Chirpify Offers Direct, In-Stream Payments to Social Media
Chirpify, which offers users the ability to make in-stream payments on social media platforms Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, recently announced several changes to its service. Launched in early 2012, Chirpify says a payments method featuring several barriers to entry has prevented the service from reaching widespread adoption. Chirpify initially partnered with PayPal to handle payments, but is now adding its own direct payments functionality, giving users the ability to accept domestic and international debit and credit payments, as well as automated clearing house payments in-stream on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The company says the change both simplifies the payment process and results in lower fees for users, who no longer have to meet PayPal’s fees in addition to standard interchange fees. First-time consumers making an in-stream purchase using Chirpify now just have to create a profile, enter their payment and billing information, or connect to their existing PayPal account. In-stream social payments also has been problematic for other firms. For example, Chirpify competitor Ribbon was shut down by Twitter earlier this year for incorrectly implementing payments using Twitter Cards.
From “Chirpify Goes Beyond PayPal to Bring Direct, In-Stream Payments to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram”
TechCrunch (06/11/13) Empson, Rip