Author: BWild

PayPal launches new mobile payments service

| December 2, 2013

PayPal teams with Orderbird to expand presence in Germany

PayPal has become an aggressive force in the mobile payments arena. The company has been establishing a strong presence in several mobile markets around the world and has become one of the most accessible mobile payment platforms because it is not based solely on NFC technology. PayPal has launched a new service in Germany that is meant to further bolster its presence in the European mobile sector. This service was launched with the help of Orderbird, a startup mobile commerce firm based in Germany.

Service aims to put a new twist on commerce

The new service is called PayPal CheckIn and it is designed to create a more personalized shopping experience for consumers. Using the service, a consumer can build a profile like they would on a conventional social networking site. This profile is activated when a person enters into a store that is using the PayPal CheckIn service. This is a form of geo-location that is similar to social networks like Foursquare and Facebook. Using the profile associated with the service allows consumers to shop for products they may be interested in based on their shopping history.

Orderbird customers show interest in PayPal services

Mobile Payments Partnership - PayPal and OrderbirdOrderbird notes that the service will initially be trialed among a small number of businesses, mostly cafes and small retail outlets located in Berlin, Germany. Some 1,700 merchants throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are using Orderbird’s services currently, and these merchants have been showing interest from the new mobile payments platform being offered by PayPal.

PayPal continues to pursue mobile commerce

PayPal already has several mobile commerce ventures it is invested in, with the most prominent being Beacon. The company has managed to attract a great deal of support from consumers looking to engage in mobile commerce but cannot easily do so because of a lack of NFC-enabled device. PayPal has opted to avoid using NFC technology for its mobile commerce ventures in order to make them much more inclusive to the general population.

Mobile commerce explodes in China

| November 27, 2013

Chinese mobile commerce is showing strong growth

Mobile commerce has gained a great deal of momentum in China recently. Consumers throughout the country are beginning to embrace mobile technology and smartphones and tablets are beginning to play a major role in the lives of many people. As mobile devices become more important to consumers, they are beginning to purchase products using these devices rather than shop in physical stores. A new report from the Development Research Center of the State Council, suggests that mobile payments have taken hold with many Chinese consumers.

Report highlights the growing popularity of mobile payments

According to the report, mobile payments are expected to reach $130.4 billion by the end of the year, more than five times the payment volume recorded from mobile devices throughout China in 2012. The report suggests that consumers throughout the country are showing favor for mobile commerce because of the convenience it brings to the shopping experience. Businesses are also powering the adoption of mobile commerce among consumers by offering shoppers special discounts for purchases that they make from mobile devices.

Alipay accounts for a third of all mobile payments in China

Mobile Commerce - ChinaDuring the “Double Elevens” event, which is similar to Cyber Monday in the U.S. and elsewhere, mobile payments through Alipay, the country’s most prominent mobile commerce platform, reached more than $870 million in transactions. Alipay accounted for one third of all mobile payments made in China, an 800% increase over the mobile payments it accounted for in 2012.

Internet access is exposing more people to mobile commerce

As the mobile Internet becomes more accessible to a wider range of consumers, the growth of mobile commerce throughout China is expected to accelerate. Several Chinese technology firms have taken a strong interest in mobile commerce due to the economic promise it represents. Popular applications like Wechat are beginning to receive mobile commerce features, turning them into somewhat impromptu mobile payments platforms and further increasing the exposure that consumers are experiencing in regards to mobile commerce.