Play.com considering payment on delivery option

Online retailer Play.com is considering the introduction of a payment-on-delivery offer for its customers.

The service is commonplace in Japan, and the site’s new Japanese owners Rakuten are keen to make Play.com the first to offer it in the UK.

The idea is to attract customers who are uneasy about the notion of paying online.

Shipping issues are the most common reason for cart abandonment in Europe,” marketing director Adam Stewart told RetailWeek. We only offer a few shipping models. That’s alien to Rakuten. We’ve got to be more flexible to grow.

The original strategy was to increase the categories Play sells in at a phenomenal pace but the Rakuten model is focused on the market place. We will increase categories through what our merchants choose to sell through us rather than creating our own categories.”