Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology, and websms, a pioneer in mobile messaging, have come together to set new standards in mobile marketing. With this cooperation websms and Wirecard aim to make it possible to handle payment transactions in a simple way via SMS or directly in the chat messenger for the first time.

Although mobile marketing via SMS and messenger is growing rapidly thanks to high opening and “call-to-action” rates, the integration of digital payment methods is still lagging behind. For consumers and companies, this manifests itself in disruptive channel breaks in the service and purchasing process. With the smart integration of digital payment methods, such as Apple Pay, in SMS or Messenger, retailers and service providers have touchpoints throughout the customer journey, from customer service, to promotions, to the payment process bundled together in one central channel for the first time. This saves time, enhances the customer experience and enables convenient and secure purchase transactions.

“We know from recent studies that today’s consumer wants to be in contact with companies primarily via a central channel and finds disruptions during the payment process annoying. Therefore, the combination of digital payment and commerce via messaging channels - in short: Conversational Commerce - has great potential that we want to unleash,” explained Christian Waldheim, CEO of websms. “Opening rates of 70 to 90 percent and call-to-action rates of 15 to 30 percent confirm that messengers such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Co. are the places where companies can best reach their customers today. Mobile marketing therefore gives companies the opportunity to be closer to their customers – with SMS currently experiencing a comeback due to its high reach,” Waldheim continued.

The basis for the cooperation between websms and Wirecard are the many synergies between the companies, both of which are considered pioneers in the fields of mobile messaging and digital payment respectively. While websms is market leader in developing digital communication solutions for companies of all sizes and in all industries in the DACH region, Wirecard provides innovative payment solutions for some of the world’s largest digital payment systems, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal. “If you want to be successful in an industry in which everything revolves around digitization, you not only have to pick up on trends, but also shape them proactively. Thanks to the smart integration of digital payment into conversational commerce, Wirecard and websms will do just that,” said Roland Toch, Managing Director Central Eastern Europe at Wirecard.

“Pay by Link” is the selected payment solution for websms. Here, the customer is sent a link via Messenger or SMS and, by clicking on it, directed to the secure payment page hosted by Wirecard. This payment option is thus user-friendly, fast and simple. “Pay by Link” in combination with the messaging solutions from websms can be used in all industries and for all company sizes. While entrepreneurs benefit from automated notifications of the customer's payment status, the customer in turn receives a holistic and seamless shopping experience.