The SEQR service will be using near field communication tech according to the company’s announcement.
An SEQR mobile payments service company based in Stockholm, Seamless, has just announced that its product will now include the use of NFC technology for more transaction options.
The latest predictions from the company say that it will be implementing the contactless tech any day now.
The company has said that the solution is ready and that consumers should expect to start seeing the NFC technology in stores any time now. At the moment, it uses SEQR, which is a method that applies QR codes that are affixed to the terminals at the point of sale in a store. This allows smartphone users to scan the barcodes in order to be able to complete a purchase transaction.
As with the former version of the service, the company’s app is required to use the NFC technology.
In order to make payments using the NFC technology, smartphone users must have an enabled device in which they have downloaded the Seamless app. From there, they can choose to either scan the QR code or they can tap the device to the NFC stickers, which will produce the same results. This action automatically uses funds from the user’s account to pay for the purchase.
Though the QR codes should still be available, the new solution will allow NFC technology stickers to be used instead by devices that are capable of using them. According to the president and CEO of Seamless, Peter Fredell, “This will make us a completely technology-independent option for retailers and users.”
Fredell also pointed out that “It still costs the retailer nothing to introduce SEQR, and no expensive hardware or complicated installation is needed. With the Seamless NFC solution, we have also solved the big security problems that were previously associated with NFC technology.”
The company has stated that its new mobile payments solution has allowed it to become the leading smartphone transaction service in Sweden. It has already been adopted by McDonald’s restaurants as well as by the grocery retailer, Axfood group, which has allowed it to become widespread throughout Sweden. Now, it will be bringing NFC technology to each of these locations, as well.
Cardtek teams with Trevica to expand mobile commerce
The Cardtek group, a provider of payment systems and services around the world, has entered into a partnership with Trevica, a subsidiary of MasterCard. Trevica is a payment processing firm based in Poland. The company has been attracting significant attention in recent months due to its capabilities in mobile commerce, which are backed by MasterCard. As mobile commerce grows more famous around the world, the need for mobile payment services increases, creating opportunities for companies looking to provide such services and accommodate the demands of consumers.
New NFC-based service to be introduced to Trevica
Through this partnership, Cardtek will work to establish an NFC-based mobile commerce system for Trevica. The system will leverage NFC technology to make mobile payments possible across a wide range of platforms. Trevica will use this new system to help facilitate mobile payments for European banks and other organizations that are interested in engaging mobile consumers on this level. While the system is designed to make mobile commerce more available throughout Europe, it may fall short due to the low availability of NFC-enabled mobile devices.
NFC technology continues to prove problematic
NFC technology is widely considered to be a staple of mobile commerce. The technology provides a way for financial information to be access over very short distances, removing the need for physical forms of currency, such as cash or credit cards. Many of today’s mobile commerce services are based on NFC technology, but the availability of mobile devices equipped with this technology is low. Smartphones and tablets that do not use NFC technology cannot be used to facilitate mobile payments. Because NFC-enabled devices are not in high supply, the mobile commerce sector has grown slowly over time, leading many of the companies and organizations interested in this sector to seek out other forms of mobile commerce.
NFC may yet have a future in mobile commerce
Despite the problems associated with NFC technology, mobile commerce remains a very popular notion, especially among tech-savvy consumers that are constantly tethered to their mobile devices. As the demand for mobile commerce services grows, the supply for NFC-enabled devices also increases, making it more likely that more consumers will engage in mobile payments in the future. Partnerships like that between Cardtek and Trevica aim to take advantage of this trend.
