Around the Net

PayPal Going "Offline"

  • Forbes, Thursday, July 21, 2011 12:57 PM
PayPal isn't just for online and mobile payments anymore. No, the top-performing eBay unit is now targeting offline "point of sale" transactions with merchants. "By the end of the year, PayPal will be testing point of sale integration with a major U.S. brick and mortar retailer," Forbes reports, citing comments from John Donahoe, CEO of eBay, on an earnings call this week. "In 2012, PayPal reportedly expects up to 20 national retailers using its point of sale service. "We're in a strong position in online payments to expand to point of sale," Donohoe reportedly said this week. "We intend to help retailers grow offline in the same way we helped merchants grow online."

That said, Donohoe admitted that offline sales are a slower business to grow than online sales, but he does expect it to grow "The move is part of eBay's larger vision of a new retail world where offline and online commerce blur together," Forbes added. Added Donohoe: "In this new retail world, consumers expect a seamless experience across physical stores, mobile, laptops or any Internet-connected device," Donohoe said. "In this new world, physical stores become just another point of access. Location alone is not enough. It's not an advantage."

Read the whole story at Forbes »

Next story loading loading..