A version of this article first appeared on the BLASTmedia blog.
On Monday, payment processing company Stripe Inc., launched Relay, a set of APIs for building in-app buying experiences. With Relay, people can buy products directly within an app — like Twitter, ShopStyle or even your own company’s app — rather than getting pushed to third-party websites.
If you’re not already excitedly Googling “Stripe Relay” with baited anticipation of how you can use Relay for your business, here are four other really cool things any marketer should know about Relay:
#1: Anyone can now sell stuff on Twitter directly in the app.
Twitter is one of Relay’s launch partners and everyone from Reuters to Fortune is talking about how Stripe is allowing merchants to turn Tweets into storefronts. However, unlike some offerings that appear in Beta to a group of select users first, Warby Parker and other big brands aren’t the only brand that can use it. You can actually set up Stripe Relay account (or just check out the interface) right now.
#2: You don’t need to be an app developer to use it.
As Marcus Wohlsten points out in his recent article for Wired, “you don’t have to know what an application programming interface is to appreciate what Stripe’s new Relay API can do.” The API is already integrated with Twitter, which means that anyone with a Stripe account — even the app dev challenged — can build a virtual catalog.
#3: Twitter isn’t the only launch partner.
In addition to Twitter, other Relay launch partners include Inmobi, ShopStyle and Spring. According to TechCrunch, “app developers who integrate with Inmobi can enable Relay purchases in apps rather than pushing them to mobile sites.”
#4: Relay isn’t just backed by cool partners, but by a company with sticking power.
Relay isn’t Stripe’s first foray into online payments, it’s how the business was built. Although it might still be considered a startup, but earlier this year Stripe raised $5 billion from investors including a few who also know a thing or two about online payments: Visa and American Express.
#5: Retailers have already uploaded 4 million products to Relay.
As for the impact on mobile app development, the trend of social purchases, and overall mobile revenue? It’s still too soon to tell. However, for companies struggling to monetize their online presence or make the move from desktop to mobile e-commerce, Relay looks like one to watch.
from Darlene Milligan http://ift.tt/1VuFr8K via transformational marketing
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/1LobaZU
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