DIGITAL payments firm Paymaya Philippines, Inc. launched on Thursday its platform’s “digital mall” feature, where users can buy products from its partner merchants.

The new feature called Paymaya Mall is expected to “help foster the growth and recovery of local businesses,” Mark Jason Dee, head of PayMaya’s Growth Marketing and Partnerships, said in an e-mailed statement.

The digital payments company added that the innovation is also seen to “boost” e-commerce transactions in the country amid the ongoing pandemic crisis.

It noted that the coronavirus pandemic has drastically affected both consumers and retail merchants.

Among the merchants whose products are now available in PayMaya’s digital mall are Jollibee, McDonald’s, Goldilocks, Rustans, Park Outlet, Mercury Drug, Rose Pharmacy, Landers, AllHome, and Boozy.

“More brands are coming soon as PayMaya taps into its network of over 116,000 merchant touchpoints,” the company said.

PayMaya President Shailesh Baidwan said, “With this initiative, we are bringing our partner merchants closer to our more than 28 million customers nationwide.”

“Consumers, on the other hand, can get their regular shopping done from the convenience and safety of their own homes while enjoying exclusive perks and rewards — all through the PayMaya app,” he added.

PayMaya is a subsidiary of Voyager Innovations, Inc., the digital arm of PLDT, Inc.

Voyager’s portfolio, aside from the PayMaya e-wallet and app for consumers, includes PayMaya Enterprise for end-to-end merchant-acquiring solutions and Smart Padala, which has over 37,000 partner agent touchpoints nationwide.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Arjay L. Balinbin