South Africa’s Peach Payments, a fintech startup that makes customer payments to online merchants seamless and secure has launched in Kenya and Nigeria with plans for other African countries. Launched in South Africa just three years ago, Peach payments is now processing more than R1-billion in transactions per year and this month it launched a new offering, PaySafe, which has already processed transactions worth R1-million, and will change how businesses collect invoices and payments globally. Peach PaySafe is ideal for businesses that are not online but still want an online payment facility. SMEs such as freelancers, professionals and tour operators, for instance, can simply email clients who will be able to click and pay online. No integration is required, the service is safe and easy, and merchants can customise it with their logo. Co-founder Rahul Jain says, “Peach PaySafe allows users to improve their cash flows and dramatically reduce administrative costs associated with collecting payments whilst making the transaction much safer.” “Our solutions address the pain points of traditional payment methods and are geared to the realities of the African market. One of the biggest challenges businesses in emerging economies face is that traditional online payment systems in Europe and the United States were developed in and for these markets. Despite there being many players in the payments solutions space, the dire need for advanced payment platforms in developing countries presented us with a tremendous opportunity. “Our insight into our home market has allowed us to create a payment system that works smoothly for mobile and online merchants and their customers and now for non online business, and to develop allied products that solve real pain points. “Our initial target for Peach Payments was online or mobile merchants wanting to monetise audiences in South Africa. Over 200 South African online merchants are using Peach Payments, including Zando, Spree, Safarinow and Quicket. International merchants are also coming on board.” Peach Payments allows businesses to accept payments across all channels – website, mobile sites and mobile apps (iOS, Android, etc.). It gives them access to all payment methods including credit/debit cards, bank transfers, mobile wallets, electronic wallets and mobile operator billing. “During the checkout process, the user never leaves the merchant’s website – the payment widget is securely embedded into the checkout procedure on the site. This sets Peach Payments apart from many online payment systems that take the user to another website, a payment gateway, to complete the payment,” says Jain. Jain says that Peach Payments is the first provider in South Africa to provide a working solution for subscription payments or recurring billings. The recurring billing feature allows subscription type payment models easy to be quickly set up, used and managed. Customers can choose whether or not to store their details for future use, making single click recurring payments possible. “Merchants sell the widest range of goods, from coffee to stocks and pet food!” Peach Payments is a gold member of AlphaCode, a Rand Merchant Investments (RMI) club for fintech startup entrepreneurs. RMI’s senior investment executive and head of AlphaCode, Dominique Collett, says: “As mobile internet penetration rises across the continent, e-commerce is becoming an increasingly significant. According to McKinsey, e-commerce is expected to account for 10% of retail sales in Africa’s largest economies by 2025, generating over US$75bn in annual revenue. Peach Payments serves this emerging industry by optimisingpayment channels that allow customers to securely and seamlessly pay for goods and services online and via mobile phones. Their innovative offering allows merchants to effortlessly move to digital distribution, whilst enjoying competitive customer service. Their partnerships with Africa’s leading banks, Visa and PayPal has allowed Peach Payments to process millions of transactions for notable players. Their key differentiator from other payment gateways is their focus on customer service and their ability to work with smaller merchants.” Says Jain: “We have unlocked a significant barrier to e-commerce in emerging economies. Peach Payment’s solution is highly scalable for fast-growing businesses. “Going forward ‘mobile first’ is our mantra because the number of people in emerging markets that are accessing the Internet using mobile devices is escalating at an extraordinary rate.” Jain says the toughest challenge in the first three years was convincing banking partners that Peach Payments complemented their offerings. He says building trust and credibility with them took time. Peach Payments also provides merchants with access to an advanced and intuitive Business Intelligence Portal where they can view, analyse and execute transactions in real-time across both mobile and web platforms. The organisation has been nominated in the Pricecheck e-commerce awards as the best payment gateway.
