Weve emerges from floundering consortium
Mobile commerce is on the rise in the United Kingdom, but the consortium that would have established itself as a unified platform for the various NFC efforts that were taking root in the country has gone through a turbulent rebranding stage. The consortium, formerly known as Project Oscar, was comprised of mobile operators, financial institutions, and some technology companies, all of which had big hopes for NFC technology and mobile commerce. This consortium has been rebranded as Weve and has adopted a new focus that is very different from what the vision had been in the past.
Consortium was meant to provide platform for NFC applications
In the past, when Weve was still Project Oscar, the purpose of the consortium was to provide a standard platform for all companies interested in mobile commerce. These companies could import their NFC-based applications onto the platform, which would enable them to reach consumers across several mobile networks. The idea was that the companies that participated in the consortium would get a cut of the profits made through fees imposed on each transaction made through the NFC applications it supported. This quickly became unpopular when companies like Visa and MasterCard suggested they had no intention of sharing their profits.
Weve shifts focus toward mobile marketing
The newly branded Weve is shifting its focus away from NFC technology and toward mobile marketing. The consortium has seen its ability to promote mobile commerce through NFC technology flounder and is looking for a way to provide a unified platform for businesses that is not entirely focused on a niche technology. Thus, the consortium will serve as a platform for various mobile commerce initiatives and those concerned with marketing to mobile consumers. Weve will not abandon NFC technology, but the technology with not be its sole focus going forward.
Mobile marketing may be a turbulent sector for Weve
Weve is keen to push the concept of mobile advertisements amongst businesses, but these advertisements have not been performing well for some of their largest proponents. Both Google and Facebook have invested heavily into mobile marketing and have found that mobile advertisements are not faring well with many consumers.
Isis platform prepares for launch this month
There is a lot of attention surrounding mobile commerce and the various platforms that are becoming available to consumers, allowing them to participate in the burgeoning industry. Consumers have proven themselves to be keenly interested in the concept of using their mobile devices to make payments for goods and services, thus boosting the demand for mobile commerce platforms. Google has already launched its own platform, successfully attracting consumers from around the world. The company will soon face its most significant competition in the industry, however, as the Isis platform prepares for launch later this month.
Challenges facing platform may have been overcome
Isis is a mobile commerce platform and joint venture from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. The platform is much like other of its kind; it is able to facilitate mobile transactions using NFC technology. Unlike other platforms, however, Isis has managed to acquire the support of most of the world’s major credit and financial institutions. Despite this support, the launch of Isis has been delayed several times in the past, largely due to concerns regarding security and the viability of the features it offers.
October 22 marks beginning of aggressive promotional campaign
Isis is currently conducting trials of its platform in New Jersey and international markets, and believes that the time is quickly approaching for an official launch. As such, Isis has announced that it will launch to the commercial market on October 22 of this year. That day will mark the beginning of a near-month long promotional campaign in which consumers can purchase certain NFC-enabled mobile devices at a significant discount and receive a Visa pre-paid card that will be used with the platform.
Isis may be able to beat out Google in mobile commerce industry
Isis is poised to be the most significant competition that Google and other companies invested in mobile commerce will face. Backed by the support of a multitude of financial and credit organizations, the platform has already established a strong attraction with consumers. Moreover, Isis has been working hard over the past several months to educate consumers on how to use the platform to conduct mobile payments, something that other companies have not done.
