Mobile Express Checkout launched

Mobile payments on increase

PayPal's Express Checkout has proved to be so popular, that they have introduced a mobile version of the service in order to make online purchases quick and easy for customers, where ever they may be.

Express Checkout is known as PayPal's 'premier checkout solution' and is also used on eBay to streamline the checkout process for buyers and keep them on the merchant's site after making a purchase. With mobile payments becoming more and more popular, merchants have wanted to take advantage of the technology but admitted "getting in the game has proved difficult".

With mobile payments expected to reach $200 billion by 2012, it is no surprise merchants and Express Checkout alike want to make head-roads into this market - hence the new mobile version, Mobile Express Checkout.

The Mobile Express Checkout lets customers make purchases with just a few clicks, without having to re-enter billing, shipping and payment type data.

PayPal says its one-stop payment service gives merchants access to millions of mobile shoppers and is easy and quick to integrate with strong fraud prevention.

"Huge opportunity in mobile commerce"

Currently, the mobile version is only set to be rolled out on iPhone and Android 2.0 (and higher) devices by a limited number of retailers, including Nike and Buy.com, but a full deployment is expected later in the year.

Speaking to Finextra, Jeff Wisot, VP of marketing of Buy.com said,"We're seeing a huge opportunity in mobile commerce right now. PayPal's Mobile Express Checkout will allow us to enhance the convenient shopping experience for on-the-go customers."

PayPal has been at the forefront of the mobile payment market and has seen impressive growth as a result. Mobile transactions have increased almost six-fold in the past year from $25 million in 2008 to $141 million in 2009.

The initial version of PayPal's iPhone app saw over a million downloads within the first three weeks of its release.

Google growth

Not to be outdone, Google has also jumped on the m-payment bandwagon by launching a tool designed to enable one-man-band merchants moving from site-to-site to accept payments using its Checkout system and Android mobile phones. Announcing it in a blog, the search giant says its Android Payment Chrome Extension "helps merchants quickly set up a store and accept payments via Google Checkout and Android".

How long before buying things off your home computer looks antiquated, let alone using cash to buy items on the high street?

Relevant articles:

US Bank to offer P2P payments via CashEdge | Walmart invests in debit card seller Green Dot | WorldNet produces payment option on iPhone

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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