LevelUp, the nation's largest mobile payment network, today launched the LevelUp Software Development Kit (SDK), which will enable developers to easily integrate mobile payments into their own applications.
The LevelUp SDK is part of LevelUp's ongoing strategy to create an open platform for mobile payments, with easy access for merchants, consumers, and developers.
For the non-technical folks out there, an SDK is basically a nicely packaged set of tools that lets developers build on a specific platform, or integrate some desirable functionality built by somebody else. SDKs can be really broad, enabling the creation of entirely new apps (like Apple's iOS SDK), or much more specific, letting developers integrate existing functionality into their own apps (like Facebook's social SDK).
LevelUp's SDK is more like Facebook's than Apple's. Developers can now add mobile payment-specific functionality to their new or existing applications. The LevelUp SDK provides a whole bunch of tools, but here are some core ones:
Log In / Registration: Log in to a LevelUp account or create one on the spot within an existing app.
Display Payment Code: Display a user's payment QR Code right within the app. Just like LevelUp, QR codes are secure tokens that easily can be changed at any time.
Receipts: Register an app with LevelUp and receive push receipts directly within the app after a transaction takes place.
Transaction History: Access (with permission, of course) a user's past transactions.
Campaign Claiming: Scan QR Codes to unlock credit right within an app.
Places: Pull up locations for a specific business or display all places nearby.
Securely Add / Manage Cards: Easily manage card preferences in the app.
Much More! And, there's a lot more functionality made easy by the SDK.
More than 50 apps are already being developed with the LevelUp SDK, with more coming on board every day. Here are just a few examples of the creative uses of LevelUp SDK so far:
Organic Avenue: This upscale chain of New York area organic cold-pressed juice & vegan food stores launched their app on LevelUp recently and their five star average reviews show customers are already w customers are already loving it.
Sebastian's Cafe: This cafe and catering franchise launched their mobile payment app, powered by the LevelUp SDK, in the mid-summer.
Route 802: Is integrating mobile payments (via LevelUp) and restaurant take-out (via Zuppler) into their community-driven tourism and exploration apps for the Vermont and New Hampshire regions.
Zuppler: Plans to use LevelUp's SDK and API to enable customers to pay with LevelUp when ordering online at participating merchant partners.
For more information about the LevelUp SDK visit the LevelUp Developer Site. The SDK is only available to select beta partners right now, but developers can fill out a quick-and-easy application right here.