PayPal Here

While the PayPal brand is recognized worldwide, for many it remains solely associated with online shopping, particularly shopping on eBay. To expand its relevance, PayPal approached fuseproject to help them craft a strategic approach and compelling experience for small businesses in the offline world.

Based on insights gained from talking to internal stakeholders, small business owners, and tech-savvy consumers, we learned perceived strengths and weaknesses. A thorough analysis of the competitive landscape helped us codify a recommended value proposition, positioning and experience principles for our new platform.

Based on this strategic foundation fuseproject crafted every aspect of the PayPal Here experience: the name, identity, device, packaging, communications, and PR efforts. PayPal Here has been quickly adopted by thousands of small business owners, and has established a strong beachhead for the brand in the physical world that will continue to grow over time.

The leader in online payment, PayPal, is moving to face-to-face transactions and will bring the ease and comfort of their online platform to the real world. We named it PayPal “Here” to highlight its physical presence and anywhere-anytime possibilities. PayPal and fuseproject’s brand and design team partnered on the expression of this new experience through all interaction points, from naming to packaging, sound and device, web and communication. The Here logo, iconography, packaging and device follow an arrow-like form that references the physical world where payments happen one-on-one, and also the virtual cloud world that enables these new forms of payments. The arrow is an ancient symbol that shows something being done in the here and now, and became the inspiration for the shape of the of the product, logo, web, graphics, naming and application sound design. In the PayPal Here experience the arrow also represents easy payment. It expresses how each swipe sends your transaction onward to the cloud.

Functionally a large card stripe reader dictated the wide base of the arrow, while the offset surface layer on the card reader easily identifies the credit card swiping track for the user. The front triangle is also an innovative drop down lock that prevents swivel or pivot when one swipes a card. The width of the device track fits perfectly on a smartphone while ensuring enough of the card is read for a successful transaction every time. The product and application experience is further enhanced by sound design when the swiper is inserted in a phone, or when a transaction is complete.

Most payment transactions are disconnected and confusing, with Paypal Here we sought to create an ecosystem where all elements are clear, simple, consistent and a pleasure to use. The Here logo, iconography, packaging and device follow an arrow-like form that references the physical world where payments happen one-on-one, and also the virtual cloud world that enables these new forms of payments.