At this year’s WWDC developers’ conference, Apple announced that it is going to start offering the ability to pay by Apple Pay on websites using Safari on a mac, with authentication taking place using Touch ID on the phone, setting its sights firmly on PayPal
Retailers will have to integrate Apple Pay into their online checkouts, which many have done so already says the company, and the user simply then can click on Pay By Apple Pay button to check out. Using Apple’s Continuity feature – which links an Apple ID user’s devices together over the web already allowing calls to be taken on the phone, iPad and mac – their mobile will show a prompt to put their thumb on the phone’s touch ID panel and, voila, the payment is made.
The process is said to be even quicker than PayPal and by bringing Apple Pay to the web, where the majority (just!) of e-commerce still takes place, it opens up Apple Pay to a huge new audience. This in turn is likely to then inspire these users to start using Apple Pay more on mobile as confidence grows.
Apple is also integrating Apple Pay into its iMessage messaging app, so that users will be able to buy things from within a conversation on iMessage, tapping into the nascent world of ‘conversational commerce’ that is starting to gain ground.
Initially available in the US, Apple Pay for the web will be rolled out across other markets throughout the rest of this year and early next year.
The move comes as Apple Pay uptake has been seen to be slower than hoped by Apple (and by many analysts). According to the Walker Sands Future of Retail Study, Apple Pay has experienced a slower rate of adoption than the competition. At 19%, Android Pay tops the list of mobile payments currently used by consumers, followed by a retailer’s mobile app (12%) and Apple Pay (11%). While the number of Android mobile payment users held steady from last year, the number of Apple Pay users almost tripled from 4%, however.
This week’s announcement will likely continue this growth trend. In the past year a third of consumers overall have reported using a peer-to-peer payment (P2P) app, with 44% of those consumers falling between the ages of 18-25 and 38% between 26-35. Mobile payments is certainly starting to gain some traction. Sticking it on the web could be the boost it needs to get it mainstream in 2017.
