IXOPAY Partners with Aplauz!
Payment Orchestration Embraces Conscious Spending

The industry leading payment orchestration platform, IXOPAY has partnered with Aplauz, the go-to payment method for conscious spending.

The strategic partnership will see IXOPAY and Aplauz provide clients with a payment solution that enables them to make every payment a conscious choice. It is also an opportunity for online merchants to reach new and previously untapped audiences via traditional brick and mortar stores where Aplauz vouchers can be purchased.

As a best-of-breed payment orchestration platform, IXOPAY’s architecture gives merchants complete control of their payments by providing the best payments processing options per country, intelligent routing, cascading, and unparalleled risk management function. From just one API, users benefit from simplified integration of acquirers, payment service providers, and risk service providers. It also has state-of-the-art centralized reconciliation and settlements services.

Aplauz is a prepaid digital credit that empowers people to take control of their online payments. Vouchers can be bought at convenience stores and used to make online purchases — giving its users independence from credit cards and complete control over how much they spend. It is an ideal solution for those who don’t want to disclose financial details online or who simply want to set specific limits for themselves and those who they support financially. 

Aplauz is currently available across over 2,000 convenience stores in Switzerland and will expand across Europe this year.

“What attracts us to Aplauz is their payment conscious model. It is about taking control of your finances, which is a mirror of IXOPAY’s platform which gives merchants control of their payment stack. It is about giving people their own agency, which is incredibly powerful.” Said Rene Sigel, Founder and Executive Chairman of IXOPAY.

“We are delighted to work with IXOPAY whose flexible nature and reach make for a smart business decision, but more than that, our culture and philosophies align which is what makes it really special, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.” Added Goran Abramovic, CEO of Aplauz.

With one simple connection, online merchants will now be able to reach a new group of customers who were previously unable or unwilling to make online payments.

About IXOPAY

IXOPAY is a payments orchestration platform enabling independent, flexible and global payment processing. As a highly scalable and PCI-DSS certified “fintech enabler”, IXOPAY fulfils the needs of large merchants as well as those of “white label” clients: payment service providers (PSPs), acquirers and independent sales organizations (ISOs). The modern, easily extendable architecture offers smart transaction routing & cascading, state-of-the-art risk & fraud management, fully automated reconciliation and settlements processing, comprehensive reporting as well as plugin-based integration of acquirers, payment service providers and alternative payment methods (APMs).

IXOPAY is part of the IXOLIT Group, founded in Vienna, Austria in 2001. With local entities in Austria and the USA, IXOLIT supports national and international customers across various industry verticals. The owner-led and -financed company has grown from 2 to more than 65 employees and is focused on building innovative solutions for eCommerce.

Find out more information about IXOPAY here: https://www.ixopay.com

A new payment method bridging physical and digital commerce – exclusive interview with Aplauz

_{Thursday 25 February 2021 07:18 CET | Editor: Anda Kania | Interview}

Goran Abramović, Aplauz’s CEO: Aplauz was created as a solution to put consumers back in the driver’s seat when it comes to buying online. We want to empower conscious spending.

Aplauz is a new online payment method. Can you tell us how it works and who would benefit from using Aplauz?

Aplauz makes buying online possible for an emerging segment that wants to spend more consciously.

The way it works is quite easy. As a user, you first go to a local convenience store and buy an Aplauz digital credit voucher for an amount of your choice. Cash or cards payments are accepted, which customers appreciate a lot. The digital credit can then be spent online on any website which supports Aplauz. At the checkout, you simply select Aplauz as a payment method and enter the 16-digit code number to pay. 

We created Aplauz for a growing segment of people who are asking for a convenient and safe way to pay online.

Accidental overspending has become more prevalent than ever with one-click buying and subscription services. And that’s not the only concern with traditional payment methods. Especially among Generation Z consumers, there is a growing worry about privacy. They worry that their financial or personal information will be stolen online. Research also shows that this generation in particular is reluctant to buy things on credit and go into debt. Many of them don’t have credit cards, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to buy online.

Aplauz is a great solution for those who wants to buy online, without the risk of unconsciously losing personal data or money. 

What is the vision behind Aplauz?

Aplauz was created as a solution to put consumers back in the driver’s seat when it comes to buying online.  We want to empower conscious spending. 

