The credit card giant is adding quick response codes to the platform to facilitate purchasing.
MasterCard has revealed its intentions to use Facebook Messenger QR codes to allow for mobile payments. This will have a particular focus on the small business marketplace in Africa and Asia.
The Messenger app is very popular in those markets, making it a natural fit for businesses there.
Moreover, using Facebook Messenger QR codes combines a popular mobile app with quick response barcodes. QR codes are already commonplace and widely used in those regions. Therefore, there won’t be much of a learning curve or barrier to entry in the use of these technologies.
At the moment, this MasterCard mobile payments option remains in a testing phase. It is currently being rolled out as a part of a pilot program in a limited market. The MasterPass QR bot will be added for Messenger app users in Nigeria. This program is launching in conjunction with partnerships through Zenith Bank and Ecobank.
Businesses wanting to use the Facebook Messenger QR codes based payments must first register.
Small businesses seeking to take part must send a request to enable the QR code payments through the bot. From there, they must receive bank approval. Once they receive approval, they can set up an account and begin accepting their mobile transactions.
Businesses with their accounts in place can print and display their unique QR codes within their stores. Alternately, they can save their QR codes on their mobile devices to display upon request. This provides customers with the opportunity to pay by scanning the printed or displayed barcode. Customers can also enter the merchant ID linked with the QR code if they are feature phone users.
“This initiative will help us encourage financial inclusion within the country in line with the strategic thrust of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” said Zenith Bank’s MD/CEO, Peter Amangbo. He went on to point out that both merchants and consumers can now complete their transactions over social media, on the web, or in-store.
The Facebook Messenger QR codes make it possible to transact easy mobile payments without the need for logins or deviating from Facebook activities already underway.
