Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
XpressBuy Inc., developer of a buy button that can be used on the Web, in social networks, apps, and emails, says four of the largest e-commerce platforms have integrated its technology into their systems.
Retailers using Demandware Inc., IBM Corp.’s WebSphere Commerce, Shopify Inc., and eBay Inc.’s Magento now can use XpressBuy buttons without requiring extensive development time, thanks to XpressBuy’s use of application programming interfaces (APIs), which enable disparate software programs to interact with each other.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based XpressBuy’s idea is to embed its “Buy Now” buttons in ads in just about any mobile or desktop context, including the social networks themselves if that’s where client advertisers want to go.
With XpressBuy, consumers can review the full panoply of product photos and information, including colors and sizes, when they click the button. Once the consumer has made her choice, the technology also links with digital wallets to garner payment credentials.
While the buyer never leaves the host medium, XpressBuy connects via APIs with the merchant’s site to pull in product information, check inventory, and, if need be, display the retailer’s checkout page for payment.
That’s why the integrations with the e-commerce platforms are crucial. “For retailers, it’s no change to their existing commerce platforms,” Murali Subbarao, XpressBuy founder and chief executive, tells Digital Transactions News. Usually, the retailer only has to authorize XpressBuy’s access to their e-commerce system, he adds.
Subbarao says the four e-commerce platforms extend XpressBuy’s technology to 10,000 merchants. Retailers using the platforms range from the largest to the very small, he says.
As for the payment component, the retailer remains the merchant of record. Consumers can use a variety of payment methods, including digital wallets. With a credit or debit card, XpressBuy can pre-fill some transaction information with data, such as name and address, from wireless carriers, assuming consumers supply their mobile numbers. That can reduce some steps to completing a transaction, Subbarao says.
XpressBuy also can supply merchants with the engagement data, such as which items the consumer viewed, which sizes and colors were selected, from across any place the buy button was used.
