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 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.
The holiday season is not over, of course, and shopping is expected to continue being a high priority for many consumers through the end of December. eBay anticipates that it will handle some $20 billion in mobile payments this year, with the majority of these payments coming from the holiday season. The retailer has been working to encourage consumers to make mobile payments throughout 2013 and has managed to find some success in this endeavor with the help of PayPal.