Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko sparked discussions on blockchain’s role in e-commerce, sharing the success story of their recent mobile phone sales.

What Happened: Partnering with web3 payment platform Helio, Solana pre-sold 100,000 “chapter 2” phones, raking in a staggering $45 million.

Notably, transactions processed through Helio’s Solana Pay plugin, which utilized the USD Coin , incurred zero fees, unlike the $600,000 in fees associated with traditional card payments for the same sales volume.

This stark contrast highlights the potential cost savings offered by blockchain-based payment solutions.

Stijn Paumen, Helio’s founder, emphasized the additional benefits of peer-to-peer settlement, which eliminates intermediaries like banks and processors, ultimately allowing merchants and creators to retain more of their earnings.

He further pointed out that Helio offers various fee structures, with some products charging low fees (around a third of traditional methods) and others like invoicing and the Shopify plugin currently fee-free.

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Why It Matters: Beyond cost savings, the partnership showcases the growing consumer interest in digital currencies and blockchain-based transactions.

Over half of the payments for the Solana phones were processed through Solana Pay, indicating a shift in preferences towards faster, more transparent, and potentially more inclusive financial systems.

This real-world example adds to the growing momentum behind blockchain adoption in e-commerce.

User-friendly platforms, which prioritize a seamless and secure user experience, can play a crucial role in accelerating this shift.

As more merchants and consumers embrace blockchain payments, we might be witnessing the dawn of a new financial ecosystem that empowers creators, benefits merchants, and offers convenient, gamified experiences for buyers.

Solana is up 3.5% on the day amid Bitcoin breaking the $1 trillion market capitalization mark and defying bearish predictions.

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