Author: Stephen

New mobile payments service launched in Canada

| November 12, 2013

Moneris launches new mobile payments service

Moneris Solutions, a Canadian payment processor, has launched a new mobile payments service called “Payd Pro.” The new service is designed to be used alongside debit cards, allowing the financial information associated with these cards to be used by a mobile device. The mobile payments service is meant to make commerce more convenient for consumers that are constantly on the go and could be ideal for commuters that have little time to shop at physical stores.

Payd Pro utilizes Bluetooth technology

Unlike other mobile payments services, Payd Pro is not based on NFC technology. This is because NFC-enabled mobile devices are still quite rare among consumers and NFC has begun to attract a significant amount of criticism regarding its security. Instead, Payd Pro utilizes Bluetooth technology in order to make it more accessible to both iOS and Android devices. The Payd Pro application offers a variety of mobile commerce management tools that have been developed by Moneris. These tools have been quite well received by small businesses in Canada that have used them in the past.

Canada Mobile Payments ServiceService encrypts card data at transaction

Payd Pro encrypts the card data that it uses at the time of transaction. This is meant to provide security for the financial information that is being used to conduct mobile payments. Security has become a major issue when it comes to the world of mobile commerce due to the malicious parties that have been attracted to this rapidly growing sector. Hackers have shown interest in mobile commerce because of the relatively low-level security systems that many platforms are equipped with.

Consumers and businesses showing increasing interest in mobile payments

Canadian consumers have been growing more interested in mobile payments in recent years, largely due to the growing levels of smartphone and tablet ownership. As more people are exposed to the concept of mobile commerce, the more they are demanding mobile payments services that are both secure and easy to use. Moneris has been able to meet this demand to some degree with its variety of mobile commerce services offered to consumers and businesses alike.

Zapp aims to bring strong competition to the mobile commerce field

| November 7, 2013

Mobile commerce competition continues to heat up

It is not uncommon for companies to compete with one another, especially in the field of mobile commerce. It is relatively uncommon, however, for start-ups to target large corporations as their major competition. Mobile commerce firm Zapp, which is based in the United Kingdom, has taken aim at both Visa and MasterCard, seeking to dethrone these two companies in the mobile commerce arena. Zapp plans to boast of more than 20 million users by the end of 2017, an ambitious goal that if achieved would make the firm one of the most successful entities in the mobile commerce field.

Zapp aims for 20 million users by 2017

Zapp was launched earlier this year and aims to make mobile payments in stores, online, and through applications more convenient and accessible to consumers in the United Kingdom. The firm intends to incorporate its mobile payments system into banking application from some of the country’s largest financial firms. Zapp is reportedly close to closing deals with three prominent banks in the UK, which will give the company significant momentum to launch its mobile commerce services through these institutions at some point next year.

Mobile Commerce CompetitionBanks could incorporate Zapp services

Zapp is designed to bypass card networks. Using Zapp, consumers will have a direct connection to their bank accounts, which can be used to make mobile payments for goods and services. Zapp claims that this will make mobile commerce more convenient for consumers as they will never have to deal with physical cards or other forms of physical currency.

Retailers show interest in Zapp

The mobile commerce firm is not only focused on banks, of course, as it also expects several prominent retailers in the UK to make use of its services. Zapp is proving attractive to retailers through the promise of higher checkout completions and the low fees associated with the services it offers. Whether Zapp will be able to compete with Visa and MasterCard among retailers and banks has yet to be seen, as both Visa and MasterCard have a significant head start over the mobile commerce start-up.