Boku expands in Europe

BII

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

Boku expanded its partnership with Microsoft to launch carrier billing to Windows Store users from two mobile carriers in the UK and Italy.

The partnership will allow eligible customers to use the service, which allows them to charge purchases made in a phone’s app or content store to their monthly mobile bill, on any Windows 10 device. The news expands the Boku-Microsoft partnership to five markets, and is indicative of the ways carrier billing is catching on in developed markets because of the convenience it provides in online and mobile purchasing. 

Previous carrier billing success in the UK and Italy points to success for the firms.

• Other European Boku have helped grow platforms. After Boku partnered with Spotify in the UK, carrier billing became the most popular default method for new UK Spotify users, according to Boku CEO John Prideaux, which led the firm to expand its partnership with Spotify into Germany and Italy. More importantly, the platform helped Spotify to grow revenue and acquire new subscribers.
• The service could help Windows grow in the UK and Italy. Microsoft found that adding carrier billing capability for its phones has lifted app store purchasing by three times in developed markets. And Windows Phone is experiencing growth in several European markets, including the UK. Boku’s potential to grow app store purchase volume and attract clients could attract new users and developers to the platform, which in turn could begin a cycle of making Microsoft more attractive and prop up the vendor's growth.    

To receive stories like this one directly to your inbox every morning, sign up for the Payments Briefing newsletter. Click here to learn more about how you can gain risk-free access today.