Chirpify, a social commerce startup that enables participants to pay using a Twitter tweet, Instagram hashtag comment or Facebook reply, is removing the requirement that users tie their account to PayPal, thus alleviating the need for them to pay both Chirpify and PayPal fees for their transactions. Chirpify users still may use PayPal, but they no longer will be required to for facilitating payments.
From Digital Trends:
“What we hear time and time again from our users – from brands, artists, users on Etsy – we hear that they don’t want to bother with PayPal. … They don’t want to pay the PayPal fee on top of the Chirpify fee, so we’ll effectively eliminate one fee … and we’ll also eliminate the need for a third party in the platform,” Chris Teso, Chirpify founder.
Chirpify, with help from an undisclosed banking partner, created a platform that enables it to accept all major international and domestic debit and credit cards, and its customers also may tie their bank accounts directly to Chirpify via the automated clearinghouse system. There are no fees to buy, donate or initiate a real-time person-to-person funds transfer using Chirpify, but sellers pay an Enterprise rate of 2.9% of the sale plus 30 cents, while Basic users pay 5% plus 30 cents.
In helping to reduce user cost, Chirpify should find growing interest in use of its service, especially among younger consumers more active in social media use and businesses wanting to reduce their transaction-related costs–and the steps necessary in the process to reach the sale. Should Chirpify find its business growing from making PayPal use an option instead of a requirement, expect it to add other social platforms to the mix.
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