Writing on The Wall: Paypal Now Allows Shopping by ScanningPictures Off The Wall!

Is this the future? You like a product in an advert on the wall; you pull out your smartphone, scan the QR code, make a payment and swish! As a trial, Paypal is allowing commuters in 15 metro stations in Singapore to purchase using QR codes. The advert offers Valentine’s Day offers from 8 participating retailers.“Mobile commerce is hot and getting hotter every day, so much so that we’ve doubled our mobile predictions for 2012 to $7 billion”, said Elias Ghanem, Managing Director of Paypal on his blog. According to Nielsen Southeast Asia Digital Consumer Report, November 2011, Smartphone penetration in Singapore is as high as 70% which allows a pilot of such nature in Singapore.

This might take the average Indian by surprise as in India when you mention a public wall, ‘Spit stains on the wall’ might come to mind before other things. But this is definitely something which would make one think about the not-so-distant future wherein the digital wallet would be a reality.

Steps to make a purchase off the wall:

Step 1: Scan Product QR code (You need to have a QR code reader app)

Step 2: Pay with Paypal or Credit Card

Step 3: Choose to either PickUp or Delivery

QR codes have seen an astounding increase of over 4500% of QR code scans between 2010 and 2011. This and other mobile technologies like the NFC (Near Field Communication) are the next big thing. What do you think of these in context of India?

- Jubin Mehta