GoDaddy App to Offer Mobile QR Code Payments

GoDaddy is offering a way to streamline payments for small businesses, both in eCommerce and in person, through QR codes for on-the-go transactions, a press release said Tuesday (Feb. 15).

The release said the service would be ideal for small businesses, such as farmer’s market vendors who don’t want to invest in a point-of-sale (POS) device.

GoDaddy Payments will generate a one-time QR code on the business owner’s smartphone, which the customer scans onto their phone to complete the transaction. The QR codes are personalized for better security and expire when the transaction is over.

Activist investor Starboard recently took a stake in GoDaddy, PYMNTS wrote, as the website builder is looking to expand its payments offerings.

Read more: Starboard Takes Stake in GoDaddy as Web Builder Spotlights Payments

It’s unknown what Starboard wants to do with GoDaddy but the hedge fund usually demands performance — reportedly, Starboard also wants a seat on the board of directors.

GoDaddy has remained a website builder since it launched in 1997, but it’s a bigger operation now, offering businesses of all sizes everything from a basic digital storefront to selling on other marketplaces.

The company’s $320 million acquisition of Poynt, an omnicommerce platform, will go along with that. Poynt allows merchants to sell and take payments anywhere with its suite of products. Poynt, as of last year, had been used by over 100,000 merchants.

GoDaddy has bought around 27 companies, reports say — one of them was Sellbrite in 2019. Sellbrite plugs merchants into digital markets and social media.