In many countries paying for things using mobile phone apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages ?

A popular and growing trend around the world is the

payment

of

products

and

services

through mobile applications alternatively known as online

payment

software. In my opinion,

this

reality has more benefits than demerits, with the benefits being convenience and reliability while the possible demerit is unsuccessful

payment

. A major reward for making online

payments

is convenience.

This

means that it is easier for people to buy

products

or purchase

services

and pay via the internet

instead

of them moving with cash in their wallets. As an illustration, most supermarkets in Lagos encourage their buyers to pay for items they buy using specific

payment

platforms

such

as Flutterwave. Another benefit of mobile

payment

software is reliability. What

this

means is that when people pay for goods or

services

online they can verify the identity of the business through detailed information made available on the platform. Take Jumia Nigeria

for example

. Before buyers can pay for

products

they select on

this

e-commerce store, they are shown the full business information of the vendor or supplier of the items. Irrespective of these benefits, it is impossible to overlook the attendant cases of failed

payments

associated with online

payments

.

This

implies that while mobile applications can be used for faster, easier and more reliable

payments

,

payments

could sometimes be unsuccessful due to poor internet connection. To illustrate

this

, many Nigerians have taken to Twitter to express their displeasure with the Access bank mobile application, and

this

is

as a result

of frequent cases of money being deducted but the recipient not receiving it. In conclusion, while paying for

products

and

services

through mobile applications is easier and more reliable, the problem of failed transactions cannot be ignored. If internet connection can be improved in many countries of the world, mobile

payments

would become more effective.