Blinging out Brazil with Chip and PIN Card Readers

Leandro Pinheiro is the co-owner of Lux’s Semi Joias, a jewelry store in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Here, Leandro shares his Cashless Pioneers story with MasterCard and how chip & PIN card readers have brought peace of mind for his company and customers.

My name is Leandro Pinheiro and I own a fashion jewelry store called Lux’s Semi Joias. Being an entrepreneur is second nature to me. When I was ten years old, I saw an opportunity to sell chocolate bars to my classmates because my school, at that time, didn’t have a cafeteria. Since then, I never stopped  seeking out opportunities to pursue different business ventures.

Lux is a young, flexible and agile company that adapts to an ever changing industry, while relying on a solid backbone based on our more than 15 years of experience direct selling in the beauty and wellness sectors.

We offer our products on consignment, requiring no initial investment from our sales representatives, who receive full support and materials free of cost.

Each sales rep is equipped with a Payleven chip & PIN card reader and their customers can pay their purchases in up to three monthly installments at zero interest. For many of our sales reps this is an opportunity to create another stream of income. Most of them have a salaried job in addition to working for us, but for some, Lux is their main source of livelihood.

We’ve accepted payment cards since day one, which has been crucial to the success of this company. Replacing traditional terminals for Payleven’s readers has brought a lot of benefits. Our current readers are free of monthly rental fees and we can better direct that money to invest more in the company itself, in improving our catalog and our online store.

We have a team of 40 employees and expect to reach 60 by year-end and set to implement an integrated management system, which should enable sales reps to self-serve and place orders directly into the system. After we roll out our virtual store, they will also be able to sell online and get a commission for their sales.