Amazon’s online payments service Amazon Pay has launched Smart Stores, a program that enables contactless shopping & payments in offline stores. Just like leading digital payment apps such as Google Pay, Paytm, and PhonePe, Amazon’s solution supports scanning QR codes.
Amazon Pay Stores, however, comes with support for additional payment methods such as cards and EMI. Amazon will reportedly offer credit facility under its “Buy now, pay later” scheme. The company will also offer exclusive bank/brand offers to stores part of the program.
“The basic QR code payment method is accepted at 4 million stores across India. But, Smart Store is a more evolved experience where customers can pay using any payment instrument, including EMI and bank offers,” Amazon Pay CEO Mahendra Nerurkar told ET Tech.
According to Amazon, customers can scan QR codes present in the store to access a digital storefront. The feature will help customers learn more about the product, along with the ability to compare features and check offers.
Customers will get purchase vouchers to redeem at the same store. This move would possibly result in customer retention. In addition, the service will promote store offers to nearby customers.
“What we’re trying to do is bring the convenience of shopping online — the way you can be informed, the various payment instruments that you get, and making it available to every customer in any store,” Nerurkar added.
Going by Amazon’s official Pay Stores page, the company has partnered with thousands of local shops across multiple brand partners including Oppo, Lenovo, Xiaomi, Samsung, Asus, and Big Bazaar.
