Tag: NFC-enabled mobile devices

PayPal claims NFC technology is hurting retail

| January 29, 2013

PayPal snubs nfc technologyPayPal continues to snub NFC technology in mobile commerce

It is no secret that PayPal is not a fan of NFC technology. The technology enables mobile devices to collect and distribute information over very short distances. While the technology has seen use in marketing, its most well known for its uses in mobile commerce. NFC technology can effectively turn any mobile device into a payment platform, allowing consumers to make purchases for goods and services using nothing but their smart phones or tablets. While the concept of mobile commerce has becoming very attractive to consumers, PayPal believes that its reliance on NFC technology is a fallacy.

Use of NFC technology may lead to failure

In the past, PayPal has been somewhat outspoken in its opposition of NFC technology. Recently, however, the company has been growing more aggressive in its stance on the matter. According to David Marcus, president of PayPal, the technology may actually be harmful for the retail industry, which has come to embrace mobile commerce in a big way. Marcus suggests that NFC is not the right technology to facilitate mobile payments from consumers and that the more retailers focus on its use, the more likely they are to meet failure.

Poor experiences create tension in mobile commerce

Marcus suggests that NFC technology created a very limited experience for consumers, especially with their relationship to a retailer. Despite the somewhat simplistic nature of NFC technology, Marcus claims that consumers often have a bad experience when making purchases with NFC-enabled devices at retail stores. The president of PayPal notes that this experience is largely due to the fact that consumers are forced to make use of physical NFC terminals in order to make a purchase, rather than make purchases wherever they are using their Internet connection on their smart phone or tablet.

PayPal investing in alternative solution

PayPal has been investing heavily in an alternative to NFC technology. The company has been working on building a multi-channel solution that will allow consumers to make mobile payments without having to interact with a physical terminal or checkout system. The solution that the company has been investing in is meant to facilitate payments in-store and online, providing consumers with more flexibility in their mobile commerce interests.

Apple losing ground in prominent markets

| January 29, 2013

Apple losing ground in AsiaConsumer fatigue threatens Apple in Asia

The iPhone continues to be a rampaging success in the U.S. and European markets, but fatigue may be setting in for those in the Asian market. Some of Asia’s most influential cities are beginning to show signs of iPhone fatigue, especially as a new generation of consumers, who have grown up steeped in technology, begin to show less interest in the popular mobile device. Consumers in both Singapore and Hong Kong are beginning to look for alternatives to Apple, which may have a dramatic impact on the company’s future.

Apple continues focus on mobile world

Apple has seen remarkable success in its mobile ventures and has adopted a very strict focus on the mobile world in general. The introduction of the iPhone solidified the company’s hold on the mobile space. As the years have gone by, the company has introduced several new iterations of the iPhone, each featuring new technology and services that Apple believed to be ideal for consumers. The company has also entered into the tablet market with the iPad, a venture that has also proven to be rampantly successful.

Market share dropping quickly in Singapore

While Apple has enjoyed the worldwide success of its various mobile products, its grasp on the Asian market is beginning to loosen. This is due to a number of factors, including iPhone fatigue, and the desire that many consumers are showing for other brands, particularly those from Samsung. According to StatCounter, a traffic measuring service that collects data from more than 3 million websites, Apple’s share of mobile devices in Singapore dropped significantly in 2012. StatCounter shows that in this month alone, Apple’s market share dropped by 50%.

Consumers in Hong Kong and elsewhere show favor for Android

Similar results are being seen in Hong Kong. Approximately 30% of all mobile devices therein come from Apple. In both markets, the Android platform is picking up much of the slack. This may be due to the fact that some of the latest Android devices include NFC technology, which allows for a wide range of new services, including mobile commerce, that are absent from t he iOS platform.