Chirpify CEO: Adding Credit Cards & Bank Transfers Removes Friction For Chirpify Adoption
In-stream social commerce provider Chirpify today announce the addition of credits cards and bank transfers to their payment options. Having previously offered only Paypal, Chirpify has removed a major barrier to consumer uptake. This move, though seemingly rather banal at first glance, should make Chirpify a much more enticing option for music and merch sales.
Though a growing range of ecommerce transaction and payment options are now available to musicians, Chirpify has distinguished itself by facilitating in-stream social commerce sales.
A musician can announce a new album or merch for sale on their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account, fans can respond with various statements such as "buy" and the transaction is handled from there by Chirpify.
Until now, two major barriers existed to purchasers using Chirpify:
Mundane resistance to signing up and using anything new.
Lack of payment options beyond PayPal.
The first is one with which all companies struggle to varying degrees but Chirpify has now resolved the second.
In news released today, Chirpify announced that they now accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards as payment options.
They're also making "automated clearing house (ACH) payments" or bank transfers an option for both payments from consumers and payments to sellers.
I spoke with Chirpify CEO and Founder Chris Teso about the news and he concurred that this step removed the last major point of friction for those considering using Chirpify as well as for fans purchasing from musicians using the service. In fact, he sees credit card payments as likely to open things up given that PayPal is not nearly as popular an option for consumers.
With a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I asked if they had other social networks in mind. Teso said that he couldn't announce additional networks at this point but the long-term goal was to be everywhere they can across the entire social web.
I also asked what Teso perceived as Chirpify's future challenges and he said that now they have a solid team in place and are focused on building up a big member base. That includes more energy going into marketing in the near future.
With the addition of credit/debit card payments Chirpify is now poised for another round of growth.
[Thumbnail image courtesy 401(K) 2013.]
More:
- Chirpify Adds $2 Million In Funding, Signs Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg & Puma For In-Stream Social Commerce
- Eminem, Bon Jovi & Tim McGraw Going D2F With Gumroad & Chirpify
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch/@crowdfundingm) also blogs at Flux Research and Crowdfunding For Musicians. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.
