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Blackhawk Network Inc. is partnering with Aurus Inc., an omnichannel payments-platform provider, to increase consumer access to digital payments such as digital wallets and buy now, pay later loans.
The deal is expected to provide merchants a single payments platform that supports myriad payment options, including general purpose and private-label credit cards and gift cards, in addition to digital wallets, BNPL loans, and cryptocurrency payments, which merchants can leverage to boost customer loyalty. A study by Pleasanton, Calif.-based Blackhawk Network reveals that providing consumers easy access to digital and alternative payment methods can boost by 63% a shopper’s likelihood of returning.
“We strongly value our relationships with software innovators such as Aurus who are helping to grow payments with new ideas and innovative solutions,” Tristan Roffey, vice president and group head for Blackhawk Network, says in a prepared statement. “We continue to look for ways to grow our innovation and impact in the digital payments space.”
In addition to digital wallets, BNPL, credit and gift cards and crypto payments, Aurus’s platform also supports industry-specific payment options such as fleet fueling cards, flexible spending accounts for healthcare purchases, and electronic benefits transfers for food stamps and cash benefits.
“Businesses are striving to enable and accelerate unified-commerce payments on a global scale, and our partnership with Blackhawk furthers these capabilities,” Aurus chief executive Rahul Mutha says in a statement. Aurus is based in Norwood, Mass.
The deal builds on Blackhawk Network’s partnership earlier this month with BNPL provider Klarna AB to offer BNPL loans to shoppers in-store for such items as groceries, electronics, and beauty when they’re shopping within Blackhawk’s merchant network.
