贝宝有望成为数字钱包霸主

    但PayPal Here仅仅是该公司正在成形的一项雄心勃勃的战略的一部分而已。过去2个月中，贝宝公司向近2千家家得宝连锁店（Home Depot）推广了其支付技术，以替代信用卡。该公司与POS终端制造商安智公司（Ingenico）和AJB软件设计公司（AJB Software Designs）联手研发了一种店内支付系统，它可以迅速地推广到其他大型连锁店。

    现在就说PayPal Here将不再只是把钱包忘在家中的人用来完成支付的一种方式还为时尚早。贝宝公司预计将在2012年处理的70亿美元在线支付款项并不包括此类在销售现场完成的交易。贝宝向商家收取2.7%的交易费（与Square公司的2.75%大致相当），倘若它的收费比信用卡交易费更便宜，商家们或许会有更大的动力来采用PayPal在线支付服务。

    虽然智能手机是实现在线支付的重要途径，但贝宝的野心远不止于此。除了无所不在的实体收银机终端以外，贝宝还在提供一种可以在个人电脑上完成支付的方案。此外，易趣也势必会进行深度整合，把贝宝糅合到该公司于去年秋天推出、面向线上和线下零售商的商务平台X.Commerce之中。

    贝宝的战略正逐渐变得清晰可见。很显然，该公司的思路非常开阔。它计划将服务推向尽可能多的商业场所，同时设计出一款对商家和消费者都具有吸引力的界面。贝宝公司传讯主管阿努吉•纳亚尔称，从本月开始，该公司将推出更多的变化，“开始从根本上改变消费者对贝宝的认识。”

    到目前为止，这项服务对许多贝宝用户而言仅仅是多种在线支付方式中的一种而已，而大多数在线支付方式都经常被视为信用卡的替代品。经过了数年的悉心规划之后，贝宝或许终于开始悄悄地潜入我们的钱包，如昔日的现钞一样，成为我们日常生活须臾不可离身的寻常之物。今年接下来的时间里，我们应该可以看到贝宝是否能够兑现它的这份承诺。

    译者：任文科

    But PayPal Here is just one part of what the company is planning in what is shaping up to be an ambitious strategy. Over the past two months, PayPal has rolled out its payment technology to nearly 2,000 Home Depot stores as an alternative to credit cards. It's partnered with Ingenico and AJB Software Designs to create an in-store payment system that can be quickly rolled out to other large chains.

    It's too early to tell if PayPal Here will become more than a payment method for people who left their wallets at home. The company's $7 billion estimate for 2012 mobile payments doesn't include such point-of-sale transactions. PayPal charges merchants a 2.7% transaction fee, which is roughly equal to Square's 2.75% and may offer merchants an incentive to push for PayPal if it's cheaper than credit card transactions.

    But as important as smartphones may become in handling payments, PayPal is aiming well beyond them, offering a method of payment on PCs as well as the ubiquitous point-of-service terminals at brick-and-mortar cash registers. Ebay is also sure to integrate PayPal deeply into its X.Commerce initiative, a commerce platform announced last fall for online as well as offline retailers.

    As PayPal's strategy comes slowly into focus, it's clear the company is thinking broadly – positioning its service in as many commercial venues as possible – and designing an interface that appeals to merchants and consumers alike. Anuj Nayar, PayPal's director of communications, says the company will roll out even more changes starting this month that "marks the beginning of fundamental change in what PayPal means to customers."

    Until now, for many PayPal customers, the service has simply been one of multiple ways to pay online, most often seen as an alternative to credit cards. After years of planning, the company may finally be worming its way into our wallets, becoming as commonplace as cash once was. The rest of this year should show whether PayPal can deliver on that promise.