Ecommerce has seen a sharp rise in recent months as a result of COVID-19 and national lockdowns across the world. As more people shop online, Visa is looking to make the experience more convenient by launching its Checkout platform here in South Africa, which features an easy Click to Pay function.

For those unfamiliar with this solution, website, retailers and apps that feature the Click to Pay icon, will able to make payments without the usual need of having their 16-digit card number present, or any other type of convoluted method, according to to Visa.

“Click to Pay uses advanced technology and authentication methods, including device binding and biometrics to protect transactions. Click to Pay is based on the EMV Secure Remote Commerce industry standard,” the payments facilitator explained in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“The Click to Pay experience is also interoperable with the EMVCo tokenization specification and with the 3-D Secure specification to bring more security methods to emerging and existing digital payments channels,” it adds.

This new offering also comes at an opportune time, with a recent survey conducted by Visa noting that 64 percent of South African consumers made their first online purchase from a grocery store as a result of COVID-19, along with 53 percent doing so too from pharmacies.

Visa had initially rolled out its Checkout platform in the US, but now South Africa has joined a host of other countries in the ability to Click to Pay, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine.

With COVID-19 yet to come under control, more consumers will be leaning on ecommerce in coming months and years, and Visa is fully aware of this, as the company is looking at other innovative ways to make the online experience easier for shoppers and retailers alike.

“This is truly a winning solution that will help merchants reduce shopping cart abandonment while providing a single integration for participating card brands – meaning a simpler and smoother overall digital checkout experience,” says Hadi Raad, VP and head of Digital Solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Visa.

“The vision for the future is that Click to Pay will provide consumers a streamlined experience across any digital checkout environment or network, mirroring the consistent, interoperable checkout experience that exists today in physical stores,” Raad concludes.

To find out more about Visa Checkout, head here.

[Image – Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash]