Designed mainly for the youth market, Rixty is a flexible payment option for any age bracket. By rolling out at more than 9,000 U.S. Coinstar kiosks, Rixty offers [image-nocss] users the convenience of adding to their online accounts by simply choosing the Rixty option when exchanging their coins. In addition to the Coinstar kiosks, users will also have the option of buying prepaid cards through the in-store racks at more than 1,000 retail locations, including Cumberland Farms and Hess locations.
Rixty never charges users fees, the company added.
Realizing that merchants have traditionally faced difficulty reaching younger audiences that often have limited access to more traditional payment forms, such as credit cards, Rixty aims to reduce that transactional friction and allow users to spend freely across a variety of online publishers, it said.
"Rixty started with the idea that there should be some way to allow online entertainment enthusiasts, particularly the younger generation, the ability to enjoy what's available without relying on a credit card," said Ted Sorom, CEO of Rixty. "Our goal is simple: To provide anyone and everyone the freedom to choose how and where they spend their online entertainment dollars. Rixty does this by converting loose change into online purchasing power."
Rixty is launching with top publishers in the massively multi-player online (MMO) game space, including Perfect World Entertainment, ijji.com, GamesCampus, Ntreev USA, Ndoors Interactive, Inc., ourWorld.com, and Three Rings Design, publisher of Puzzle Pirates and Whirled.
It supports business models from microtransactions to subscriptions and is compatible with all types of online entertainment, the company said, including downloadable games, virtual worlds, casual and social games on social networks, digital downloads such as music mp3s, videos and games, mobile games and ringtones. The cash-based system also empowers the younger audience to take control of their entertainment spending without requiring adult involvement or a bank account.
"Rixty's new payment solution enables many of our young gamers who don't have credit cards or Paypal to purchase in-game items in Trickster, Grand Chase and Pangya," said Chris Lee, CEO of Ntreev USA.
Merchants have searched for ways to attract new customers who might have previously experienced barriers to entry, which Rixty addresses with a cash option most e-commerce outlets have lacked, the company said. In addition, Rixty offers merchants the opportunity to be "discovered" by showcasing new games and online goods on the Rixty website.
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