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Internet Amazon.com Unveils PayPhrase
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - October 29, 2009 10:43 AM
Print 19 comment(s) - last by JoshuaBuss.. on Oct 29 at 9:45 PM
PayPhrase lets users skip payment and shipping data input on participating sites

Amazon.com started as a place where you could buy all sorts of electronics, books, and other items and then branched out into making its own electronic products. The company has survived the poor economy and is one of the largest online retailers around.

Amazon is doing very well with its Kindle eBook reader and recently dropped the price of the device to $259 globally. Today Amazon unveiled an new shortcut for making online purchases called PayPhrase. The shortcut is expected to make online shopping easier during the holiday season.

Using PayPhrase requires consumers to set up a unique phrase and a 4-digit PIN number reports Reuters. The phrase and PIN number link to their Amazon account where shipping addresses and payment information are stored.

After the PayPhrase is set up, the shoppers will be able to make purchases on Amazon.com and other participating websites using their PayPhrase and PIN number. The use of the service will lead them directly to a confirmation page for their order bypassing lengthy registration processes common to online shopping.

Amazon's Matt Williams said, "We think this is a huge benefit for the holidays. The vision of PayPhrase is truly to be able to allow you to pay instantly wherever you want to pay."

Currently PayPhrase can be used at Amazon.com, DKNY.com, Jockey.com, and Buy.com. The holiday shopping season is expected to be slower than previous years thanks to the economy, but online shopping is expected to be robust reports Reuters. Amazon has already commented that holiday sales could be far higher than its expectations.


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Advantage over username/password?
By nafhan on 10/29/2009 11:56:10 AM , Rating: 2
I'm not sure why they would have a passphrase/PIN combo instead of a username/password combo. One more thing to write on a post-it note and stick to my monitor...




RE: Advantage over username/password?
By ussfletcher on 10/29/2009 12:07:40 PM , Rating: 3
I suspect they are doing it so people don't use the same username and password for both the amazon website and this.


RE: Advantage over username/password?
By nafhan on 10/29/2009 1:38:33 PM , Rating: 2
It seems like it would make more sense if it worked like Paypal, Google payments, or even Facebook connect and just used your Amazon login. The third party wouldn't even have to see your password and probably not even your username. The passphrase thing just seems a bit inane.


By The Imir of Groofunkistan on 10/29/2009 1:25:30 PM , Rating: 2
Where do you live again :)


Abandoned Carts
By NARC4457 on 10/29/2009 11:58:49 AM , Rating: 2
I have abandoned so many of my purchases simply because I didn't feel like registering at yet another site. But I am a die-hard Amazon purchaser with a Prime account.

I love this idea as long as there are some controls for how the other sites get to use (or specifically NOT use) my personal information.

Go to a site, add to cart, enter phrase and PIN, done. Way easier than Google Checkout or Paypal.




RE: Abandoned Carts
By rudy on 10/29/2009 12:37:27 PM , Rating: 2
way easier then entering email and password? It is still 2 items I dont get it.


RE: Abandoned Carts
By noirsoft on 10/29/2009 2:09:38 PM , Rating: 2
I think the OP means that it is easier than registering a completely new account for a specialty site the first time you shop there. Not to mention more secure than yet another web site with my credit card info.


RE: Abandoned Carts
By NARC4457 on 10/29/2009 3:03:14 PM , Rating: 2
Exactly this. Thanks for clarifying noirsoft .


A phrase and a PIN?
By Visual on 10/29/2009 11:49:38 AM , Rating: 2
A phrase and a PIN?
What happened to good old-fashioned user name and password?




I remember
By Suntan on 10/29/2009 1:40:58 PM , Rating: 2
I remember back when a person actually *bought* stuff from Amazon. Now they are just a mish-mash middleman that hawks stuff from any number of dodgy vendors online.

Now they are looking to extend their reach (and your CC info) even beyond their .amazon domain. Nice.

I prefer to purchase stuff from vendors that respect my time and don't crowd their screens with pointless adverts for unrelated stuff and other websites I don't care about.

-Suntan




Google checkout
By JoshuaBuss on 10/29/09, Rating: -1
RE: Google checkout
By Souka on 10/29/2009 11:16:36 AM , Rating: 1
Don't forget PayPal.

"From particpating retailers..." I'd imagine Amazon will work hard to get their service available, but in the end...will they?


RE: Google checkout
By JoshuaBuss on 10/29/2009 9:45:35 PM , Rating: 2
I dunno, I don't think of paypal as the same thing as google checkout.. paypal actually holds money for me.. google ceckout just holds my account information so I don't have to type it again.

I'm surprised more of you haven't used google checkout more often.. I use mine all the time.


RE: Google checkout
By jonmcc33 on 10/29/2009 11:19:53 AM , Rating: 4
And who uses Google Checkout? I have used it all of once in my life. Ebay doesn't use Google Checkout. NewEgg doesn't use Google Checkout.


RE: Google checkout
By ksherman on 10/29/2009 11:21:18 AM , Rating: 4
Used to be used a lot in getting payment in B/S forums, because when it first came out, it was only a 2% fee instead of around 3% for paypal. Makes a big difference when you are picking up expensive camera equipment. When Google raised that fee up to the same level as PayPal, there was no reason to use it. I really like PayPal, I use it when ever possible.


RE: Google checkout
By tastyratz on 10/29/2009 11:42:34 AM , Rating: 2
agreed.
Google had a great idea coming out with google checkout. Now that their fees are no longer that much different from paypal? There isnt really much of an incentive. Given that their biggest competitor gets a large source of business from eBay... and GC is banned from ebay... you wont see it stealing marketshare anytime soon.


RE: Google checkout
By damianrobertjones on 10/29/2009 11:18:54 AM , Rating: 2
The difference might be that Google probably still has it in beta (internally) stage, like most of its products.

Amazon will most likely do it right.


RE: Google checkout
By Nik00117 on 10/29/2009 11:26:42 AM , Rating: 2
I have to say though, for shopping Amazon is very good. Very easy to use super fast shipping.


RE: Google checkout
By MPE on 10/29/2009 12:32:04 PM , Rating: 2
And how is competition bad again?

I agree - nice one, Amazon (minus sarcasm).


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