met the requirements for an advance, FLOW sends them a request to download the FLOW Lend app and join FLOW Lend. Once they pay back their FLOW Lend loan on time within 7 to 30 days, they can continue borrowing credit via the FLOW Lend platform, earn higher points, moving up from Bronze to Silver to Platinum Level and borrow more credit.

The app is a godsend to many Jamaican who live in the rural parts of Jamaica and do not have a Credit or prepaid Debit Card to purchase Credit online as explained in When in the wild, Top-up your FLOW Jamaica or Digicel smartphone Online.

So says James McElvann, vice-president for products at Cable and Wireless, who points out that FLOW Lend helps those in need, once they have a data plan or access to Wi-Fi, quote: “We are addressing a real need for many of our customers who may have little or no credit and may be caught in a situation where they desperately need to be in contact”.

Heck, he even gave a very good example, quote: “For example, the mother who needs to call the doctor’s office to make an appointment for her sick child no longer has to wait until she has the cash to go buy credit. The teenager who’s nearing a low balance late at night, doesn’t have to leave the comfort and security of his/her home to visit a top-up centre. Regardless of the circumstance, FLOW Lend is available to our customers, anytime, anywhere”.

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FLOW Lend – Giving away US$1 million to net Billions in Internet Revenue

The aim of FLOW Lend is not to make revenue from lending credit, but from driving more people to activate more data plans or use FLOW Wi-Fi service at their homes. According to the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica as published by the Planning Institute of Jamaica:

  • 7 million in Jamaica’s population
  • 46 million use the Internet
  • 3 million use mobile Internet
  • 161,000 use broadband Internet
  • 966 narrowband subscribers

Internet is a cash cow for Telecom Providers, based on stats from the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) reported for September 2015:

  • JA$13 billion Mobile revenue, an increase of 6.5% year-on-year
  • JA$2.6 billion Fixed Line revenues, an increase of 16% year-on-year
  • JA$4.5 billion Local Internet revenue, an increase in 53% year-on-year

So Flow lend, for a spend of US$1 million over a six (6) month period in the Caribbean, is helping FLOW Jamaica to make billions in Mobile Internet revenue. Certainly puts new meaning to the phrase “Give and it will come back to you”.

 

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