Business search service Yelp now offers a filter that narrows down results to those that accept payment in cryptocurrency, Redditors noticed yesterday.
The move is a step towards the mass adoption of cryptocurrency as a common medium of exchange. Yelp recorded well over a hundred thousand unique visitors to its desktop and mobile websites every quarter of 2018. As well as helping consumers identify businesses that will accept their cryptocurrency, the feature may encourage more businesses to accept it as they attempt to fit more Yelp searches.
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Users were quick to point out the limitations of the new feature on Reddit. They couldn’t find it on Yelp’s desktop website, Android app, nor UK mobile website. It seems to be limited to the iPhone app at the moment.
The reaction to these moves by consumers will determine whether this flurry of activity really shifts the sector towards mass adoption.
The news comes as the second major encouragement to the mass adoption of cryptocurrency in as many days. On Monday, browser extension Moon announced that it would facilitate bitcoin payments on Amazon, by having a third-party financial institution convert the payment to dollars for the seller. The Japanese e-commerce site Rakuten started taking registrations for its own cryptocurrency exchange on April 18.
The reaction to these moves by consumers will determine whether this flurry of activity peters out, or really shifts the sector towards mass adoption.