Tag: geolocation technology

Geolocation technology could be central to MasterCard security

| March 7, 2014

The credit card giant will be working with Syniverse on this location based verification checking.

With the explosion in the number of smartphone users that there are around the world, MasterCard is working to capitalize on these consumers – particularly those travelling internationally – and to encourage them to use their services without the risk of losing time, patience, and money to security problems, by using geolocation technology for verification.

A new security system is now being implemented to confirm credit card payments through customer smartphones.

This is not an entirely revolutionary process, but instead uses geolocation technology as a variation of the current standard two step process of authentication. However, instead of requiring the smartphone user to enter an additional login code, as is the case with certain web services, the proposal of MasterCard is to use the GPS function from mobile devices, which has become a standard function in most smartphones.

The idea is to use geolocation technology to show that the card and user are in the same place.

What this means is that if the smartphone of the credit card user is located in the same place as the card when it is being used, then the transaction receives approval. MasterCard has said that this helps to shrink the chance of both unauthorized attempts to use the card and of declined transactions that are actually valid.Geolocation Technology - MasterCard Security

The one problem that has been identified that could cause a considerable problem to this mobile security system is that when users travel internationally, the odds are that they will have shut off their data service in order to help to reduce the chance of building up expensive roaming charges. This would eliminate the benefit of the concept behind MasterCard’s validation service.

MasterCard has not failed to recognize this issue. The company is, therefore, working to offer prepaid data packages that can be purchased directly through their own mobile devices from the moment that they arrive in another country. This is meant to help to encourage users to keep their data connection enabled so that they will be able to use the added security based on geolocation technology.

Location based marketing is what customers want

| February 27, 2014

As smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech now includes GPS and other tracking, it has made experiences easier to customize.

According to a recent report from the Pew Institute, the majority of smartphone using adults are now using their mobile devices to obtain information such as directions, which indicates that location based marketing has more of an opportunity now than it ever has before.

In fact, consumers actively use their smartphones for information based on where they are.

This is the type of communication that they want, and if location based marketing is used properly, it can offer them exactly what consumers are seeking. The Pew Institute’s data showed that 74 percent of smartphone owners who are aged 18 years or older “say they use their phone to get directions or other information based on their current location.”Location Based Technology - What Consumers Want

The penetration of smartphones has also expanded the opportunity presented by location based marketing.

According to the data from the report, smartphone penetration in the United States has now reached 74 percent and it is continuing to rise. This means that a very large percentage of cell phone users are using geolocation technology and are open to some level of mobile marketing based on where they are.

Consumers are using geolocation for a range of different types of activities, particularly when it comes to shopping. This is making for hot mobile marketing news as mcommerce using companies that are always seeking new and effective ways to reach consumers through their devices of choice.

Shoppers can be influenced by location based marketing as they conduct searches for directions to a specific place, to find the nearest shop in a chain, or simply to discover the best place to grab a coffee based on where they are at that specific moment. They may also research a product and then want to find it in a retail store that is nearby and that offers it for a good price. Increasingly, they are relying on their mobile devices to tell them what they want and where they can find it. Businesses that want to ensure that they stay on top are working to make sure that they can be found at exactly those moments.