Square announces plans to open up new office in Canada this year
Square, one of the largest mobile payments firms in the U.S., is continuing its efforts to break into new markets by opening up a new office in Canada. The company has found significant success in the mobile space through its various partnerships, one of the most famous of which is its partnership with Starbucks. By teaming with Starbucks, Square was able to secure its position as a leader in the mobile commerce space. Now, the company is looking to expand beyond the U.S.
New office to be based in Ontario and tap into province’s tech community
Square has plans to open up a new office with more than 30 employees in Ontario, Canada, by September of this year. The company is looking to tap into Ontario’s “thriving and talented tech community” in order to establish a foothold in the Canadian mobile commerce space. The demand for effective mobile commerce solutions in Canada has been on the rise among businesses and consumers alike, and the time may be right for Square to take advantage of this growing demand.
Square helps iOS users participate in mobile commerce
Part of the appeal of Square is that it makes mobile payments possible on iOS devices. These devices do not have the inherent ability to participate in mobile commerce and rely on auxiliary applications and hardware in order to do so. This has been something of a problem for iOS users that are interested in mobile commerce, but their demands are being met, to some degree, by Square’s services.
Retailers are beginning to feel the need to engage mobile consumers and Square may be able to help
Canadian retailers are becoming more conscious of the mobile space and are taking steps to engage consumers through a variety of mobile initiatives. Square will offer a new way to engage these consumers and encourage them to make payments with their mobile devices. Engaging mobile consumers will likely lead to higher sales for retailers and helping them appeal more to a demographic that is beginning to change rapidly.
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.
Service 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.
