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E-retailing giant Amazon.com Inc. unveiled an e-commerce developer program Monday designed to spread Amazon’s payments service across more shopping sites.
Dubbed the Amazon Payments Partner Program, the invitation-only program targets e-commerce developers and platform providers to help them add a pay or Amazon log-in button to their checkout pages.
Already, e-commerce platforms Shopify Inc., OpenCart Ltd., PrestaShop SA, Miva Inc., and Creative Technologies LLC’s X-Cart participate in the program.
Merchants using one of these platforms set up an Amazon Payments account, and, as with X-Cart, install the Amazon Payments plug-in. After testing, a merchant goes live with it. Merchants can offer Log In with Amazon and Pay with Amazon buttons.
“Ultimately, it’s about the customer; making it easier for customers to shop online and pay using their Amazon account information anywhere they shop,” an Amazon spokesman says via email. “One way we can do that is by making it even easier for partners and merchants to seamlessly add Pay with Amazon as a payment option, and that’s why we’ve launched the Amazon Payments Global Partner Program.”
The thrust of the free program offers integration assistance, planning support, training, and other technical resources to participants in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
Such integrations are not new to Amazon. Just in February, Southwest Airlines Inc. announced it would offer Pay with Amazon-acceptance for its in-flight entertainment services.
While the program appears to be a convenience service for merchants, it’s more of an acquisition strategy for Amazon, says Cherian Abraham, senior business consultant at Experian PLC, where he focuses on payments, fraud, and commerce.
“Pay with Amazon is really an acquisitions channel for Amazon’s partners to consider being all-in, and move to its marketplace,” Abraham tells Digital Transactions News via email. “It’s not a volume play for bundling more transactions via Amazon, it’s a proof-point for the online retailer partner to consider moving to Amazon’s marketplace. It is ‘Look what I can do for your conversions with just a card-on-file and authorization. Now, think what I can do for you with everything else.’”
