Zong announced that is has launched Zong+,
the first online mobile payment platform combining carrier billing with
credit, debit and prepaid cards.
In addition to making online
purchases through their cell phone bill, Zong customers will also be
able to link any type of payment card to their Zong account through a
one-time entry process and continue to purchase goods by simply entering
their mobile number and confirming the security transaction code sent to
their phone.
Zong+ increases the convenience and security of online
payments while allowing for larger purchase amounts within a seamless
user experience. Customers will be incentivized to complete the one-time
card registration and will receive automatically redeemable rewards for
every dollar spent through the Zong service. This new release enables
Zong to address new market segments, win additional merchants and
accelerate its end-user adoption rate which benefits all involved
parties, including wireless carriers that will experience a significant
increase in transaction volume. Merchants who may have previously been
unable to leverage the higher conversion rate of mobile payments due to
accompanying fees or limited price points, will now find themselves able
to enjoy greater transaction completion at the typical card rates.
"We view mobile transactions through payment cards as a win-win-win for
merchants, wireless carriers and consumers alike and we're excited to
offer this latest addition to our service," said David Marcus, founder
and CEO, Zong. "Our ability to provide payment card billing through the
mobile phone marks our commitment to increasing the ease through which
users can make purchases and to providing them with more merchants to
choose from as they securely pay online using their mobile phone."
"The promise of mobile payments can be realized by employing a smooth
and flexible payment mechanism," said Vikrant Gandhi, Senior Analyst at
Frost & Sullivan. "Zong's innovative Zong+ offering
delivers significant flexibility to the merchants and the end-user and
can be an industry growth driver."
Zong's frictionless payment experience, featured in top applications on
Facebook, MySpace, and hi5 and integrated with popular virtual worlds
and gaming sites like Gaia Online, IMVU, Mochi Media and Outspark,
converts "shoppers" into "buyers" at rates up to 10 times greater than
traditional payment methods such as typical credit card purchases.
Zong's underlying transaction platform has processed payments for more
than 10 million unique users in 2009 and 25 million total unique users
since 2000.
"As one of the first merchants utilizing the new Zong+
payment service, hi5 will benefit from a more flexible and frictionless
payment process. The ability for our customers to bill purchases to
either their mobile bills or their payment card of choice will be
essential for driving transaction completion," said Rajat Kongovi,
director of business development at hi5. "With this new functionality
we'll be able to offer a wider variety of goods at more varied price
points, increase our revenues from direct user payments, and most
importantly, give our users greater freedom of choice for how they
purchase virtual goods and games on hi5."