If you’ve done any kind of online shopping in South Africa, you’re more than likely to be familiar with the name i-Pay. Not only do they make electronic funds transfers (EFTs) smoother and safer, they also singlehandedly saved 2018 Black Friday shoppers when all other payment solutions couldn’t meet demands.
Now they’ve taken the next step by rebranding to Ozow and becoming the first local payment processor to offer zero processing fees to emerging businesses, NGOs, and NPOs accepting automated EFTs for payments or donations through its gateway.
Startups, youth-run businesses and SMMEs of all kinds processing under R1 million in online transactions monthly can enjoy zero processing fees for the first 12 months, enabling them to be part of the digital economy by providing a world-class online payment option to consumers. All qualifying charitable organisations will also enjoy zero transaction fees for as long as they accept payments through Ozow.
i-PAY is now @OzowPay pic.twitter.com/aIorSqq403
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Ozow believes that free access to payment mechanisms in South Africa is beneficial to both business owners and consumers, also significantly contributing to the country’s economy.
“By zero-rating the costs of accepting this form of payment, we are presenting more entrepreneurs the option of establishing their own businesses, which means more opportunity for financial autonomy, job creation, a competitive retail environment, consumer choice and an entrepreneurial, diverse economy,” says Ozow CEO, Thomas Pays.
Industry researcher World Wide Worx forecasts that between 2018 and 2020, local online retail sales will more than double from sales tracked in 2016, reaching almost R20-billion. Already online retail is projected at about 1.4% of total retail in South Africa, based on an estimated R1-trillion spent via traditional channels in 2018.
“Attracting as many potential customers as possible to an online store or physical store is critical, and our research confirms that the selection of payment choices has a marked impact on retailers’ completed sales. Any merchant offering alternative payment option such as automated EFT payments opens themselves up to more potential customers, it’s that simple,” says Pays.
Payment by Ozow automated EFT is available to anyone with access to online banking. Online or in person purchases can be completed with credit, savings, or cheque accounts, even with access bond accounts if that is the consumer’s or business’s preference.
Online banking logins are generally easier to recall once off than lengthy card details. This makes automated EFT an easier, faster, and trusted payment option for online shoppers. Ozow’s launch comes with the release of a new, enhanced payment flow that emphasises user experience, and enhanced security.
“An intuitive, well-designed payments page with prominent security information reassures consumers and increases merchant credibility. The result is fewer abandoned carts for the merchant, and more comfort with shopping generally which benefits all retailers,” says Pays.
Pays’ anticipates that merchants and consumers will increasingly recognise the advantages of automated EFT payments.
“EFTs are reliable, quick, and completely trusted and secure,” he says. “Our merchants have reported that consumers are embracing them over more traditional methods such as credit or debit cards, particularly during busy shopping periods.”
In its almost five years of operation, the company has invested considerably in technology and system enhancements, building a hyper-available platform that boasts the ability to process thousands of transactions concurrently with negligible downtime and no reported incidences of fraud to date.
Commenting on the shift from i-Pay to Ozow, Pays says that the company’s ambitions of expanding into Africa prompted the rebrand.
“We established that competitors with the same name already trade in some countries we wish to enter. We’re taking years of industry-leading experience, innovation and technology into Africa and so we required a unique, distinctive identity to match,” he says.
Ozow is already available in Namibia, with plans to expand to Mauritius and Ghana by the end of 2019, and additional countries including Nigeria and Kenya in 2020. Pays says that the change marks a pinnacle in the company’s journey and its readiness to meet the challenges of the future.
“As technology and the digital economy evolves, we need to keep leading innovation,” says Pays. “We look forward to sharing new services and innovations with local and African merchants and consumers, sustaining the reputation of our world-class, inclusive instant payment solution.”
How to pay with Ozow
- Choose Ozow as the payment option during checkout.
- Select your bank from the list.
- Login to the Ozow portal using your internet banking username, pin and/or password.
- Select the account you wish to pay from. If you only have one account, it is automatically selected, skipping this step.
- The automated process will navigate and populate the relevant fields on your behalf in the background.
- Your bank will send payment authentication in-app, or via SMS or USSD Push notification.
- Once you have successfully authorised your payment, the transaction is marked as complete.
- Ozow sends payment notification to the merchant so they start processing your order immediately. There is no need to send through a proof of payment and no need to wait for the funds to reflect in the merchant’s bank account.
By Daniëlle Kruger
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