2000Charge on Tuesday announced its DirectPay US billing option now works with every U.S. banking institution equipped with an online banking service.
DirectPay US is an e-commerce solution that allows American users to purchase goods and services online simply and securely even if they do not possess credit cards or choose not to use them. A checking account is all that is required, and the account's holder initiates and carries out each transaction.
For online merchants, DirectPay US expands the U.S. consumer base by the millions, according to 2000Charge. In addition, because it is tied directly to consumers' personal checking accounts, chargeback risk is minimized.
The popularity of online bill paying has grown dramatically in the U.S. during the past decade. Trends suggest that by 2010, 50 percent of all bills will be paid electronically. That means the expansion of DirectPay US to all U.S. banks could provide e-commerce merchants with a significant opportunity to increase sales, according to 2000Charge Chief Executive Officer Wolf Kring.
DirectPay US has been a success since its launch, Kring said. There was only one drawback: It was limited to consumers who held accounts at large U.S. banks.
"That is no longer an issue," he noted. "Large banks, small banks; it does not matter. As long as the bank offers online banking services, your customer can purchase your products with DirectPay US—and who doesn't want to expand their access to the U.S. consumer even further?"
DirectPay US can be tied seamlessly to existing join forms, so implementation is trouble-free, he added.
