Single click payments for Payforit

Dialogue Communications is spearheading yet more ‘Payforit' developments this month with the launch of Payforit single click payments. Dialogue has been at the forefront of the m-payment initiative's growth over the past two years and, the company says, this latest feature will significantly improve Payforit's usability and revenue generating potential.

The Payforit payment mechanism allows consumers to pay for content, goods or services purchased on the mobile internet or web via their mobile phone, currently up to the value of £10 (MPW 90, 110, 116). Although the Payforit system has been well received, mobile users have complained that going through the full payment cycle for every purchase is monotonous.

As a result of this feedback, Dialogue looked to create Payforit single click and made a proposal to the operators in March 2008. The new single click feature is yet another evolution of the initiative, which will allow customers to buy from an internet page with one easy click, without having to additionally click-thru the standard Payforit pages on every occasion.

Guiom Peersman, Dialogue's MD, introduced the idea of integrating single click purchases into the Payforit framework to mobile operators earlier this year, and he believes it will further enhance the payment mechanism: "Single click purchases are widely available on the web, on sites such as Amazon and iTunes, so there is no reason why mobile internet services should be any different and I think it is something mobile users are also starting to demand. The single click option will not only improve the user's experience of Payforit but it will also encourage repeat purchases and give users the power to tailor their buying preferences."

The single click function works from the Payforit pages once the user has selected the item they wish to buy. Initially users will be required to go through the normal payment flow for their first purchase but once they are comfortable with Payforit, they will be given the opportunity to use the single click version of Payforit in the future.

After being the first Accredited Payment Intermediary (API) to go live with the initiative on mobile, Dialogue was the first last month to take Payforit online with its content providers. Payforit online will be used by mobile content providers for sales on their online sites, but is also a perfect mechanism to pay for items such as CDs, DVDs, flowers and books, along with paying for services such as concert or cinema tickets or subscriptions.

Dialogue is also looking into opportunities to launch similar mobile billing initiatives around the globe, in particular in Australasia and Africa where a solution similar to Payforit has already sparked interest in the market.