Exclusive: Easypaisa to Launch Online Payment Solution for Pakistani Sellers

Recently we covered a few topics relating to the state of online payment solutions available to Pakistani online sellers and internet users. Market situation, without any question, is very depressing as Pakistani online retailers are mostly relying on cash-on-delivery method for their payments.

Other available payment options including cheques, bank transfers and hard cash are not only time consuming and risky in nature but they also add hefty procedural costs towards online sellers. This ultimately narrows the margins and hurts the entire business cycle of ecommerce industry of Pakistan.

Read also: After 3G/4G, Pakistan Now Needs an Online Payment Gateway

Unfortunately, the situation is only worsening with each passing day. State Bank of Pakistan has tightened the regulations — that almost barred any new players from getting into payment processing business — and government/private associations are apparently in no mood of resolving the issues. If you may allow me to speak frankly, the ecommerce sector is deliberately left in middle of no where.

Read also: SBP Rules for Payment System Operators: Red Card Shown to Startups, Entrepreneurs

This scenario is especially alarming when we have more than 400 online retailers and the number is only growing with time. With such massive presence of online retailers — who sell all sorts of items online — the market is in clear demand for a working, viable, easy-to-implement, cost-effective and secure payment solution for online vendors.

Read also: Despite Tough Conditions, Ecommerce Businesses in Pakistan is on the Rise

Amid such horrific conditions, the news is that Easypaisa is testing its online payment solution that can resolve the miseries of Pakistani online retailers. Keep reading to know the details.

Meet Easy Pay

Easypaisa was offering Easy Pay solution to its merchants account holders, corporations for payment solutions. They have now enhanced this service to offer online payment solutions to online sellers. With Easy Pay — integrated with your ecommerce store — your customers can transfer funds to your account in real-time without any hassle.

With Easy Pay, your customers can use their Easypaisa mobile accounts to transfer funds in real time, or they can pay you via any easypaisa outlet — in an automated manner where no human involvement in required from merchant’s side — to make the payments seamlessly.

Before we show you the complete solution, here are some of the features:

• Accept online payments in real-time
• No additional charges for end-user (the buyers)
• Integration with major ecommerce tools
• Automated check-outs and payment transfers
• Real time payments reports

How Easy Pay Will Work:

Online retailers will have to sign-up for a merchant account with easypaisa. Once done, Easypaisa will help merchants in getting the integration of Easy Pay done on their online stores. Easypaisa told ProPakistani that Easy Pay payment solution currently supports all major ecommerce CMS while any custom CMS for ecommerce websites can also be integrated.

Once integration part is done, here’s how Easy Pay’s online payment solution will look like on your website:

Selecting Easy Pay as Payment Option

Customers will be offered to Select Easy Pay (Above screen reads EasyPaisa, but since they are only testing so…). Once Easy Pay option is selection, user will be redirected to a page where he/she will be asked for further details.

Selecting Payment Mode

Easy Pay offers the end users to make payments in two possible ways:

• Through your Easypaisa mobile account
• Or by making a payment at any easypaisa outlet.

Now let’s have a look at how both the payment methods work!

Paying through Easypaisa Outlet

Let’s select “Payment at Easypaisa shop”; on next screen the buyer will be asked for his/her phone number and email address.

After imputing the phone number and email address, next screen will give the user a token number. Buyer can go to any Easypaisa outlet and deposit the funds against this token number and they are done. Buyer won’t be asked for anything else than this token number.

Along with, same information is emailed/texted to the buyer as well.

Buyer will simply have to notify the Easypaisa outlet guy the token number. After the payment is made, buyer will given a receipt against the particular token.

Once the buyer will make the payment, merchant will be notified and the buyer too of the transaction. Merchant can then process the order and delivery arrangements.

Paying through Easypaisa Mobile Account

If your buyers operate an easypaisa mobile account, then they can avoid the hassle of going to an easypaisa outlet and instead they can make payment instantly. Here’s how it will work:

Upon selecting payment option as “Mobile Account”, buyer will be asked for mobile account number and email address:

Upon entering the mobile account number and email address, buyer will be sent a USSD notification with information about the payment. Buyer will have to enter his/her mobile account secret PIN to make the payment. Wrong PIN, or no activity will mean no deduction from buyers’ easypaisa mobile account.

Here’s how buyers are promoted for payment. The first screen shows you the amount you are about to pay. The second screen lets you enter your PIN to confirm the payment.

Once PIN is entered, the transaction will be processed and merchant will be transferred the agreed funds. Upon successful payment, merchant will be notified accordingly.

Pros

• First Pakistani online payment solution which can get your online revenues directly into your account
• Buyers won’t have to pay anything extra for making a payment, i.e. no service charges or transaction fee
• Low transactional charges for merchants (2-3 percent)
• Merchants can get the funds immediately, instead of getting their payments blocked by TCS or other Cash-on-Delivery processors
• Huge reception due to 1.5 million active Easypaisa mobile accounts and over 50,000 easypaisa outlets where your buyers can make payments
• Easy funds transfer from any bank to Easypaisa mobile account, making the solution further viable for buyers
• Secure. For buyers, and as well as for merchants.
• A payment is made only when buyer inputs his/her passcode, and merchants can’t deduct a single rupee unless authorized by buyers
• Completely automated

Cons

• As of yet, Easy Pay doesn’t accept payments through credit / debit cards
• With Easy Pay — in its current shape — you can’t sell things to anyone abroad

Not to mention, Easypaisa has confirmed ProPakistani that they will start accepting credit cards / debit cards for merchant accounts. However, no timeline was given for this upcoming feature. But for those sellers who deal with Pakistani audience only, can go ahead right away to deploy the service on their online stores.

How to Get Easy Pay Account for your Website?

So if you selling things online and want this solution incorporated for your online store then go ahead and contact Easy Paisa team for a merchant account. Here’s the link: http://easypaisa.com.pk/index.php/en/corporatesolutionsform

Feel free to discuss / post any questions in below comments.