Shoplet.com adds eBillme as a payment option

www.internetretailer.com

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

E-retailers Etronics.com, 4AllMemory.com, Shoplet.com, Canada Pharmacy and Cymex.com have added eBillme--a service that allows consumers to pay for purchases via bank bill pay programs—as a payment option. Etronics Inc. is No. 72 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

Security and lower transaction costs are two of the reasons Shoplet.com added eBillme early this year, says Leslie Scharf, senior vice president and general counsel at the e-marketplace. EBillme charges a lower discount rate than credit and debit card companies and customers who don't feel comfortable making card purchases on the Internet may use this payment service as an alternative, he says. While he did not specify the fees he pays eBillme, eBillMe has said it charges 1% to 2% of a purchase depending on volume. Credit and debit card fees typically run 2% to 5% for online retailers.

"We want to offer consumers every method possible to get them to complete a transaction," Scharf says. "Some customers aren't comfortable passing a 14 or 15 digit number over the Internet." About 95% of transactions at Shoplet.com are made with a credit card. However, since Shoplet.com began offering eBillme, nearly 3,500 visitors have clicked on the payment service's logo to learn more about it, Scharf says. Shoplet.com also accepts PayPal and is in final negotiations to add BillMeLater, a deferred billing payment program, as a payment option on its site.

Consumers who choose eBillme at checkout receive an e-mail invoice confirming the purchase. The consumer then pays the bill from his or her online bank account.

Speed is a top reason 4AllMemory.com, an online computer memory retailer, began accepting eBillme, says marketing manager Justin Schmidt. Consumers who set up an eBillme account can make purchases at any retailer that accepts the payment system without having to re-enter personal and payment information each time. "There's that added ease of having everything set up," Schmidt says. 4AllMemory.com also accepts PayPal and BillMeLater in addition to card payments.

EBillme's five new retailers are using promotions to encourage customers to use the new payment option. Shoplet.com is offering a 24-pack of Energizer AA batteries with every eBillme order exceeding $100, and plans to rotate eBillme promotions throughout 2008, Scharf says. 4AllMemory.com is offering $10 off eBillme orders.

EBillme declined to say how many retailers offer its service, but lists about 100 clients on its web site. EBillme is a product of ModaSolutions Inc.