Tag: paypal mobile commerce

Mobile commerce platform from PayPal gets more attention

| January 16, 2014

PayPal continues to establish lead in mobile field

PayPal has been making waves in the mobile commerce field and has established itself as a leading service provider for mobile consumers. In September 2013, PayPal was able to solidify its place in the mobile world with the launch of Beacon, a promising mobile commerce platform designed to streamline payments being made from a mobile device. The company has announced that it will begin showing more attention to the e-commerce world this year and has plans to further expand the availability of Beacon.

Checkout platform aims to streamline e-commerce

PayPal has introduced a new checkout platform that is designed specifically for e-commerce merchants. This platform is meant to streamline the checkout process for online customers, making it easier and faster for people to purchase products through online retailers. The new platform allows consumers to remain on a retailer’s website in order to complete a transaction using PayPal instead of first having to be redirected to PayPal’s site. The company suggests that this process will be easier for consumers and more beneficial for retailers in the long term.

Payment Code to see expansion

paypal mobile commercePayPal is also working to expand the use of its Payment Code, which allows consumers to scan a QR code or use a four-digit code to pay for products in physical stores. The Payment Code is meant to make physical retail stores more accommodating of mobile commerce, allowing retailers to form a more cohesive connection with mobile consumers. Currently, Payment Codes are available in 1,500 stores in the United Kingdom and PayPal plans to expand the availability of this platform over the coming months.

Beacon integration with PayPal app continues

Furthermore, PayPal is working to integrate its Beacon mobile commerce platform into the PayPal application. This is expected to be completed within the coming months and will allow app users to take advantage of Beacon more easily. The company’s current projects are still in a small-scale testing phase, but PayPal expects to expand these projects quickly as they become more developed and their potential problems are mitigated.

PayPal acquires StackMob

| December 23, 2013

Mobile commerce efforts may be enhanced with StackMob

PayPal has announced its acquisition of StackMob, a technology development firm with a focus on the mobile sector. The move is expected to improve PayPal’s already considerably presence in the mobile space by giving the company access to innovative tools that have been developed by StackMob. These tools may serve well in PayPal’s ongoing competition in the mobile commerce space. The company is currently vying for the attention of mobile consumers against firms like Square, Google, and Amazon, all of which also have a strong interest in mobile commerce.

Firm shows promise, but lacks financial backing

In 2011, StackMob was able to raise $7.5 million in funding from various investment groups. Despite the firm’s apparent popularity, it had been struggling with raising additional funds through other initiatives. Yahoo reportedly had shown interest in the firm, but did not make a move for acquisition. The firm’s 18 employees will now be incorporated into PayPal, where they will likely work on various mobile projects and help the company compete more fiercely in the mobile commerce field.

Recent acquisitions may give PayPal an edge

paypal mobile commercePayPal recently acquired Braintree Payment Solutions, which is behind some of the most innovative and popular mobile commerce solutions in the market. Braintree is expected to help PayPal appeal more to merchants and consumers alike with its mobile-centric services and StackMob may be able to augment these services with its expertise and the tools it is bringing to PayPal.

Mobile commerce competition heats up

Competition in the mobile commerce field is quite aggressive. Large companies like Google and Amazon have a strong presence in the sector and are pushing to establish absolute dominance therein. PayPal has the benefit of being tethered to eBay, however, which already has a formidable mobile presence. Backed by recent acquisitions, PayPal may be able to compete with large companies on its own while also providing some benefits to eBay.