Consumers in the U.K. using Barclays' Pingit mobile app will now have the option to use it for online purchases.
In fleshing out Pingit's "Buyit" upgrades that the bank unveiled three months ago, Barclays says e-commerce merchants can now add a "Pay with Barclays Pingit" button to their websites.
The Buyit feature expanded the Pingit person-to-person money transfer application to allow consumers to
The addition of the mobile checkout option will mark the first time Pingit users can purchase goods when using their smartphone or tablet by entering s five-digit PIN and clicking the site's payment button, the bank says.
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The new online payment button eliminates the need for the consumer to enter "long or large amounts of personal details," which is difficult on a small handset, the bank states in a Sept. 16 press release.
"For mobile-enabled businesses, this is a great way to increase sales conversion by reducing payment input errors and increased consumer assurance at checkout," Mike Walters, head of U.K. corporate payments at Barclays, states in the release.
"For new players to the market, it is an easy, low-risk way to enter into mobile commerce," Walters adds.
Pingit has been popular with consumers, as more than 1.8 million downloads have occurred to date, Barclays says. Consumers have completed more than 2.3 million payments with Pingit.
