Daily Observer (Jamaica)

WiShops , powered by WIPAY: Welcome to the new normal.

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The future of payments and how money is perceived is changing. Covid-19 has ushered in the beginning of a new revolution: The Revolution of Money. If you think about it, money and how we pay for goods and services truly hasn’t changed in almost a century, with tangible cash remaining king.

For our generation, this is the first time that money is truly changing form. Digital currency is the future. In recent times, cryptocurr­encies, central bank digital currencies and other forms of digital payments have all gained major prominence in the news. The acceptance of nonphysica­l currency represents a major shift in thinking for consumers and buyers.

Enter Wipay Jamaica. Wipay Jamaica is part of the Wipay

Group of companies whose ethos is to democratis­e access to financial services in a way that promotes true financial inclusion and empowers individual­s and businesses of all sizes to seize the opportunit­ies provided through digital commerce. Wipay is currently the largest alternativ­e payments company in the region, with an expanding Caribbean footprint that includes operations in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Saint Lucia, Barbados and Grenada.

When Wipay Jamaica was first approached by the Private Sector of Jamaica (PSOJ), on behalf of the Government of Jamaica, to assist in developing a delivery solution during curfew, Wipay proposed the use of Wishops. Our zerocode ecommerce solution was capable of accepting payments online in addition to integratin­g with existing delivery/courier solutions via a plugin. It also provided a solution that required NO coding experience or need for a developer, therefore making it accessible to the ‘small man’. Our first test was to onboard street vendors. Now, for the first time in Jamaica, consumers can purchase PAN CHICKEN online. Wishops, powered by Wipay, put the power of online payments into the hands of the least likely proprietor­s. This empowering act revolution­ized how Jamaican businesses and people perceived online stores and payments.

Through Wishops, the Caribbean’s first ZERO-CODE web developmen­t platform, business people and potential store owners saw how easily and quickly persons could create a webstore that accepted payments online. Wishops comes equipped with Wipay’s payment plugin, ensuring that online webstore sales are remitted to the vendor’s (or store owner’s) local bank account.

“After we proved that we could take Pan Chicken Men online and have them collect payments through their website, the public response was tremendous. This immediatel­y signalled to us that the market was ready. Even those we perceived to be the most objectiona­ble and the least tech-savvy were interested. To most, the thought of finally being able to accept credit card payments online was exciting. The New Normal demands that we do business differentl­y, and that’s where Wipay comes in.” Kibwe Mcgann, Wipay Jamaica Country Manager

 ??  ?? Shemar Moore, Wipay Ground Team Lead with Verol Scarlett, Naggo Head pan chicken vendor. Kibwe Mcgann, Wipay Country Manager with Cavon Davis, Portmore jerk pork vendor.
Shemar Moore, Wipay Ground Team Lead with Verol Scarlett, Naggo Head pan chicken vendor. Kibwe Mcgann, Wipay Country Manager with Cavon Davis, Portmore jerk pork vendor.

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