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Venmo acceptance comes to 2M online merchants

Starting this week, Venmo users can shop on their mobile phone and make purchases at more than two million U.S. retailers via the mobile web, according to a press release.

The new feature enables Venmo users to shop at millions of merchants that accept PayPal — such as Lululemon, Forever 21, and Foot Locker — using their Venmo balance or linked credit card, debit card, or bank account.

At launch, Venmo customers will receive a notification in their Venmo app inviting them shop. Eligible purchases made with Venmo qualify for purchase protection, which may provide a full refund if customers don't receive an item or it's significantly different than the description.

"Offering a way to pay at millions of retailers is a major step in the evolution of Venmo," Bill Ready, COO of PayPal, said in the release. "Our vision for Venmo is to not only be the go-to app for payments between friends, but also a ubiquitous digital wallet that helps consumers spend wherever and however they want to pay, regardless of device."

Businesses can now offer Venmo as a mobile payment option through the PayPal and Braintree platforms.