Multichannel: PayPal About to Propose In-Store Mobile Payment via Red Laser
- With Red Laser, PayPal is about to propose mobile-based in-store payment. The mobile shopping assistance app Red Laser has been enhanced with a payment solution to allow customers to make mobile purchases using their PayPal account.
- Red Laser already allowed them to seek further details on selected items, compare prices and be informed of products’ availability through online or offline barcode scanning.
- Now, the app also enabled mobile payments (still using the barcode reader). Once the order validated, the customer can choose to pick up his goods in-store or have them delivered to his post address.
- This solution has been made available for iPhone owners and will soon be proposed in Android. Payment and delivery features are only accessible for Toys’R‘us products for now as the retailer is the very first partner to have opted for it just before Christmas.
- Red Laser was acquired by eBay in 2010: it was first designed as a shopping assistance service. A likewise solution has also been developed by Amazon: “Flow”, is proposed by a subsidiary of the online giant and allows the users to access information on items via barcode scanning and augmented reality (image capture).
- However, eBay makes the difference as it shades light on its e-payment dedicated subsidiary. eBay’s positioning can be considered innovative as the group is to make its Red Laser app evolve into a complete distant shopping tool.
- Most of all, this solution reminds one of Apple’s recently launched EasyPay, for its stores, making it possible to use a mobile phone in face-to-face payment contexts, via a personal (iTunes) account.