Apple Pay will soon be available during online checkout. Beginning this fall, Mac users can use the payment technology to make purchases through the Safari web browser.
The mobile wallet’s addition to the desktop and laptop versions of Safari is noteworthy for several reasons:
- Indicates a multi-channel payments strategy — Although Apple Pay was initially launched as a mobile wallet, its transformation into a digital wallet indicates a shift in Apple’s focus from strictly mobile environment to all channels. By appealing to a more diverse group of channels, Apple has a greater opportunity to win and maintain Apple Pay users.
- May have limited impact — To use Apple Pay for online purchases, consumers must be using Apple devices and Safari as a browser. One estimate has Safari representing just 10 percent of desktop browser use.
- Takes an interesting authentication angle — Consumers making purchases on their Macs with Apple Pay still need to authenticate the purchases through fingerprint identification on their iPhones. This creates an extra step for consumers which, arguably, may add friction.
