BillMyParents Makes It Easy For Kids To Spend Online
There’s a new payment service just launching: BillMyParents. It’s a way that kids (”tweens,” according to the founder) can shop in online stores and easily spend their parents’ money–if their parents later agree to buy them the stuff they want.
The system puts little BillMyParents buttons next to items in online retail. To check out, kids write optional notes to their parents about the items they want. Parents get e-mail notifications and can approve and pay for individual items directly.
Kids never get access to their parents’ credit cards. And parents don’t have to visit the store sites their children found the items on.
Jim Collas, CEO of SocialWise, which makes BillMyParents, says it is “focused on the communication between tween and parent.” As inclined as I am to disparage systems that put the Web in the middle of the parent/child relationship, I actually think this idea works.
It doesn’t reduce or remove communication in a family, in fact it could increase it. And it makes it easier to mark, track, and purchase online items.
BillMyParents is also focused on making money. Collas points to the $28 billion spent online by the “youth demographic,” and says he’s also eyeing the $40 billion spent offline on products researched on the Web.
Much of this commerce, he says, goes offline because the child can’t buy the item. BillMyParents will make money from transaction feeds.
Photo by BillMyParents.
Angela Shupe on May 22nd, 2009 9:56 am
I was kind of skeptical when I began to read but I grew into liking the idea. I can use myself as a good example. When I was a teen I would find a pair of jeans or something of that sort, wanted my mom to possibly buy it for me, and I would have to send her the link to it, tell wher what color I wanted, etc. With the website at least it is already all there for consideration. And, thankfully, mom or dad has a choice to say no.
I don’t exactly see how this would create more communication, though. I can understand wanting to rebuke arguments that it’s just another middle man for parent/teen communication but to say it would create more of it is silly. It’s a good and convenient idea but I don’t see the increased communication part of it. I only see the same ol’ begging that kids already do… just virtually. ;-)
Jaclyn on May 24th, 2009 3:08 pm
I completely agree with Angela. While it’s a cool idea that they can basically make an online wish list, i don’t think it actually will increase communication other than maybe virtually.
Mikhaela on October 26th, 2009 1:26 am
Can it work in other countries such as Australia?
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