Tag: japan

Square to bring mobile payments to Japan

| May 28, 2013

Japanese consumers to have new option when it comes to mobile payments

Leading mobile payments firm Square has announced that its mobile commerce platform of the same name is now available in Japan. This represents the first time the company has expanded beyond the North American market. Asia has become one of the most attractive markets when it comes to mobile commerce due to the high level of penetration that mobile technology has been seeing over the years. Japan, in particular, has proven to be a hub of activity when it comes to mobile payments.

iPhone consumers may be welcoming of Square

The iPhone is one of the most popular mobile devices among Japanese consumers. This is somewhat ideal for Square as the company’s flagship mobile payments platform was designed for the iOS platform before also being made compatible with the Android platform. Square believes that it can find favor with a multitude of consumers that are eager to participate in mobile commerce without having to embrace NFC technology or purchase a new mobile device just to make mobile payments.

Japan Mobile PaymentsCompetition expected to be fierce

Square’s entry into the Japanese market is being considered very bold as the country is home to several mobile commerce initiatives that have already successfully enthralled many consumers. Square is expected to face staunch competition from NTT docomo and KDDI, two of the largest companies in the mobile commerce sector in Japan. PayPal has also established a strong foothold in Japan through its partnership with Softbank. Square believes that it will be able to win over consumers with its flare for design.

Future of mobile payments in Japan is uncertain for Square

Square has managed to establish a great deal of popularity in the mobile payments space. The company has helped expand mobile commerce throughout North America and has proven that it can compete with other companies that exist in this increasingly crowded field. The Asian market is quite different from that of North America, however, which makes Square’s future in Japan anything but certain.

Docomo sends mobile games to China

| March 27, 2013

China Mobile Games PartnershipDocomo teams with China Mobile to bring mobile games to Chinese consumers

NTT Docomo, one of the largest mobile operators in the world and the largest operator in Japan, has signed an agreement with China Mobile, a developer of mobile games. Through this agreement, Docomo will offer a localized version of its “d game” platform to the Chinese market. The platform is expected to make mobile games more available to consumers throughout the country. This is the first time that the d game platform is being used outside of Japan.

Docomo sees major promise in the mobile sector

Japan is one of the most active mobile markets in the world. Consumers throughout the country have access to and own mobile devices of various types. Many of these people use their devices to play mobile games. China boasts of a large consumer base that is interested in mobile gaming as well, a fact that has not been ignored by Docomo. Mobile games currently represent one of the most lucrative sectors of the game industry as a whole, encouraging companies like Docomo to expand their reach in the gaming as much as they can.

China Mobile to leverage the d game platform

China Mobile boasts of 700 million subscribers, all of whom will be exposed to Docomo’s d game platform in the coming weeks. Initially, 20 mobile games will be available on the platform for Chinese consumers. More games will be introduced to the platform over time, as more titles are localized. Non-game content can be found through the platform as well, some of which comes from well known Japanese game publishers Capcom, Konami, and Square Enix.

China Mobile and Docomo team to promote NFC technology

This is not the first time Docomo and China Mobile have joined forces. In February of this year, the two companies joined forces to launch an international NFC service. The service allows NFC readers developed by both companies to be sold by each company in their given market. The deal was meant to promote social interaction among gamers, as well as promote mobile commerce and information distribution in both China and Japan.