Len – Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree that APMs like PayPal can add an element of trust for a small vendor. It’s also interesting that eBay now owns both PayPal and BillMeLater, and I wonder if that would impact larger retailers who compete (for share of wallet) with eBay.

Len – Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree that APMs like PayPal can add an element of trust for a small vendor. It’s also interesting that eBay now owns both PayPal and BillMeLater, and I wonder if that would impact larger retailers who compete (for share of wallet) with eBay.

At least for me, the option of having alternative payment methods is appealing – and one that I take advantage of regularly. I believe PayPal was first to market here, taking advantage of eBay popularity back in the day. I signed up for a PayPal account and continue to have a small pool of $$ in that account for such occasions.

I find it most appealing when dealing with smaller vendors. I have no issues giving Amazon or similar brands my credit card. Sure there’s always risk to online transactions, but I have a level of comfort with established players. Not so much for the smaller shops… And often I’ll bail out of a transaction at the end if dealing with an unknown player providing only a form field for my Visa #.

In these instances, I much prefer the PayPal route – It’s convenient – and there’s less risk. Given the relatively low cost of leveraging alternate pay channels, it seems like a solid way for smaller brands to minimize the number of abandoned transactions.

At least for me, the option of having alternative payment methods is appealing – and one that I take advantage of regularly. I believe PayPal was first to market here, taking advantage of eBay popularity back in the day. I signed up for a PayPal account and continue to have a small pool of $$ in that account for such occasions.

I find it most appealing when dealing with smaller vendors. I have no issues giving Amazon or similar brands my credit card. Sure there’s always risk to online transactions, but I have a level of comfort with established players. Not so much for the smaller shops… And often I’ll bail out of a transaction at the end if dealing with an unknown player providing only a form field for my Visa #.

In these instances, I much prefer the PayPal route – It’s convenient – and there’s less risk. Given the relatively low cost of leveraging alternate pay channels, it seems like a solid way for smaller brands to minimize the number of abandoned transactions.

Liz

Liz