Category: Mobile Commerce

This allows card readers at a point of sale to be entirely replaced by the smartphone.

Flint, a mobile payment solutions company, has taken on massive competition, such as PayPal and Square, by releasing its new app that eliminates the need for magnetic card readers, in favor of a unique new system that uses the camera on iPhones for image recognition.

The Flint app applies new algorithms for reading the numbers right off the face of a card.

With the mobile payments data collected through the device camera, a transaction can be immediately completed. The CEO of Flint, Greg Goldfarb, explained that “It doesn’t take a picture of the card.” Instead, it uses the camera feature and “It just reads the numbers, and we do that to protect consumer privacy.”

The mobile payments system has been receiving a great deal of attention and applause, particularly for a newbie.

As a first time app developer, it is the recipient of a tremendous amount of positive attention. This is due to the unique tack that it has taken in the development of its mobile payments system and the marketing efforts that it has made to encourage adoption and use. For instance, it allows users to link an account to the Facebook page for their business. This gives customers who have made a purchase the opportunity to create testimonials that will be posted directly onto that page, as well as on their own social network wall.

At the moment, the app is exclusive only to iOS devices. Many in the mobile payments industry are keeping a close watch on this new addition to the marketplace, as they are keen to see how it stands up against a competition that is made up of some well established giants in the transaction domain.

So far, it is receiving positive attention due to its ability to quickly process mobile payments. Retailers like that a dongle is not required in order to make it work, and the free app allows them to begin accepting payments very soon after downloading. However, the primary drawback that has been pointed out is that it currently feels as though it is a step slower than the old fashioned method of swiping a card through a traditional reader.

UK continues to see major shift through mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is beginning to have a major impact on the United Kingdom business sector. Over the past year, mobile commerce has become a very prominent trend, with many consumers clamoring for the change to purchase products using their mobile devices rather than traditional means. Sage Pay, a provider of mobile commerce services, has released its third annual e-Business Report concerning United Kingdom businesses and their adoption of mobile commerce. The report shows that these businesses are beginning to consider mobile consumers as a very important demographic that cannot be ignored.

Report shows that businesses are beginning to focus on their e-commerce websites

The report surveyed some 1,500 online businesses throughout the United Kingdom. According to the report, less than a quarter of these businesses are developing their own mobile application, opting instead to focus on e-commerce websites. Approximately 73% are working to make their websites more accommodating of mobile commerce. These businesses are pushing to see higher levels of mobile traffic to their sites and provide consumers with more decisions during their shopping experience.

Mobile sales making up sizeable portion of activity

Those businesses that have dedicated applications catering to mobile consumers are seeing as much as 19% of their sales come from mobile devices. Sage Pay suggests that this is a sign that the mobile commerce market in the UK is beginning to expand. Consumers are feeling more comfortable engaging in mobile commerce as services become more secure and widely available. Many businesses have begun adopting mobile marketing campaigns that promote their commerce services, thus drawing even more attention to their mobile commerce endeavors.

Businesses becoming more accommodating of mobile consumers

As the UK continues to embrace mobile commerce, the business world is beginning to transform. Companies are beginning to take mobile consumers more seriously, adopting services that are align better with the demands of these consumers. They are also beginning to improve their mobile security measures in order to grow consumer confidence in mobile commerce. As mobile technology continues to grow in popularity, businesses have also begun adopting social media marketing as a powerful tool to get the attention of mobile consumers.