Dipo Olowookere
A new campaign to encourage the adoption of e-commerce solutions, as Nigeria journeys onto economic recovery, has been launched by Visa in partnership with Standard Chartered.
The new initiative is tagged Safe is Smart and will promote and educate consumers on smart ideas and e-payments solutions that will drive sustainability, survival and business recovery in the e-payments ecosystem.
In view of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign also seeks to provide convenient and secure cashless payment alternatives through the Standard Chartered Visa Debit card, QR payment solutions and the Standard Chartered digital banking mobile app.
Commenting on the partnership, David Idoru Head of Retail Banking at Standard Chartered West Africa, noted that it is important to increase consumer awareness on the safety of cashless payments solutions.
“e-commerce transactions make a large percentage of consumer spend and we want to be able to support consumers through our digital solutions to help them make smart financial decisions especially during the COVID-19 period.
“Our retail banking business is heavily focused on championing a digitized payments revolution to provide convenience and access to our customers especially through our fully digital mobile app,” he said.
“This partnership with Visa also further emphasizes our commitment to the financial wellbeing of our clients, as Standard Chartered Visa card holders, will enjoy numerous benefits including points earned using our 360 rewards program and zero surcharges at the point of sales through the ‘Safe is Smart’ initiative”, he added.
“The reality of the Covid-19 pandemic has presented a new shift in consumer behaviour and through our network, we want to ensure that consumers are embracing the most secure payment solutions.
“Data from our COVID-19 impact tracker reveal that digital payments are on the rise, as more people now choose digital payments over cash transactions.
“The survey revealed that 39 per cent of consumers in Nigeria started purchasing groceries online, 42 per cent started purchasing food delivery online, while 43 per cent of consumers started purchasing from pharmacies online for the first time,” says Kemi Okusanya, Vice President Visa West Africa.
“The next evolution of payments is going to be driven by collaborations with financial institutions like Standard Chartered Bank. In a time as critical as this, our goal is to continuously foster innovation driven by technology to meet consumers’ everyday needs, while driving the economy to recovery through accelerated e-commerce transactions”, she added.
