OpenTable is getting ready to expand into new markets later this year
OpenTable is a mobile payments program that was first announced in early February by a company of the same name. The company has been experimenting with the program for some time, evaluating its viability as a comprehensive mobile commerce service. Thus far, OpenTable has proven to be quite useful and has received support from consumers and businesses alike. The program is designed to appeal to the food service industry, where mobile commerce is beginning to see more adoption.
Restaurants are looking for mobile-centric services
Restaurants are beginning to take steps to cater to mobile consumers. These consumers are looking for ways to use their smartphones and tablets to place orders and make payments in a way that is convenient to them. Convenience is one of the major appeals of mobile commerce and those in the food service industry are looking to provide effective services that highlight this convenience.
OpenTable plans to be available in 20 large cities by the end of the year
OpenTable has announced that it is expanding its services to New York. A number of restaurants in the state will begin making use of the mobile payments program and the company believes that its program will be put to use in 20 large cities throughout the U.S. by the end of the year. OpenTable will facilitate mobile payments for those visiting restaurants that are using the program. In some cases, consumers will be able to make payments directly from their smartphones. Some restaurants will provide a tablet device at the table, allowing customers to pay for their meals from through that device.
OpenTable to take advantage of its large consumer base in order to compete with other programs
OpenTable will be competing in a very crowded market. Mobile commerce services are becoming more common and many of these services are beginning to cater to the needs of the food service industry. In order to effectively compete, OpenTable is leveraging its already sizeable consumer base. The OpenTable application comes pre-installed on many smartphones, making it one of the most widely available, but not necessarily widely used, apps in the mobile commerce market.
FTC report finds that many mobile applications are falling short
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has released a new report focused on the mobile commerce space. According to the report, mobile commerce applications lack the mechanisms necessary to resolve payment disputes coming from those that use them. These application may also be unable to adequately protect their user’s privacy. These are issues that have often been points of criticism in the mobile shopping realm, but relatively little has been done to resolve the problems associated with these issues.
Report shows that apps are not providing consumers with the information that they need
The report from the Federal Trade Commission outlines significant shortcomings in the disclosures that applications offered to consumers regarding rights and certain liability limitations. Many of these applications were very ambiguous in detailing what consumer information is accessed and how this information is being used. These apps also lacked effective anti-fraud mechanisms, which may be putting consumer financial information at risk.
Apps are playing a larger role in the digital shopping experience
Mobile applications are beginning to play a more central role in the shopping experience. Consumers are beginning to use apps to find and purchase products that they are interested in, but some of these apps are unable to provide an effective service to these people. In some cases, these applications fail completely in processing a payment, leaving payment information in a state of limbo and frustrating consumers.
Mobile commerce is beginning to see more regulatory attention in the U.S. and other parts of the world
As mobile commerce continues to grow more popular, it will fall under more aggressive regulatory scrutiny. The mobile payments space is still in a state of infancy and, as such, may not have appropriate measures in place to protect consumers and their financial information. Services that do not offer adequate protection or properly inform consumers about payment dispute resolutions and information collection may find it difficult to find long lasting success. With competition in the mobile commerce market as aggressive as it is currently, few platforms can afford to alienate consumers.
