Twitter Pulls Ribbon’s In-Stream Payments System

We reported earlier that payments startup Ribbon had launched their “in-stream” payments system for Twitter, allowing users to make purchases without leaving the Twitter environment by making use of the Twitter Cards feature launched recently.  About an hour after the feature launched, Twitter shut it down, invalidating the feature.  A workaround is currently in place, directing users to a ribbon.co checkout page instead, but this diminished functionality does not align with Ribbon’s goals.  The startup is currently attempting to resolve this matter with Twitter.

Ribbon Launches Hashtag-Free Payments On Twitter & YouTube

Payments startup Ribbon, which enables purchases on social media sites, is launching new Twitter and YouTube platforms.  On Twitter the service takes full advantage of the expanded Cards feature— users simply click on a “Buy Now” button and then input credit card information all within Twitter.  On YouTube, the integration comes via in-video annotations, which allow you to click to purchase on a Ribbon checkout page.  The conventional wisdom is that conversion rates are highest when you don’t have to leave a site to purchase, so expect Ribbon to create great opportunities for brands.

MasterCard Announces Masterpass

In a big step forward from Paypass, Mastercard will be launching Masterpass, a new payments system that creates a unified digital wallet. Masterpass brings together various forms of payments from NFC to QR into a single account across credit cards and merchants. The solution streamlines online checkout as well without the need to enter details before purchasing so it’s not surprising Mastercard already has plenty of leading merchants and banks onboard for their Australia launch.