EBPP Implementation Models
The Electronic Bill Payment and Presentment (EBPP) market was divided into two basic implementation models: The Biller Direct model and the Consolidator Model.
Biller Direct Model
In this model, the biller used its own Web site to present bills directly to the consumer. This model enabled the biller to maintain full control of the brand, but it required investments in software and might also have required inducements for consumers to visit and pay at the site. In addition, consumers had to review each bill separately. AT&T and American Express were the first adopters of this model in June 1998.
In a variation on the Biller Direct Model, the biller sent the consumer a summary bill in an e¬mail that included a URL link that brought the consumer to the biller’s Web site to review and pay the bill. Most consumers wanted to have their bills consolidated in one place. In this case, the point of consolidation was the consumer’s e-mail box.
Consolidator Model
Under this model, billers sent their bills to a third party like CheckFree, which consolidated data from multiple billers. The data were then routed to the consumer’s CSP, which served as the point of consolidation for the consumer and enabled the consumer to access multiple bills on a single site.