DOCOMO Digital, Safaricom Partnership For App Store Mobile Money Payments
Global mobile commerce enabler DOCOMO Digital is powering this integration to enable M-PESA customers to use the mobile money service to pay for goods and services from the app store.
Many Kenyans have been locked out of the online shopping experience as most online stores ask for payment through credit cards which are inaccessible to most Kenyans.
The solution offered by the partnership between DOCOMO Digital and Safaricom seamlessly combines Google Play with the M-PESA purchase experience that Safaricom customers are used to.
This partnership will give millions of Kenyans access to the app store, access that might have been denied due to lack of credit cards.
The M-PESA and Google Play Store service will ensure that users are able to buy apps and games in the Play Store using their mobile money wallet.
Hiroyuki Sato, CEO of DOCOMO Digital, commented: “One of our biggest goals is to break down barriers and develop ways in which the 5 billion global adult population can engage with the digital ecosystem. M-PESA has long been an innovator and leader in the mobile money space, and we are very excited to partner with them to bring this service to market. First steps like this are absolutely essential on the journey to connecting consumers, merchants, operators and service providers together to create a fair and inclusive ecosystem for everybody.”
Joseph Ogutu, Director of Strategy, Safaricom, said: “Partnerships have been instrumental in deepening the convenience and value of M-PESA to our customers. Today’s partnership will empower our customers to access Google Play content and further underlines our commitment to providing more choice and convenience to them.”
Mahir Sahin, Head of Africa, Android Partnerships, Google, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Safaricom to bring Google Play carrier billing to Kenya. M-PESA has successfully demonstrated how important it is to offer financial services to the unbanked and deliver financial inclusion. Carrier billing is very important to the developer ecosystem in markets where credit card penetration is low. With this partnership M-PESA will play a critical role in the app ecosystem.”
It is hoped that other online stores will follow suit and make online shopping accessible to the millions who are unbanked.
DOCOMO Digital is a provider of a global payments platform to leading OTTs, merchants and content providers. It is a fully owned subsidiary of the Japanese mobile operator NTT DOCOMO.