Cowes Harbour first to adopt new digital payment solution for visitor moorings

Cowes Harbour first to adopt new digital payment solution for visitor moorings © Cowes Harbour Commission

After the successful launch of new charging points for electric boats in Cowes Harbour earlier this summer, Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) have recently achieved another first with a new initiative to upgrade the visitor experience for those arriving in Cowes by boat.

In a move that stands to revolutionise the marine industry, both Trinity Landing and Town Quay now have a first-to-market, easy to use smartphone payment system for all short stay visitor moorings of ribs and small craft.

The system, a first of its kind, was designed specifically for CHC by parking and payments specialist Avalon avalonpay.co.uk with the remit of making short-term berthing for CHC customers and visitors easier, quicker, and available 24/7.

Cowes Harbour had identified that visitor mooring payments were not user-friendly, Avalon's system has brought them into the digital age", said Tim Watkins, director at Avalon, "the previous process was totally manual and not at all convenient for users, who had to walk to the office, and relied on the availability of a member of staff".

Visitors simply use their mobile device to scan the QR code, enter a few key details and pay for their mooring, leaving them more time to enjoy their visit to Cowes.

Tim explained "Our intuitive system makes it fast and easy for skippers to pay for mooring using their smartphone. The harbour patrols have instant knowledge of which boats have paid, with any non-payers quickly identified and provided with a QR code to make payment.

The move takes the Harbour into a more digital world and increases customer and visitor convenience, while the cost of berthing remains the same.

CEO of Cowes Harbour Commission Gary Hall commented 'After successful trials at Town Quay we have rolled out this process to Trinity Landing and have received very encouraging feedback from visitors that this saves time when berthing and is very simple to use. Avalon have been very responsive and easy to work with and I'd like to thank them for creating a clean process that helps us deliver great customer service in the Harbour'.

Tim commented "We are very proud to have partnered with Cowes Harbour to provide smart payment services for the visitor pontoons. The simplicity of the system results in a smoother experience for skippers and increased payment rates for the harbour. The system is also a great solution for slipway payments and we look forward to rolling Avalon Pay out to more harbours and marinas in the coming months."