PayPlug goes from payment to collection with SoftPOS

The Natixis subsidiary specialized in payment PayPlug has just presented its latest initiative. Called SoftPOS, it leaves its core business to enter the mobile payment market.

FACTS

• SoftPOS is presented as a payment solution dedicated to physical stores. But its model has been simplified to the maximum to rely only on software and not on hardware.

• SoftPOS takes the form of a simple mobile application to be installed on any Android terminal (tablet or smartphone, professional or not).

• Android devices will thus be transformed into a credit card payment terminal, with no limit on the amount. Payments will be processed without contact, via NFC technology.

• The first ten or so merchant customers will be equipped initially.

• The service will be officially available from the end of October, before PayPlug relies on the feedback of its first customers to ensure a large-scale deployment of the offer, during 2022.

CHALLENGES

• Take advantage of the retail recovery: PayPlug is highlighting the figures from the Natixis Payments Observatory, which has noted a 13% increase in transactions recorded in French retail outlets this summer compared to 2020. The post-Covid era is already a commercial reality and more than e-commerce, it is consumption in general that is taking off.

• Increase the conversion rate: PayPlug insists on SoftPOS' ability to reduce waiting time at the checkout, to satisfy end customers and finally, to improve the conversion rate of merchants using its payment solution.

• To propose an alternative: All the merchants are targeted by this offer, but PayPlug underlines the particular interest of SoftPOS as a back-up solution, in the event of breakdown of payment terminal or in support for the ephemeral stores.

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

• Last May, Market Pay launched its contactless payment offer without dedicated hardware in partnership with Samsung and Dejamobile.

• These solutions are on the rise, as are those of specialized FinTechs (such as SumUp or Smile&Pay). They are also attracting the interest of traditional players.

• However, this market segment is also highly contested, especially by technology players such as Square, which recently announced the launch of its offer in France.