Woozworld Partners With Zong for First Mobile Payment-Powered Virtual Goods Marketplace

Mobile SMS Payment Purchasing Allows Virtual World Users to Buy and Sell Goods With a Simple Text Message


LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - June 17, 2010) -  E3 -- Woozworld, an innovative and unique web 2.0 virtual world powered by tweens, with over one million user-generated virtual spaces, today announced a partnership with the leading mobile payment platform, Zong. Keeping user experience a priority, Woozworld recognizes its user base's proclivity to text message, and expects that integrating Zong's speedy, simple and secure mobile payment solution will be well received by Woozworld's mobile users.

Zong's seamless payment experience is now available for Woozworld users to purchase virtual goods by simply entering in their mobile phone number. Zong verifies payment by sending a secure PIN via text message to the user, who enters the number online to confirm and complete the transaction. Woozworld will soon be integrating the value-added service Zong+, which gives Woozworld users the flexibility to link a credit or debit card to their mobile number and charge their micro-transaction to their payment card through the same secure text message and PIN process.

"As a globally available payment platform powered by the tween-preferred medium of SMS, Zong was the natural choice for Woozworld," commented Woozworld CEO Eric Brassard. "We expect the integration of Zong to have a significant impact on the conversion rate of purchases of user-generated virtual goods."

Woozworld launched in December of 2009, with just fifty admin-generated virtual spaces. The world has grown massively and organically in the months since the launch, with users having built up over one million spaces in just six months. Currently, the average user session is forty-five minutes long, with over seventy percent of daily traffic made up of returning users.

For additional information, please visit www.woozworld.com.

About Woozworld
Woozworld Inc. is a developer and operator of virtual worlds. A recent spin-off from Tribal Nova Inc, the company markets and operates Woozworld.com, an innovative global web 2.0 virtual world for tweens that is built and led by its users. Its unique environment evolves continuously and allows users to create space, run activities and do business, among countless other things. The company has a highly experienced team with exceptional credentials in producing casual games, MMOG and virtual worlds for kids, as well as in marketing and business intelligence. For additional information, please visit www.woozworld.com.

About Zong
Zong is the leading mobile payments platform for sellers of digital goods and services. Its frictionless payment experience converts shoppers into buyers at rates up to 10 times greater than traditional payment methods. Zong leverages direct connections with mobile network operators around the world to provide a secure payment solution with unrivaled connectivity and service quality. Zong is the mobile payment provider for Facebook Credits and also works with hundreds of leading destination sites, such as Gaia Online, IMVU and Playdom. Reaching over two billion mobile users, Zong provides localized payment capabilities in over 30 countries in 16 languages. Zong is the only mobile payments platform that combines the high conversion rates of carrier billing with the low costs and flexibility of payment card networks. Zong is based in Menlo Park with offices in Paris and Geneva, and is backed by Matrix Partners, Advent Venture Partners and Newbury Ventures. For more information, please visit www.zong.com.

Contact Information:

Editorial Contact:
On Behalf of Woozworld
Jessica Hasson
(323) 710-3556