Tag: CurrentC

Retailer has taken note of the growing prominence of mobile commerce among consumers

Wal-Mart believes that its customers will embrace mobile payments more readily in the coming years. The retailer has taken note of the growth of mobile commerce as it sees more of its customers begin shopping from their mobile devices. The company has also seen a surge in the mobile traffic to its website. Wal-Mart sees a clear shift in the commerce space, but the company is not yet certain where mobile fits into this shift.

Retailers are still trying to understand the behavior of mobile consumers and how mobile payments fit into the retail space

Mobile payments are still relatively new, and retailers have not had much time to become comfortable with the concept of mobile commerce. Companies like Apple and Google have provided retailers and consumers with mobile payments services that have become quite popular, but retailers are still trying to understand the behavior of mobile consumers. Wal-Mart has been working with the Merchant Customer Exchange, a consortium comprised of large retailers that uses a mobile payments service called CurrentC.

Retailers could be left behind if their consortium does not support the mobile payments platforms that are most successful

Members of the consortium have promised not to support other mobile payment platforms while they are a part of the Merchant Customer Exchange. This could be a problematic issue if Apple Pay, and other services, become more popular. This would leave the retailers involved in the consortium in a difficult position and make it more difficult for them to embrace mobile consumers. Wal-Mart may opt to support other mobile commerce platforms if it needs to compete more effectively in the retail market.

Wal-Mart to continue focusing on making the mobile experience more convenient

The retailer intends to make the mobile experience as convenient as possible for consumers. Convenience is one of the most attractive aspects of mobile commerce, as it allows consumers to avoid lengthy checkout lines and sometimes chaotic crowds. Wal-Mart is expected to focus on supporting convenient platforms that will appeal to consumers that have an interest in mobile payments.

The newly released mobile wallet from Apple is already being shut down by the competition.

According to The New York Times, Rite Aide and CVS Health, two prominent retailers in America, stopped Apple Pay from working in their stores across the country over this past weekend, and although the decision may not make sense in terms of ensuring customer satisfaction, as a business decision it makes more sense considering these retailers and others are planning to implement a mobile payments system that will compete with Apple’s.

A group of retailers are currently working on a mobile payments system called CurrentC

Although CVS did not comment on the decision, A Rite Aid spokesperson, Ashley Flower, said that Rite Aid “does not currently accept Apple Pay,” and that the company was “still in the process of evaluating [its] mobile payment options.”

Furthermore, while Apple also declined to comment on the recent actions taken by the retailers, the chief emerging payments officer at MasterCard, Ed McLaughlin, said that MasterCard believes customers should be able to pay using any method they want and that Rite Aid and CVS made the wrong choice. The well-known credit card company has teamed with Apple on the new system.

However, while the move made by many retailers across the US to disable Apple’s contactless payments has come as a surprise to many, analysts say that disabling Apple Pay could have been a decision that was made to benefit a rival m-payments system known as CurrentC, which is currently being developed by Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), a consortium of merchants, which include CVS, Rite Aid, Gap Inc., Walmart, and Best Buy, among others.

Many believe that Apple Pay will give CurrentC a run for its money.

CurrentC, which is set to be released in 2015, will be connected to the debit account of consumer’s who uses it via an app that users download. This means the payments system would bypass credit card companies, which could mean that merchants might potentially save money on how much they pay in fees for every transaction. To make a purchase, the merchant has to scan a QR code, which initiates the transaction.

Apple Pay, on the other hand, only works with the company’s newly released iPhone 6 devices and it basically supplants tradition credit cards, giving consumers the power to pay for their merchandise with a wave of their smartphone using NFC (near field communication) technology. Presently, over 220,000 retailers are equipped with this technology.

The New York Times reported that those who are opposed to CurrentC say that the system will be harder to use than Apple Pay, as it will require customers to unlock phones or open an app, which is more complex than simply paying with a credit card or cash. McLaughlin believes Apple will win in the end because its payment system “is the most convenient, most secure, and what’s best for consumers.”