Stripe aims to bring mobile commerce to Ireland
Stripe, a payment processing company, has been working on a mobile commerce platform recently and has plans to launch this platform in the coming months. The first market that will receive access to the Stripe platform will be Ireland, where mobile commerce has been attracting a significant level of attention over the past several months. Ireland will serve as a launch platform for Stripe before it moves into other markets throughout Europe.
European consumers demanding new platforms
European consumers are beginning to grow more comfortable with the idea of mobile commerce. The proliferation of smartphones and tablets has made it exceedingly easy for these consumers to get involved in online shopping. Companies like Telefonica, for example, are making a strong push to promote mobile commerce among consumers, but comprehensive platforms like Stripe are needed in order to ensure that consumers have a way to make mobile payments.
Stripe could be popular with businesses
The Stripe platform is not only designed for consumers, as it can also be used by companies that are interested in mobile commerce. The platform allows these companies to accept mobile payments from any platform, whether it be a website, mobile device, desktop, or tablet. This could be a well received tool in the retail sector as many companies have been seeking out new platforms that can help bolster their mobile commerce performance.
Stripe to face major competition
Though Stripe may have strong ambitions and the backing of powerful investors, it will still face strong competition in the mobile commerce space. Large companies like Square and Barclays have been pushing their way into this market, establishing a dominating presence therein. If Stripe can find a foothold with consumers and businesses, it may become Europe’s next mobile commerce phenomenon, effectively exposing many consumers to the idea of mobile payments.
Cardtek teams with Trevica to expand mobile commerce
The Cardtek group, a provider of payment systems and services around the world, has entered into a partnership with Trevica, a subsidiary of MasterCard. Trevica is a payment processing firm based in Poland. The company has been attracting significant attention in recent months due to its capabilities in mobile commerce, which are backed by MasterCard. As mobile commerce grows more famous around the world, the need for mobile payment services increases, creating opportunities for companies looking to provide such services and accommodate the demands of consumers.
New NFC-based service to be introduced to Trevica
Through this partnership, Cardtek will work to establish an NFC-based mobile commerce system for Trevica. The system will leverage NFC technology to make mobile payments possible across a wide range of platforms. Trevica will use this new system to help facilitate mobile payments for European banks and other organizations that are interested in engaging mobile consumers on this level. While the system is designed to make mobile commerce more available throughout Europe, it may fall short due to the low availability of NFC-enabled mobile devices.
NFC technology continues to prove problematic
NFC technology is widely considered to be a staple of mobile commerce. The technology provides a way for financial information to be access over very short distances, removing the need for physical forms of currency, such as cash or credit cards. Many of today’s mobile commerce services are based on NFC technology, but the availability of mobile devices equipped with this technology is low. Smartphones and tablets that do not use NFC technology cannot be used to facilitate mobile payments. Because NFC-enabled devices are not in high supply, the mobile commerce sector has grown slowly over time, leading many of the companies and organizations interested in this sector to seek out other forms of mobile commerce.
NFC may yet have a future in mobile commerce
Despite the problems associated with NFC technology, mobile commerce remains a very popular notion, especially among tech-savvy consumers that are constantly tethered to their mobile devices. As the demand for mobile commerce services grows, the supply for NFC-enabled devices also increases, making it more likely that more consumers will engage in mobile payments in the future. Partnerships like that between Cardtek and Trevica aim to take advantage of this trend.
