Category: Mobile Commerce

Barnes & Noble wins acclaims for simplistic approach to mobile commerce

Keynote, a leading Internet and mobile cloud testing and monitoring firm, has released the latest results of its Keynote Mobile Commerce Performance Index. The Index ranks companies based on their mobile commerce services and consumer engagement in e-commerce. Companies that offer accessible mobile commerce services to consumers generally earn the top spot on the Index. According to Keynote’s latest results, the top company in this regard is Barnes & Noble.

Simplicity may be the best approach

Barnes & Noble has managed to reach the top spot on the Keynote Index due to its very simplistic approach to mobile commerce. The company, which boasts of a strong online presence, offers services that are both easy-to-use and convenient for consumers that like to shop from their mobile devices. Other retailers tend to provide somewhat complicated services to consumers, which can make mobile commerce somewhat of a hassle for those wanting to purchase products from their mobile devices. Barnes & Noble, however, believes that simplicity is the key to success.

Company continues to beat out competitors in retail

The company has managed to beat the odds when it comes to the retail sector. Specializing in book sales, Barnes & Noble has been fighting to retain a strong presence in the retail industry as consumers become more tech-savvy. In 2011, one of the company’s major competitors, Borders, went out of business due to lackluster sales of physical products. Borders had a very modest presence in the online world and was not accommodating to mobile commerce, which contributed to the company’s downfall. After Borders became defunct, Barnes & Noble was quick to acquire its competitors trademarks and customer list.

Simplicity may help company retain top spot in Index

When it comes to e-commerce, Barnes & Noble’s major competitor is Amazon. Keynote notes that the company has managed to acquire a great deal of favor from consumers due to its focus on making its mobile commerce services simple and accessible. If the company can continue offering easy-to-use services, it may continue earning the top spot on Keynote’s Index.

Businesses in Canada seem interested in the technology but are wary of the costs that will be involved.

The wireless industry in Canada is strengthening the push that it has been making to accelerate the adoption of mobile payments, but merchants are feeling frustrated and pressured as they anticipate higher fees.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has said that businesses are preparing to be hit with costs.

The organization, which represents over 109,000 small businesses in the country, said that mobile payments are primed to develop into the “next big fee palooza” for credit card companies, banks, payment processors, and wireless carriers. It has expressed that there has been a “breakdown of trust” between those providers and small businesses.

Small businesses are just waiting to see what higher processing fees and other premiums come with mobile payments.

The CFIB said that the lack of trust from small business toward those companies already exists and is coming from the premium credit card transaction processes that already involve higher processing fees in order to accept them. Now the organization says those companies are waiting to see what mobile payments will have up its sleeves.

The CFIB has said that it is seeking an “express consent” requirement. This would mean that merchants would not have to accept transactions over smartphones and tablets just because they have signed up for the programs to accept contactless credit card transactions.

Canadians have already been using the Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass contactless terminals in order to make small purchases. Those are the same devices that could be used to accept mobile payments through NFC technology and the CFIB is concerned that the industry will soon be implementing new fees with the use of those devices for accepting smartphone transactions. This would make it difficult for small businesses to remove that option later on if they already have the devices for the contactless card transactions.

On the other hand, banks and wireless providers have stated that they do not have any intention to implement new fees for mobile payments but are concerned that a provision for express consent would slow down merchant adoption of the transaction option.