Zong (www.Zong.com), the leading mobile payment service used by online gaming
and social networking web sites, today announced that is has launched Zong+, the
first online mobile payment platform combining carrier billing with credit,
debit and prepaid cards. Now, in addition to making online purchases through
their cell phone bill, Zong customers will also be able to link any type of
payment card to their Zong account through a one-time entry process and continue
to purchase goods by simply entering their mobile number and confirming the
security transaction code sent to their phone.
Zong+ increases the convenience and security of online payments while allowing
for larger purchase amounts within a seamless user experience. Customers will be
incentivized to complete the one-time card registration and will receive
automatically redeemable rewards for every dollar spent through the Zong
service. This new release enables Zong to address new market segments, win
additional merchants and accelerate its end-user adoption rate which benefits
all involved parties, including wireless carriers that will experience a
significant increase in transaction volume. Merchants who may have previously
been unable to leverage the higher conversion rate of mobile payments due to
accompanying fees or limited price points, will now find themselves able to
enjoy greater transaction completion at the typical card rates.
"We view mobile transactions through payment cards as a win-win-win for
merchants, wireless carriers and consumers alike and we`re excited to offer this
latest addition to our service," said David Marcus, founder and CEO, Zong. "Our
ability to provide payment card billing through the mobile phone marks our
commitment to increasing the ease through which users can make purchases and to
providing them with more merchants to choose from as they securely pay online
using their mobile phone."
"The promise of mobile payments can be realized by employing a smooth and
flexible payment mechanism," said Vikrant Gandhi, Senior Analyst at Frost &
Sullivan. "Zong's innovative Zong+ offering delivers significant flexibility to
the merchants and the end-user and can be an industry growth driver."
Zong`s frictionless payment experience, featured in top applications on
Facebook, MySpace, and hi5 and integrated with popular virtual worlds and gaming
sites like Gaia Online, IMVU, Mochi Media and Outspark, converts "shoppers" into
"buyers" at rates up to 10 times greater than traditional payment methods such
as typical credit card purchases. Zong`s underlying transaction platform has
processed payments for more than 10 million unique users in 2009 and 25 million
total unique users since 2000.
"As one of the first merchants utilizing the new Zong+ payment service, hi5 will
benefit from a more flexible and frictionless payment process. The ability for
our customers to bill purchases to either their mobile bills or their payment
card of choice will be essential for driving transaction completion," said Rajat
Kongovi, director of business development at hi5. "With this new functionality
we`ll be able to offer a wider variety of goods at more varied price points,
increase our revenues from direct user payments, and most importantly, give our
users greater freedom of choice for how they purchase virtual goods and games on
hi5."
About Zong
Zong is the leading mobile payment service used by online gaming and social
networking web sites. Noted for its frictionless user experience, Zong converts
"shoppers" into "buyers" at rates up to 10 times greater than traditional
payment methods, like credit cards. Zong leverages direct connections with
leading mobile network operators around the world to provide unrivaled
connectivity and service quality. Zong is featured in hundreds of top
applications on popular social networks like Facebook and MySpace as well as
leading virtual worlds and other online gaming sites, such as Gaia Online, IMVU
and Outspark. In 2009 alone Zong has processed mobile payments for over 10
million unique users worldwide. Zong is the mobile payments business unit of
Echovox, which was founded in 2000. For more information, please visit
http://www.zong.com.
