Click, Scan, Pay
The e-commerce explosion in South Africa, accelerated by the periods of lockdown in 2020-2021 has resulted in a range of payment innovations that make online shopping easier, and more safe and secure for merchants and consumers alike. Transaction data from Scan to Pay reveals a remarkable 41.96% increase in transaction value between 2022 and 2023 in e-commerce transactions alone.
The more sophisticated payment technology has become at the back end, the simpler it has become to use for consumers, and the easier it is for merchants to charge and collect money for online purchases. This in turn has opened up the e-commerce sector to small entrepreneurial enterprises who can offer their products and services online, knowing that the means of collecting revenue is streamlined and secure.
For consumers who were historically mistrustful of third-party payment platforms, Scan to Pay offers a direct, contactless method of payment to the vendor from the card or account of their choice, and alleviates the need to load card details each time a purchase is made.
Scan to Pay, is the largest QR ecosystem in South Africa, utilised by all the major banks and available at more than 600,000 merchant locations, is a testament to the trust financial institutions have in the technology. Scan to Pay’s system and the banking institutions communicate via robust application programming interfaces (APIs) which enable the seamless transfer of funds between the purchaser and their bank, and the merchant or vendor.
The ease of transaction is never more important than during heavy online traffic periods including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and over-sale and December holiday periods. In the past, systems crashed as online volume exceeded payment platforms’ capacity to process transactions, but Scan to Pay has revolutionised the e-commerce sector, ensuring speed and simplicity in the payment process.
Notably, Scan to Pay experienced a significant growth trajectory during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2023 compared to 2022, with the value of transactions increasing by 77%, accompanied by a 20% increase in both volume and active users.
Benefits for Merchants Scan to Pay
Behind the scenes, Scan to Pay empowers merchants and payment service providers (PSPs) with its merchant portal. The Scan to Pay merchant portal allows merchants to effortlessly create Scan to Pay transactions for their e-commerce websites or web checkouts, ensuring a streamlined payment process for customers. The speed of transactions also stops any log jams online and fewer incidences of cart abandonment rates and lost sales due to the time it takes to complete a purchase. On completion of a transaction, a notification is sent from Scan to Pay which the merchant or PSP must accept, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the payment journey.
An additional benefit of providing QR code payments for merchants is the built-in tracking and analytics features which allow them to gather valuable data on shoppers and their preferences. This information can then be used to optimise marketing strategies and to enhance the shopping experience for consumers.
Benefits for Consumers Scan to Pay
Scan to Pay has, over time, emerged as the preferred method of online payment for consumers for whom the process is contactless and does not require the entering of card or banking details. Any security concerns are alleviated knowing that all transactions are safe and confidential. When the merchant’s QR code is scanned, the cost of the item is deducted immediately from the account or card of the consumer’s choice. Using advanced AI to combat fraud, Scan to Pay reduces the risk of sensitive and confidential information being intercepted and compromised during the transaction process.
Another concern with shopping online for consumers in South Africa was managing returns and refunds, but Scan to Pay has simplified this process for both sellers and buyers and refunds on credit, debit or cheque cards, in accordance with the Payments Association of SA (PASA) regulations are easily processed.
Ultimately, by providing Scan to Pay as a payment option on e-commerce sites, merchants can improve their clients’ shopping and user experience, potentially increasing sales and managing high volumes of trade during peak times. And during the Scan to Pay payment journey, everyone benefits from the system’s increased efficiency and enhanced security.
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