Amazon is to close its mPOS business, Local Register, which failed to catch on among the small businesses who were its supposed customers.
Amazon Local Register did not gain much traction against more successful rivals, such as
Amazon closes mPOS business
Square’s Register and PayPal’s Here services.
The service enabled retailers to accept credit or debit card payments on smartphones and tablets with the addition of a dongle.
The internet giant jumped into the mPOS market last summer with a product that undercut rivals on price as it tried to lure small retailers on board.
However, the tactic seems to have failed and the writing has been on the wall for some months, as key payment executives either left Amazon or shifted roles.
From 30 October 2015, Amazon no longer accepted new customers for the mPOS service. Existing customers have until 1 February 2016 to find another payments processor.
This is not the first payment service to be axed by Amazon in recent times. In January, it shelved a mobile wallet app after six months, which enabled users to store loyalty and gift cards.
At the same time as announcing Amazon Local Register’s demise, the company said it is closing Amazon Local, a four-year old daily deals service.
However, the company appears to be making a push into e-commerce payments. It will introduce Pay with Amazon buttons to mobile apps. It will look to woo leading websites to adopt its buttons, although many are likely to be suspicious about joining up with a competitor.
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