Zong (payments provider)
| Company type | Division (former) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mobile payments |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | David Marcus |
| Fate | Acquired by eBay in 2011; services discontinued in 2015 |
| Headquarters | Menlo Park, California , United States |
Key people | David Marcus (CEO) |
| Products | Mobile payment platform for micropayments billed to mobile phone accounts |
| Parent | eBay (2011–2015) |
Zong was a mobile payment provider that allowed users with postpaid mobile phones to complete micropayments online, with charges applied directly to their mobile phone bills by network operators. The company was acquired by eBay in 2011 and discontinued its services in 2015.
Focusing primarily on online gaming and social networking platforms, Zong enabled the purchase of virtual items. In 2009, it earned the Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Award for New Product Innovation in Mobile Payments. By 2015, visitors to the Zong website were redirected to PayPal.
History
Established in 2008 as a division of Echovox, Zong launched a mobile payment platform in the United States that facilitated direct billing through mobile phone accounts, aiming to accelerate commercial expansion.
In 2011, CEO David Marcus sold the company to PayPal and subsequently took on the role of PayPal’s president. The brand quietly vanished from online presence in May 2015 without any formal announcement.
Services and Partnerships
Zong served users on social networking sites and online gaming platforms, particularly those lacking credit cards or making small-scale online transactions. It supported payments via mobile devices, with fees billed through wireless carriers.
Collaborations with mobile network operators allowed Zong to bill customers using short codes. On March 12, 2009, the company discontinued its short messaging services to concentrate exclusively on its mobile payment offerings. Additionally, Zong launched an API that empowered developers to distribute and sell content to mobile consumers worldwide.