Mobile payment in the connected car: Developing services based on process thinking

Background The automotive world is on the threshold of a new era. Manufacturers are transforming themselves into suppliers of mobility services. Fundamentals for the transformation are customer processes combined with connectivity driven by the Internet of Things. Mobile payment serves as an enabler to most of these services. Objectives This paper demonstrates promising ways how payment-enabled services in the context of connected cars can be designed based on the process thinking approach. Methods/Approach In this paper, the methodology of use cases is applied as a means to develop services for the connected car through process thinking. The use case studied is validated afterwards with industry experts following a semi-structured interview format. Results The use case investigated in the course of the paper suggests that the core characteristics and challenges of these services are already predictable ex-ante by the theoretical framework on which the paper is built upon. In particular, the paper shows the steps needed for a driver's request for on-demand horsepower for a certain time span along with mobile payment for this service. Conclusions It is concluded that the connectivity paradigm supplemented by mobile payment options enables consistent implementation of customer centricity in terms of process thinking.