Bango launches carrier billing for Amazon customers in Japan

Mobile payments company Bango announced on Tuesday that it enabled a new payment method for Amazon customers in Japan.

The AIM-traded firm said Amazon customers with a KDDI or NTT DOCOMO mobile phone account could now pay for physical goods from Amazon.co.jp, by charging the cost to their mobile phone bill.

Adding carrier billing as a payment option increased choice for customers in Japan, the board explained, making it easy to complete purchases.

Selecting the payment method enabled instant purchase completion, without needing to register card details online.

Bango said its technology ensured reliability, security and customer success when paying with carrier billing.

Charging online payments to a phone bill was a widely-adopted payment method in Japan, where mobile usage was deeply embedded into business and culture.

The Japanese market pioneered carrier billing, Bango claimed, offering it as a simple and secure payment method, enabling more consumers to purchase goods and services online and in retail stores.

It was a highly effective way to engage new customers and was popular with younger consumers, it added.

The payment method opened up to purchase goods on Amazon.co.jp at the start of June, Bango explained, greatly increasing the range of products that could be charged to the phone bill by KDDI and NTT DOCOMO customers, who represent around 75% of all mobile subscribers in Japan.

“Internet usage in Japan is mobile-first, with billions of dollars in online purchases charged to Japanese consumers' phone bills" said CEO Ray Anderson.

“The Bango platform ensures global retailers can offer these customers the trust and transparency they want from a payment method, and can deliver this at scale.”