Author: JT

Mobile payments are coming to the health care sector

| April 20, 2015

InstaMed announces support for Apple’s mobile payments service

InstaMed, a health care payments network, has announced that it will be supporting mobile payments made through Apple Pay. Apple’s new payment platform has broken into the health care sector, where a growing number of people are beginning to use their mobile devices to manage their accounts online. Apple Pay was launched late last year, finding support among a large number of prominent retailers. In a relatively short amount of time, the service has become quite popular among consumers with iOS devices.

Consumers will now be able to use their mobile devices to pay for their medical bills

Those with an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will now be able to use Apple Pay in concert with InstaMed. This will allow them to make contactless payments and manage their medical costs. InstaMed offers its services to a wide range of providers. Many health care organizations are beginning to see promise in the mobile payments field, not for financial gain, but as a way to make it easier for consumers to pay for the medical care that they receive. Mobile payments have been praised for their convenient nature and growing reliance on mobile devices is beginning to change the way people interact with businesses.

20% of consumers currently have unpaid medical bills

Mobile Payments - Health CareAccording to InstaMed, approximately 20% of consumers have unpaid medical bills. This is largely due to confusion regarding the payment process. InstaMed believes that this problem will continue to grow as more consumers enroll in high deductible health insurance plans. Resolving confusion concerning the payment process is becoming a priority in the health care field and mobile payments may be able to introduce some simplicity to the process that will alleviate this problem, to some extent.

Health care providers are becoming more mobile-friendly

The mobile payments industry is expected to reach $142 billion by 2019, and health care providers are beginning to position themselves to embrace the mobile space. Health care providers may benefit from the advent of mobile commerce, as it will make them more accommodating to consumers and give them access to a growing mobile consumer base.

Mobile websites are becoming mandatory for Google rankings

| April 15, 2015

Google wants companies to make mobile websites in order to keep their search engine rankings

Google is making changes to the way it ranks websites on its popular search engine. Such changes are not uncommon from the company, which often updates its ranking methodology to accommodate changing trends in various sectors. One of the most influential of these trends is the growing use of mobile technology. With more consumers using smartphones and tablets to browse the Internet, Google has issued a mandate for those ranked on its search engine to become more mobile friendly.

Companies have until April 21 to make mobile websites

Websites have until April 21 to meet Google’s standards concerning mobile friendliness if they do not want to receive a lower ranking on the company’s search engine. Large companies have already addressed the mobile friendly issue, making their websites easily accessible via mobile devices. Smaller businesses, however, may struggle to adopt to Google’s new search standards, as they may not have the resources needed to become mobile-centric. Mobile websites have become a powerful tool that can be used to engage a new generation of consumers.

Small businesses may see the most significant impact from Google’s new rules

mobile websitesSmall retailers may see the greatest impact by not complying with Google’s new standards. These companies tend to operate their own websites, choosing not to use services like WordPress. As such, they often acquire the services of web developers and designers, whom are responsible for the functionality of these sites and how they look. Making a website mobile friendly can be a difficult and expensive task, which smaller companies may not be able to accomplish in the amount of time that Google has given them.

Growing number of consumers opt to use their mobile devices to shop online

Consumers have shown that they favor companies that have mobile websites, as these sites are easier to navigate on smartphones and tablets. Companies that offer an enjoyable mobile experience tend to find more traction with mobile consumers, especially those interested in digital commerce. Mobile has become a major priority for the retail industry, which has seen a major increase in the number of consumers that are shopping from their mobile devices.