Many believe that payment links via SMS or WhatsApp are a matter of the past as UPI, mobile wallets and Banking apps are fast taking over with the exploded adoption of smartphones and apps. The recent data related to transactions done via payment links paints a different picture altogether.
According to the latest study released by Mswipe – India’s leading end-to-end digital enabler of MSMEs – payment link transactions increased by 6x during the second wave of the pandemic. It indicates that a sizeable number of people still prefer to make a payment by link (PBL) instead of scanning QR Codes or apps.
India, which is at the cusp of the digital payment revolution after the launch of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) transactions, still has a sizeable share of smartphone users who are yet to get acquainted with the use of payment apps. Interestingly, the study highlights that the high adoption rate of pay by link transactions is observed in metro cities also.
Pay By Link Transactions: Big Picture
- Pay by links transactions on the Mswipe platform increased 6x to 12.55 lakh in March 2021 from just 2.37 lakh in March 2020.
- Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Chennai and Hyderabad emerged as the metro cities where a high adoption rate of PBL was recorded during the aforementioned month.
- Tourists hubs such as Kanchipuram Tiruvallur, Coimbatore, Vadodara and Goa are the top non-metro cities that recorded considerable growth in the number of PBL transactions.
- The Total Payment Value (TPV) also increased by four folds during the same month, amounting to Rs 400 crore.
- The average ticket size of a PBL based transaction was around INR 3,000 on the Mswipe platform.
- In metro cities, the PBL transaction growth was led by customers involved in e-commerce, auto accessories, mobile phones and groceries shopping.
- In non-metros, customers preferred making payment via a link for groceries, electronic items such as mobile phones, purchase of travel tickets, clothing and at restaurants.
- The difference in buying and payment preferences between metro and non-metro users is quite noticeable.
- Mswipe is the largest independent mobile POS merchant acquirer and network provider with 6.75 lakh POS and 1.1 million QR merchants across India.
Food For Thought
Pay by link comes with greater flexibility as compared to other payment solutions. Merchants can collect payments remotely, and customers can make a payment without being physically present at the time of delivery. These contactless payment solutions have recorded an exploded adoption rate since the beginning of the pandemic.
As smartphone users are more exposed to various payments apps, such as UPI, how exactly the growth of pay by link (PBL) transactions will remain in the years to come would be interesting to be seen.