Conscious spending means two things to us. On the one hand, we want to help people to take back control of their spending. Online paying has become so seamless that customers lose control of how much they are spending on what. With the option to pay later, many people spend more than they can actually afford.  

On the other hand, conscious spending also describes the bigger social change we want to drive as a company. Our Millennial and Gen Z audiences care about contributing positively to the world, and we want to help them do that by supporting conscious spending habits. Our team is using that vision as a design philosophy for the next phase of product development.

When can we expect to see Aplauz available across Europe?

Aplauz was launched in Switzerland in December of last year and is already available in more than 2000 convenience stores across the country. We will be expanding across Europe during this year and expect Aplauz to be available in stores throughout Europe in Q2.

Our first merchant partner was the WHO Foundation. We created co-branded digital displays and posters in-stores for their nation-wide donation campaign. 

We are currently working on the integration of payment service providers to easily enable Aplauz on merchant’s checkout pages. In parallel, we are onboarding online merchants of a broad range of industries in the field of digital content and entertainment, including online video gaming, telecommunication services, ride-sharing services, and social media. 

What are the benefits for merchants adding Aplauz to their payment method portfolio?

From a merchant perspective, Aplauz will open up a door to new customers. 

For example, online video game publishers can attract young gamers who don’t have a credit card but can convert cash pocket money into digital credits with Aplauz. In the case of subscription-based businesses, Aplauz offers a way to tap into a segment that is hesitant to sign up for automated recurring payments but would try it if they could pay as a one-off.

Moreover, Aplauz gives its partners the opportunity to join in-store marketing campaigns. With 8 million visitors every week in our Swiss retail network, advertising in these stores can be a powerful acquisition tool for our partner merchants.

We want to create a win-win-win model throughout the value chain. A nice example of this, is that we let a customer choose the exact amount he/she wants for their voucher. They can then make a one-off payment for a specific product or service with a merchant partner, without being left with unused credits on their vouchers. A win for everyone involved.

Because Aplauz stands for conscious spending, a merchant who offers Aplauz as a payment method shows that they support conscious spending. It’s a way to let consumers know their right to conscious spending is respected by this merchant.

What’s next for Aplauz?

We are currently focused on completing the rollout in Switzerland and preparing for our expansion in Europe. At the same time, we are further developing the product to empower Aplauz users in their conscious spending. I will be able to tell you more next time. 

Click here to see the Aplauz article at The Paypers website.

Paydock partners with Aplauz to enable in-store payments for digital merchants

Paydock, an enterprise-grade payments orchestration platform announces its most recent partnership with the introduction of Aplauz, a digital payment method that can be purchased in-store and used online, enabling online merchants to reach and capitalise on market opportunities within a yet untapped customer base. 

By working seamlessly alongside other payment methods such as credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Afterpay currently supported by Paydock, merchants can by using Paydock and Aplauz extend their product strategy to include in-store payments made at convenience stores without increasing effort. 

Paying for goods or services online using traditional payment methods such as credit cards is still inaccessible, inconvenient or untrusted for many customers, such as the generation Z, who would like to protect their privacy, are wary of online fraud and prefer not to share financial data online. Aplauz also promotes conscious spending by enabling customers to have better control of their online spending habits – whether they want to control impulse buying, have ghost subscription payments that are still active or overlooked charges made on a registered credit card. Aplauz puts consumers squarely in the driver’s seat.

Rob Lincolne, founder and CEO of Paydock said: “Aplauz offers a compelling proposition for consumers and merchants. We are extremely excited to collaborate with Aplauz on this project and play our role in closing the gap between offline and online transactions by offering a solution that truly adds value to digital merchants as part of their payments mix.”

Paydock’s technology is used by leading global merchants and platforms who benefit from a myriad of features such as dynamic vaulting and routing capabilities, sophisticated user management and vendor support.

Commenting on the collaboration, CEO of Aplauz Goran Abramović said: “We are excited to collaborate with Paydock to make Aplauz easily available to merchants everywhere regardless of their payment vendor set-up. Beyond the convenience, Aplauz has been launched with a vision of empowering conscious spending by enabling consumers to better control their online spending. I strongly believe that Aplauz can be a great opportunity for online merchants to further increase their social responsibility contribution towards their customers and the industry in which they operate. ”

Aplauz is currently available across over 2000 convenience stores in Switzerland and will be expanding across Europe during 2021.