Google Pay SoundPod to launch in India, to be available for small merchants

The Google Pay SoundPod, introduced in a limited pilot last year, will be made available in India, where it will be introduced over the coming months, the tech giant has announced.
“Participating merchants have shared positive feedback, noting that it (SoundPod) reduces checkout time. Google Pay launched in India in September 2017 and has been a committed collaborator in India’s game-changing journey with safe and secure digital payments,” Ambarish Kenghe, Google Pay’s Vice President, Product, wrote in a blog post on February 22.
(1.) The SoundPod is an audio device that helps merchants track QR code payments by means of an audio alert when a payment is received.
(2.) To make the payment, customers must scan the associated QR code of the merchant. Once the receipt is successful, which usually takes only a few seconds, the SoundPod plays an instant voice notification.
(3.) In India, the device will be available for small merchants, ‘bringing considerable ease and convenience to millions of SMBs’ (small and medium-sized businesses).
(4.) Its competitors in the country will be boxes offered by rival UPI firms Paytm and PhonePe.
(5.) According to TechCrunch, more than 20 million (two crore) merchants in India use audio notifications, with the estimated cost to make such a box being $18 to $20 (approx. ₹1494 to ₹1660).