What is your company Flux all about?
Flux is a start-up that is liberating receipt data. We think it is crazy that in an age where everything else is digital we are still handed a piece of paper after a shopping transaction. We want the experience to be that you simply tap your bank card to pay as normal and a full breakdown of your purchase – the receipt – is delivered instantly into your bank account. This means you don’t have to download a separate app or provide your email address at the till, you shop as normal but within your banking app you have all your proof of purchases visible next to the transactions.
What does it mean to be Head of Banks?
In order for Flux to create this amazing digital experience we have to partner with both banks and retailers to ensure our receipts are delivered in an accurate, timely and convenient manner for customers. I spearhead Flux’s bank partnerships to bring digital receipts to as many banking apps as possible, expanding our customer reach until digital receipts are a standard that’s available everywhere. Right now we work with banks like Barclays, Monzo and Starling, but one day we want to be available for every payment card in the UK. My job is to make digital receipts as ubiquitous as contactless payments.
How do you make our shopping habits more sustainable?
There are 11.2 billion receipts printed annually in the UK, this is the equivalent of 200,000 trees or 28,000 tonnes of Co2. Around 50% of receipts are not recyclable, this is because to create the glossy texture on them a substance called BPA/S is used (the same chemicals that are found in single-use plastics). This means receipts often do not break down in the way that a normal piece of paper is recycled and therefore cause a huge amount of unnecessary waste. Flux has a campaign to Beat The Receipt and we’re so proud that retailers like H&M, Itsu, Giraffe, Schuh and KFC have chosen to partner with us to make their shopping experiences more environmentally friendly by offering digital receipts delivered to banking apps.
What is your relationship with Primrose Hill?
I’ve lived in the area for nearly seven years, initially on Eton Avenue and now Belsize Square. What is not to love about it? The restaurants, pub gardens, proximity to Hampstead Heath and the many cute shops and cafes are some of the best aspects of north london. I first experienced the nighttime view from the top of Primrose Hill with my now husband. What a coup for him that I had not seen that romantic view before! This means the park and surrounding area has a lot of sentimental value to me too. I try to always remember that people come from far and wide to visit and enjoy the delights of Primrose Hill and so I should never take that for granted.
How has it been to work remotely in the area during the pandemic?
Lockdown made me feel very fortunate to have a garden. It also motivated me to get more plants for the flat and ensure that the place had as much greenery as possible. Being able to walk to some of the beautiful green spots of north London and grab takeaway coffees has made things feel normal at times, but I do miss the office, colleagues and exploring different parts of London through external meetings.
What is the future for you and Flux?
The aim is to go from delivering millions of receipts to delivering billions, and eventually eradicate the need for paper receipts entirely. There are lots of exciting things you can then do with this data set to enrich other experiences. Once receipts are digitised and the information is standardised and accessible there are endless possibilities. Imagine helping someone track their carbon footprint through their purchases or enriching receipts with nutritional information so that customers could create links with their health and fitness apps. I’m excited by the future potential and working closely with bank partners to create new and personalised experiences for customers. Flux has grown exponentially as a business over the last 18 months but we expect that growth to accelerate now that we are integrated into the apps of Barclays, Monzo and Starling with more bank partners coming soon. We’ve also seen increasing interest from global retail brands and hopefully Flux will one day launch internationally to truly digitise the world’s receipt data!