In our 5 minutes with profiles, MEF members talk about their business, their aspirations for the future and the wider mobile industry. This week Michael Dooijes, Executive Director and Head of Strategy & Innovation at Rabobank Group and CEO of MyOrder talks about their innovative mobile payments mechanism.

What does MyOrder do?

MyOrder is a mobile app for consumers and an m-commerce platform for merchants. It takes the hassle out of shopping for consumers, and enables the merchant to give a more personal service to his customer. Consumers use MyOrder to save time and make their shopping lives simpler: they can pre-order and pay remotely for services in bars, restaurants and takeaway food locations – plus it enables you to buy tickets to the cinema and pay for parking. MyOrder also supports merchants to connect with consumers on a more personal level in-store.

When did MyOrder launch and what growth have you seen?

The origin of the company is back in 2008, when contactless payment was still almost science fiction! Our founder, Thomas Brinkmann, experienced the kind of trouble in ordering that we solve now, and built the service and company based on his real-life irritation. Since then we have amassed over 300,000 downloads of the App, with more than 100,000 new downloads just this year.

What are your main goals?

We have a simple vision: “to change the world of banking”. Our aim is to provide a completely hassle-free payment and shopping experience: meaning, you don’t even need to think about the payment because we will take care of it for you. No matter where they are, with our mobile solutions customers can make shopping lists, receive directions in the supermarket, pre-order and pay for coffee and sandwiches, or simply pick up goods already wrapped up to their wishes.

Our ultimate goal is that consumers visit and use MyOrder 3-4 times per day. We’ll achieve that by serving the merchant with solutions to develop his business, and consumers with easy, intuitive experiences of shopping and payment.

As a startup within the Rabobank, we target to reach these goals by working with the flexibility and speed of a leading edge startup, while maximizing the benefits of the Rabobank’s strengths – an incredible network and deep customer knowledge.

Where do you see MyOrder in three years’ time?

Leading change in the industry, creating and delivering regular innovation and setting the highest standards for customer service. I drive my team to focus on being absolutely customer-focused, and to change according to what we learn about the needs of merchants and consumers. Technology will develop dramatically in the next three years, but attitudes and quality of work will remain the differentiator.

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What aspect of mobile is most exciting to you right now?

Mobile puts advanced technology in the hands of almost anyone, and gives us the chance to change people’s lives every day. We can offer services and see immediate results because the lines are so much shorter between us, as service providers, and the actual moments of use by the customer. Mobile technology gives us the tools to provide fantastic customer experience, and means we can improve what we do constantly, as feedback is immediately visible.

 What’s the most critical issue that will hit mobile within the next 12 months?

Very simple: Data Security and Integrity. Controlling and protecting access to customer data, and being honest and true regarding what you do with it. Customer trust can evaporate very quickly if companies are not absolutely secure or use information in ways that are not acceptable by the consumer.

Apart from your own, which mobile companies are the ones to watch in the year ahead?

I’m fascinated to see how the purchase of Simple.com by BBVA develops – this was a bold move and I believe it’s a sign of major banking institutions waking up and recognising the disruption that’s happening in the banking industry. Apps from Hailo and Uber are also making real change to customer experiences in a sector that has not necessarily been focused on customer satisfaction in the past.

Michael Dooijes is Executive Director and Head of Strategy & Innovation at Rabobank Group, and CEO of MyOrder. Follow MyOrder on Twitter.