New York: EBay's payments service PayPal has redesigned its online checkout process to let shoppers complete their payment on merchants' websites, rather than go to a separate PayPal site.
Simplifying the checkout process -- and having shoppers stay on an e-commerce site rather than click over to a separate PayPal page -- means they are more likely to complete the transaction. That could also mean more people will use PayPal.
PayPal said that it is testing out the new checkout process with a few merchants and will make it available to large businesses in the first half of this year. Medium- and small-sized businesses will also be able to use it down the line.
In addition, PayPal said it will make its " payment code" feature available to merchants that accept Discover cards or use Micros payments systems, starting in February. The feature lets shoppers pay for purchases using their smartphones, using either a four-digit code or a QR code, which is a newer version of the classic bar code.
PayPal says it's a payment option at 1.9 million physical stores and other sellers in the US.
Shares of eBay rose 49 cents to $52.65 in afternoon trading.
