Category: Mobile Payments

Service will provide consumers with a way to shop for and purchase products through advertisements

Google has been testing a new service that will allow consumers to purchasing products directly through advertisements in a move to expand its presence in the mobile commerce space. The new feature, called Purchases with Google, is specifically designed for mobile consumers, giving them more opportunities to shop for and purchase products when conducting searches online. The new service represents yet another step in Google’s plans to become a major player in the mobile commerce space.

Google is taking another step into the competitive mobile commerce space

Google is seeing more competition coming from others that have entered into the mobile shopping space. As such, it is looking for ways to better engage consumers through innovative services. Google has been investing in these new services quite heavily, with Purchases with Google being one of the most recent of these services to have been unveiled by the company. The service comes with “buy” buttons, which will allow consumers to quickly purchase products they are exposed to through advertisements.

New services are providing consumers with ways to find deals on products they are interested in

Another service, called Google Now, is also being introduced as a way to alert smartphone users about information concerning sales being held by retailers and loyalty programs. Many of these alerts are meant to be location-based, providing consumers with information about the benefits they can find from local stores. Google is also working to provide consumers with better product information ratings, which could be used to find products that they are interested in.

Mobile commerce companies are finding new ways to engage consumers

Currently, Google is testing its new mobile commerce service, but intends to launch it in the coming months. The service could place Google as a prominent mobile commerce organization, especially among retailers that are interested in engaging mobile consumers more effectively. The company will still face significant challenges from other organizations involved in mobile commerce, as well, as these companies begin introducing effective ways to engage those with smartphones and tablets.

7-Eleven, PChome, and CTBC have all introduced this new smartphone payments option.

PChome Online Inc subsidiary, Pi Mobile Technology Inc. has now launched the Pi mobile wallet app for consumers to use to may payments at over 5,000 convenience stores throughout Taiwan.

The application is the result of a collaborative effort among some of the major players in the country.

The Pi mobile wallet has come about because PChome, CTBC, and Uni-President Enteterprises are all working together to launch it. PChome is the top online shopping portal in Taiwan. CTBC Bank is the leading issuer of credit cards in the country. Uni-President Enterprises is the operator of Taiwan’s 7-Eleven franchise. According to Jan Hung-tze, the chairman of PChome, at a press conference, “The partnership with 7-Eleven is expected to accelerate growth in mobile payment usage in Taiwan, as smartphones and convenience stores have become an integral part of our daily lives.”

When the mobile wallet is combined with a credit card from CTBC, small purchases can be made.

These mobile payments have a maximum limit of NT$1,000 (almost US$32.00). The wallet app allows consumers with a CTBC Bank credit card to buy products at the 7-Eleven stores across the country. All they need to do is have the Pi application running on their smartphones. When the user is ready to make a purchase, a unique barcode is displayed on the smartphone screen. It is then scanned at the checkout counter and the payment is automatically made. The transaction is then verified and completed when the user enters a four digit code.

In the country, cash payments currently make up an estimated 75 percent of all transactions, according to Jan. They are considerably behind the times when compared to the trends in other countries in the Asia Pacific region as well as in many nations around the world. In Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong, for example, cash payments have dropped to about 50 percent.

All credit card information from this mobile wallet is stored remotely, and transactions can be completed only if the four digit code is used. In that way, the mobile security features are in place to stop the device from being used to make purchases by the wrong person. Furthermore, the fact that it can be used only at 7-Eleven and it has a maximum transaction limit further reduces the risk of fraudulent charges.