One of the biggest hurdles Safaricom has struggled to overcome has been with the Lipa Na M-Pesa process, especially at supermarkets. Aside from requiring around six steps just to make a payment, there’s always the chance of making an error in the process or having to give out your phone number or M-Pesa transaction code for payment verification.
Safaricom’s first attempt was with M-Pesa 1Tap, a service that, according to Bob Collymore, did not pick as fast as they thought it would, M-Pesa 1Tap led to the development of Daraja APIs but there was still little incentive from the merchants and customer base to use the platform.
In a new wave of attempts to fix Lipa na M-Pesa, Safaricom has begun issuing unique till numbers to each cashier in 2,500 stores that have more that one Lipa na M-Pesa payment point. Unlike before, where, for example, a supermarket would have only one till number, now each cashier will have their own unique till number.
This, coupled with the integration of M-Pesa Daraja API at the Point of Sale systems, will eliminate the need for customers to give out their phone number of transaction code for payment verification as this will be automated.
“Millions of customers and thousands of merchants increasingly prefer Lipa Na M-PESA when it comes to payments. Our enhanced integration of Lipa Na M-PESA for the more than 2,500 merchants will increase the speed and accuracy at which they process cashless payments while also benefiting our customers with increased privacy and accuracy when paying,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, Chief Financial Services Officer, Safaricom.
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