eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) has appointed Alyssa Cutright as its new Vice President of Global Payments. In this new role, Cutright will lead eBay’s global strategy and operations of billing and payments.
The timing of Cutright hire is interesting coming as it does after eBay spun off its PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) payments business last year making PayPal a totally separate company.
Could eBay be readying for a new global payments strategy that no longer centers around PayPal?
New VP of Global Payments at eBay
Cutright has extensive industry experience in the commerce ecosystem, including 10 years working at PayPal, and a resume that includes working for two alternative payment options Plastiq and Square. At PayPal she held a variety of critical roles, including leading the Financial Services (Core Payments), North America Product teams and Risk Management.
Cutright joined PayPal in 2000 from Wells Fargo where she had worked for 10 years. She stayed with PayPal (then still eBay’s payment unit) until 2012 when she left to join PayPal rival Square. At Square, she oversaw expansion into Canada, but left after a year to join Plastiq, according to AllThingsD. Plastiq was founded by an entrepreneur frustrated that he could not pay for college tuition with a credit card.
“We are pleased to welcome Alyssa back to the eBay family. Her experience and leadership in the payment industry will help us deliver improved experiences for our sellers and buyers,” said Hal Lawton, SVP of North America, eBay in a post on the company’s official site.
Changes Around eBay Payment Processing May Happen
PayPal remains eBay’s main payment-processing tool even after last year’s breakup. Many eBay sellers don’t even offer an alternative payment option. However, after separating with PayPal last year and with this new appointment, it is no longer a foregone conclusion that PayPal will remain the defacto means of payment for eBay merchants and buyers.
The appointment suggests eBay is weighing its options regarding global payments, and strategizing for life after PayPal. Could a future eBay incorporate many more payment options besides just PayPal? Or could perhaps eBay even be planning to develop its own payment option exclusive to the platform. It seems as if eBay is weighing its options and trying to determine what payment processor or processors the company might consider in the future now that exclusivity with PayPal is no longer a foregone conclusion. This is where Cutright comes in.
As a former PayPal executive, Cutright is no stranger to the eBay marketplace and what buyers and sellers want. This is why it seems so fitting that she should be the one to lead eBay’s global strategy and operations of billing and payments. It will be interesting to see what changes she brings and whether that will be in partnership with PayPal, or involve bringing in alternative payment methods.
Either way, eBay sellers and buyers may be in for some changes as far as their payment processing options are concerned.
[“source-smallbiztrends”]
