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Mobile commerce is a rising trend, accounting for 34 per cent of e-commerce transactions
Alexander Liang, a Toronto-based blogger, style expert and entrepreneur, admits that some of his most memorable shopping purchases have been made at the dinner table.
“I never used to buy things on my phone,” says the 31-year-old. “Now I’ll be at a party with friends talking about the latest kitchen gadget, and the next thing I know I’ve looked it up online and purchased it five minutes later. I even bought a sweater for my dog at a dinner once.”
Liang is part of the growing trend of people making their daily purchases right from their phones. In an era of convenience, people have the technology to go shopping, arrange meal deliveries or Uber rides, and order their groceries right at their fingertips. The final step of these purchases—the payment—should be just as easy. That’s why Liang says he has chosen PayPal as his main payment option.
Last year, Canadians spent more than $2.5-billion via their mobile devices, an Ipsos Cross-Border survey shows.iStockPhoto / Getty Images
“You don’t need to fumble through your wallet, looking for your credit card number, to fill out all your information every time you want to buy something,” says Liang. “I just connect PayPal with my online accounts, so that my credit card information isn’t stored on a large number of websites or mobile apps that I frequently use.”
According to an Ipsos Cross- Border survey, last year Canadians spent more than $2.5-billion via their mobile devices. Mobile shopping is poised to account for 30 per cent of retail e-commerce, says Paul Parisi, President, PayPal Canada.
“People use their phones more than any other digital device so it makes sense that they use it to get the best deals, and they get to shop around the world,” says Parisi.
The digital payment platform is helping to fuel this boom, becoming the most popular way for many to shop online. Two-thirds of Canadians have used PayPal in the last six months.
Edmonton-based fashion and lifestyle blogger Alyssa Lau uses PayPal both for personal transactions and for her own e-shop.supplied
Alyssa Lau has been a PayPal user since the first time she ever purchased anything online, at 18. Now 27, Lau is an Edmonton-based fashion and lifestyle blogger. She shops often, at big name retailers and local online merchants alike, and uses PayPal often. Convenience and confidence are two big reasons.
Lau sees this too as the proprietor of her own e-shop, New Classics Studios. She says having the name of PayPal behind a purchase helps smaller retailers gain trust with prospective customers.
Lau uses PayPal to print off shipping labels for her customers. “When people see the name PayPal, they recognize it immediately.”
As the variety of items available for mobile purchase increases, so do concerns around private financial data. “Our entire DNA at PayPal has been based on the idea of security,” says Parisi. ““I certainly don’t want to leave my credit card information all over the internet. We don’t share financial information of our users with anyone, including the merchant you are shopping with. It’s an extra level of security to ensure that your details remain safe.”
You don’t need to fumble through your wallet, looking for your credit card number, to fill out all your information every time you want to buy something. I just connect PayPal with my online accounts, so that my credit card information isn’t stored on a large number of websites or mobile apps that I frequently use.
— Alexander Liang, blogger and entrepreneur
On top of that, PayPal offers a Purchase Protection program. If an eligible item doesn’t arrive or doesn’t match the seller’s description, the program will reimburse the full purchase price of the item, plus original shipping costs.
Such features matter when consumers are dealing with a global merchant market, which includes major multinational retailers along with mom-and-pop speciality shops a world away. Parisi reports that 63 per cent of Canadian shoppers make purchases from merchants located outside Canada.
Take Liang’s dog sweater. “It was a pretty obscure item, so I used PayPal in case there was an issue with my purchase,” says Liang. “I knew I could put in a claim and have the protection their return policy provides without having to rely on the vendor.”
When shopping from the palm of their hand, Canadians like Liang and Lau want speed, no hassles and no worries—and that also goes for the way to pay for it too.
“For me, using PayPal gives me a lot of confidence when I shop online,” says Liang.
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.