WiPay launches Zwillo

Digital payment platform WiPay has launched a new app, Zwillo, to benefit micro-entrepreneurs.

The event took place on August 19 at an event held at Kam Wah's Banquet and Conference Centre, Port of Spain.

WiPay chairman Gerald Hadeed said it is an amazing new product by the company, which has been moving places since its start up in 2016.

"It is something for the future, especially for entrepreneurship."

WiPay CEO Aldwyn Wayne said WiPay has been processing online payments in Trinidad for entrepreneurs and small businesses who have found it difficult to get online without "going through a bunch of hoops."

"So we created WiPay to smooth out that online process to allow people to start accepting payments on their websites or through their mobile app with the click of a button."

He said within the last year WiPay had close to 5,000 downloads of the plug-in and 2,000 small and micro-businesses were processing with WiPay. But Wayne said, based on the feedback, the company is missing a huge part of the market. He explained WiPay requires users to have some knowledge of online payments and also requires a business to have a website and to create a shopping cart to apply payments.

"Our number one problem we found out we had is that we weren't providing solutions for micro-business, micro-entrepreneurs. The people that run businesses on social media, Instagram, Facebook, probably the new ones that I know nothing about. But we had no way of reaching them. So this is where Zwillo comes in."

He explained Zwillo is a stand-alone app developed by WiPay, but does not require a WiPay account to use, which allows for Instagram sellers and buyers to participate in e-commerce without having one iota of understanding of payment platforms, website integration or even banking information.

"We have combined the ease of on-boarding customers with payments and the logistics of UPSL (Universal Package Systems Ltd) to allow anyone to take pictures of items, post it online on social media, allow anyone to pay using a credit card or WiPay top-up, and then within 24 hours UPS will come by and collect the item and deliver it to the recipient. So you run your whole business from your home."

He added: "You just create whatever you are creating and we do the rest."

WiPay chief operations officer Sacha Thompson said not everyone has a website or can afford to have someone build it. And even after it is built, she said, there is the issue of figuring how the business operator gets paid.

"That is a next headache you have to take on as a micro-business owner."

She said with Zwillo, WiPay has removed the invoicing feature from its platform and created a stand-alone application that is "sexy", user-friendly and feature-packed. She said people doing business on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social media can get paid off their mobile phone in a simple, secure and quick fashion.

Thompson explained Zwillo allows for the creation of an invoice, getting paid inside the app and getting the item shipped by UPSL.

"No other app out there can do that. It is game-changing, exciting and ground-breaking."

She said with the app, entrepreneurs will not have to meet people to exchange cash.

The app was developed by WiPay software developer Ryan Chin Sang over a two-month period. It has a free sign-up and is currently available on Android. It will be available on IOS in about a week, and will soon be launched in Jamaica.