- PhonePe has reported a rise of 50% in total activity across its platform since it added new features
- The extra functionality is designed to allow customers to pay online during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as accessing accurate information about store availability
- “We have also introduced the “Pay Now” feature on the Stores page which enables customers to make the payment remotely from within the PhonePe app without the need for scanning any QR,” said a company spokesperson
An online money transfer firm in India has revealed a big spike in demand for its new home delivery information and contactless payments service.
PhonePe said that the additional features, which have been designed for customers who want to shop for essentials during the coronavirus outbreak, were located in the “Stores” part of its mobile application.
The new service permits customers to pay for items in a contactless manner. It lets customers filter stores in the local area which are still opening and which are offering home delivery slots.
The firm said that activity on the “Stores” section of its app has tripled since it added the new functions.
And it added that overall the company has seen a 50% rise in daily traffic across its services since the change.
According to Vivek Lohcheb, who serves as the Vice President for Offline Business Development at PhonePe, the move was a “win-win” situation both for those buying and those selling goods.
“We have a unique offering called “Stores” on our platform where over 10 million of our merchant partners are listed. During the lockdown, customers want to know which shops are actually open and home delivering,” Lohcheb said.
“We have solved for this by introducing two filters in the Stores section “currently operational” and “home delivery”. We keep this information updated as the situation is changing dynamically.”
“We have also introduced the “Pay Now” feature on the Stores page which enables customers to make the payment remotely from within the PhonePe app without the need for scanning any QR. We believe this will be a win-win for both our merchants and customers,” he added.
PhonePe describes itself as “India’s payments app”.
And on its website, it claims to have a number of useful features, including the capacity to accept payments made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Just link your bank account to the PhonePe app and make hassle-free, secure payments directly from your bank account 24/7. Your money is always in your bank, not locked in a wallet,” it explains.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has now announced that lockdown in the country will continue until May 3rd – meaning that demand for services such as this from PhonePe is likely to remain high in the coming days and weeks.
To learn about how the words of money transfer and cross border payments are adapting to the coronavirus pandemic, why not check out our magazine pages?
