PayPal Holdings (PYPL.O) was set to add $4 billion to its market value as a pledge to turn “leaner” cheered up investors, even as the payments giant disclosed a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission tied to its stablecoin. The company’s shares climbed 7% to $55.16 before the bell on Thursday as a robust full-year profit forecast also calmed market jitters about a spending slowdown.
In his first quarterly earnings call as PayPal’s new CEO, Alex Chriss spelled out for investors and analysts several initiatives aimed at gaining “ubiquity both online and in person.” The plan involves bringing loyalty data and mobile payments into the retail experience. By tying these services into the digital customer journey, merchants will gain more insight into customer shopping and payment habits.
One such initiative links a retailer’s mobile app with the merchant’s website. This way, a user’s payment experience can be tailored to their shopping preferences. This type of mobile integration can allow a brand to deliver personalized offers, rewards, and other incentives.
A second area of focus is leveraging the PayPal platform to enable consumers and merchants to access a wide range of additional financial products and services. These include lending, savings, investment, budgeting, and crypto. This strategy is being pursued to reduce the friction caused by consumers having to toggle between multiple apps to manage their money.
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Schulman, who formerly ran the social network Pinterest, has become something of an evangelist for what’s known as the super app. This all-in-one tool can manage payments, shopping, savings, investments, credit cards, crypto, and identity. He believes there are too many apps on the market, and customers can’t afford to spend so much time juggling them.
PayPal has already made significant progress by partnering with Apple to offer its PayPal and Venmo card products directly inside the iPhone’s popular Tap to Pay feature. This was a necessary step for PayPal to remain relevant in the highly competitive field of mobile e-commerce. Apple’s smartphone domination gives it control over who has access to its ultra-convenient near-field communication chip.
A third key initiative is launching a new package tracking service that will let PayPal users track their deliveries on the go. By integrating this service into the mobile app, PayPal will make it easier for consumers to check on their shipments without logging into a separate site.
PayPal’s margin pressures will likely continue to weigh on the stock, but it has a solid growth plan. Moshe Katri, Wedbush Securities Managing Director of Equity Research and IT Services & Payments joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss the company’s strategy moving forward. Watch the video below to get his insights. Or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher to hear future episodes. And don’t forget to share your thoughts with us using the comments below!