Denny |
November 15, 2013
Visa Europe and Telecom Italia partner for new mobile payments venture
Telecom Italia and Visa Europe have entered into a new strategic partnership in order to boost mobile payments throughout Italy. Both companies have shown a major interest in mobile commerce and have been working to break into this field for some time. Mobile commerce, however, is quite competitive and is filled with technology, telecommunications, and financial service firms that are all trying to grab the attention of consumers. It is for this reason that strategic partnerships are becoming more common in the mobile commerce sector.
Consumers show strong interest in mobile commerce
Italian consumers have been showing a strong interest in mobile payments. This is partly due to the convenience that mobile commerce represents. Shopping and purchasing products from a mobile device has become quite common among consumers that frequently travel and this trend has not gone unnoticed by Visa Europe and Telecom Italia. Both companies have, therefore, been working to develop new mobile payments services that will be available to an estimated 31 million people across Italy.
NFC-based service may not be popular with consumers
Visa Europe intends to reduce the use of physical currency at point of sale. The new service is meant to provide consumers with more security with their transactions. The service is, however, based on NFC technology, which means that only NFC-enabled mobile devices can take advantage of its features. This may be problematic, as NFC-enabled devices are still somewhat rare among European consumers. New NFC-enabled smartphones are expected to be launched in Italy in 2014, however, which may help resolve this issue.
Mobile payments expected to gain momentum from the holiday season
Mobile payments have been gaining more attention throughout Europe, especially as consumers look for more convenient ways to shop. With the holiday season fast approaching, it is expected that record numbers of people throughout Europe will be using their mobile devices to purchase products online and at physical stores.
Denny |
November 13, 2013
Flipboard begins approaching the mobile commerce field
Flipboard, a social magazine application for iOS and Android devices, has been updated recently in the hopes of extending itself further into the mobile commerce space. Flipboard has taken an interest in mobile commerce due to the revenue potential that it represents. In March of this year, the application was updated with a feature that allowed users to create their own magazines. Now, the application has introduced a catalogs category to this service, which may help it break into the mobile commerce field.
New tools designed to generate commerce activity
The newly added catalog tool is designed to expand the application’s curation capabilities. Catalogs are meant to act as a way to display and seek out purchasable items. These products can be purchased through a mobile device and users can share the catalogs they find through the application. Flipboard has launched 11 product-oriented magazines in order to generate initial mobile commerce activity. It has also begun collaborating with celebrities in order to generate more awareness concerning it efforts.
Competition is fierce in the mobile commerce arena
Mobile commerce has become quite popular among consumers, but it does represent a very competitive field. Breaking into mobile commerce is no small feat due to the number of start-ups and large companies that are all trying to establish a strong foothold in this sector. Like other entities that are new to the mobile commerce field, Flipboard is taking a somewhat cautious approach rather than jumping headlong into the competition and risking failure.
Expansion of marketing tools may be a boon for brands
Flipboard will continue to generate revenue through its advertising model rather than imposing stringent fees on its catalog tool and mobile commerce initiative. Flipboard plans to expand its advertising in the near future and introduce better tools to marketers that will allow them to develop more targeted campaigns. Numerous brands have been using Flipboard as an advertising platform for some time and the expansion of the application’s marketing features may help these brands reach higher levels of mobile engagement.
