PayPal Launches Virtual NYC Shopping Platform

PayPal, the digital payments company, announced Thursday (Nov. 30) that on Sunday, Dec. 3 it will launch another live, interactive shopping experience, dubbed Local Selects Holiday Edition. Local Selects enables people to shop a specific location from anywhere in the world.

Earlier this year, consumers were able to use the service to shop the Melrose Trading Post, a Los Angeles flea market, from any location. PayPal will launch the holiday version of Local Selects in New York.

Leandra Medine of Man Repeller, who hosted the previous livestream, will come back to broadcast her day at New York’s Renegade Craft Fair, which features up-and-coming local artisans and high-quality craft goods. In the blog post announcing the launch, PayPal said that Medine will spend the day talking with these artisans, learning about their businesses and showcasing unique products. People who take part in the livestream will be able to purchase gifts from the market with just a few taps.

“PayPal’s Local Selects Holiday Edition is another way that PayPal is bringing together customers and businesses, as it gives people the ability to shop anywhere around the world as if they were a local,” said Dhiraj Kumar, PayPal’s senior director of consumer marketing strategy for North America.

PayPal has been announcing all sorts of initiatives in recent weeks, not only focused on shopping. Earlier this month, it unveiled a partnership with Acorns, the investing app that enables customers to use PayPal to fund their investment accounts. In a corporate blog post, PayPal said the Acorns deal is part of the company’s goal to help consumers take better control of their financial planning and to build fiscal wellness. With more than 2.3 million people in the U.S. investing via Acorns, the partnership seemed like a logical one.

“Together, Acorns and PayPal are helping [to] democratize financial services and offering innovative solutions to the people typically underserved by the current system,” said Joanna Lambert, VP of consumer financial services. “These new features are starting to roll out to select U.S. PayPal customers today, and will be available for all U.S. customers by early 2018.”