Google Pay has announced a major update: its portable speaker, SoundPod, will soon be available for small merchants all across India. This comes after the company tested the SoundPod last year in a limited pilot program.
What is SoundPod?
The SoundPod is a device that helps merchants keep track of QR code payments by providing audio alerts whenever a payment is received. According to Ambarish Kenghe, Vice President of Products at Google Pay, merchants who participated in the pilot program gave positive feedback, saying that it helped reduce checkout time.
“We’re pleased to announce SoundPods will be available for small merchants across India over the coming months, bringing considerable ease and convenience to millions of SMBs,” Kenghe stated.
Competition with Paytm and PhonePe
Competition in the portable speaker market is heating up, with Paytm currently leading the market and PhonePe also expanding its own portable speaker device.
Earlier this year, Google Pay made headlines by partnering with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) to enable UPI payments from outside India. This collaboration also aims to introduce UPI-like payment systems in other countries.
Google Pay first launched in India in September 2017 and has since become a popular payment platform in the country.
Despite changes happening in other countries, such as recent updates in the U.S., Google reassures users and merchants in India that these changes won't affect how the Google Pay app functions for them.
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