San Jose, California, June, 2009 — Plimus Inc., provider of the leading independent outsourced e-business platform, has introduced 9 new payment services in several Asian and European countries.

“As the preferred E-Commerce provider of online sellers worldwide, Plimus is committed to eliminating barriers to purchase wherever we find them,” commented Simon Jones, VP of Marketing for Plimus. “All the independent research is consistent: sales conversion rates are always improved when a consumer is able to select their preferred payment method.”

As the volume of online purchases worldwide continues to grow, the need for more payment methods has never been stronger. Plimus is making it easier for people all over the world to buy. The 9 new payment services fall into these categories: Online Bank Transfer, Direct Debit, and France's Carte Bleue.

Consumers in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Japan, and Singapore can now pay via Online Bank Transfer. This allows consumers to instantly and securely make one-time payments using funds directly from their bank account. Since transactions will only complete if there are sufficient funds in the account, it is a virtually risk-free payment method for Vendors.

Direct Debit is an increasingly popular method of payment with consumers in Europe. Plimus now offers this service in Austria, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. A hassle-free way for consumers to make regular scheduled payments, Direct Debit is often preferred in these countries: over 75% of consumers in the United Kingdom, for instance, choose this option. Direct Debit also accounts for more than 40% of all cashless payments in Germany, about 45% of the total number of transactions in Spain, and some 40% of all internet payments in Holland.

French consumers can now buy through Plimus using Carte Bleue, a national debit card payment method in France. Currently, this method is used by over 2 million French users and over 25 million use the Carte Bleue debit card co-branded with Visa or Mastercard.

According to Forrester Research, 36% of consumers prefer sites that offer a variety of payment methods. By meeting this consumer preference, Plimus helps more buyers to acquire the products they want, and helps Vendors increase their sales and improve conversion rates.