PayPal adds 15 new retailers to its brick-and-mortar roster
The e-commerce giant continues to push into the offline world by partnering with retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch, Guitar Center, and Toys "R" Us.
PayPal announced today it is partnering with 15 more U.S. retailers aiming to get shoppers to use PayPal's offline payment system.
"Consumers are relying on technology now more than ever to simplify their lives when it comes to shopping and paying, and retailers must adapt to this shift or risk becoming irrelevant," PayPal President David Marcus wrote in a blog post. "Innovative retailers everywhere are looking for ways to improve the shopping experience, extend loyalty programs and better engage with their customers."
The new retailers include, Abercrombie & Fitch, Advance Auto Parts, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, Foot Locker, Guitar Center, Jamba Juice, JC Penney, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Nine West, Office Depot, Rooms To Go, Tiger Direct, and Toys "R" Us.
PayPal's debut into brick-and-mortars began at Home Depot stores in the San Francisco Bay Area in January and then spread to nearly 2,000 locations nationally during the following couple of months. The way the payment system works is shoppers can buy items at checkout with a PayPal card or with a mobile phone number and PIN code.
PayPal's move to in-person payment at big box stores is likely an undertaking to entice customers from credit card companies and other mobile wallet payment devices like Google Wallet. PayPal also has plans to tread into Groupon's daily deals business too and offer deals based on users' locations and habits.
"We're able to drive consumers through a retailer's doors with relevant offers, coupons and discounts, then maintain a relationship with that consumer that keeps bringing them back to the retailer, in store or online," Marcus wrote in the blog post.
PayPal also announced today the unveiling of its new mid-market payment tool for medium-size businesses with multiple locations. Partnering with software providers Leapset, ShopKeep, Vend and Erply, PayPal will be able to work with more than 50,000 mid-market merchants who will accept its payment plan.