Microsoft Partners with PayPal for Retail Payments
Microsoft and PayPal are partnering to provide retailers with an all-in-one point of sale (POS) solution that includes a Surface Pro 3 tablet and a PayPal Here card reader.
PayPal also announced plans to launch an Europay, Mastercard and Visa (EMV)-compliant Here reader in the US market later this year.
In a blog post detailing the new reader, Brad Brodigan, the vice president (VP) and general managers (GM) of PayPal Retail, said: “The new PayPal Here reader will include payment support for Microsoft Surface and other Windows devices through our efforts with Microsoft.
“Small businesses that use the PayPal Here reader, Windows 8.1 app, and software development kit (SDK) on these devices will benefit from the same world-class product features and customer support enjoyed by existing PayPal Here users.”
“The Windows developer network is huge,” said Brodigan, who added that the two companies also plan to expand globally. Both Microsoft and PayPal face significant completion in the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) market from rivals such as Apple and Square.
In a separate statement, Cyril Belikoff, senior director of Microsoft Surface, commented: “Laptops remain important to small business retailers to handle inventory, supply, customer relationship information and accounting. At the same time, they have quickly realised that tablets can enable new engagement models with their customers – personalised interactions and commerce untethered from a cash register.
“Later this year, a new PayPal Here app for Windows 8.1 will be available to customers in the US through the Windows Store. With the new app, small businesses can easily track sales, manage inventory and accept all forms of payments, all from a single Windows device.”