Mobile commerce platform gets a boost from Vodafone
Weve, a mobile commerce platform, has announced that it has integrated with Vodafone, a leading multinational telecommunications company, to further its goals in mobile commerce and advertising. Weve is a relatively new platform that aims to expand mobile commerce through the use of marketing and other services. Over the past year, the platform has become very popular in several industries, thus attracting the attention of Vodafone and similar groups. Through this new partnership, Weve will now be able to operate and trade in new customer bases.
Weve gains access to 15 million new consumers
The new partnership gives Weve access to 15 million new consumers found throughout Vodafone’s expansive network. Many of these consumers have already been exposed to mobile commerce and have shown a strong interest in the practice. Weve will also gain a connection to advertisers that have a strong interest in engaging mobile consumers. Weve CEO Nancy Cruickshank claims that the integration of Vodafone marks the consumer critical mass that the company needs to become a breakout mobile commerce and marketing force.
New products currently under development
Weve has begun offering its core products and services to its customers recently. The company offers typical mobile commerce services, but also location-based messaging, application discovery messaging, video messaging, and various mobile marketing solutions that could appeal to brands that have a strong focus on the mobile space. The company is currently in the process of developing more products that will be suitable for a wider range of consumers.
Multi-channel approach gives Weve a competitive edge
Mobile commerce has become very popular all over the world. There are many mobile commerce platforms available in the market, but very few offer mobile marketing services as part of the platform itself. Weve is one of the few, if not the only, that combines several aspects of mobile business into a singular platform, which could make it a strong competitor against companies like Google that are seeking to establish dominance in the mobile commerce market.
Mobile security is a potential catastrophic problem, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection. The federal government has been pushing for more comprehensive mobile security measures to be put in place throughout the country. Mobile applications and the information they collect from consumers has, thus far, been the primary focus of the government’s mobile security concerns, with the FTC aiming to hold applications developers and companies responsible for the information that they collect.
FTC targeting companies collecting consumer information
The issue of mobile security has become more pronounced since the FTC filed a case against Compete, a search marketing firm. Compete uses technology to collect personal data from consumers using its services, without providing these consumers with information about how this data will be used. In the case, the FTC has prohibited the company from collecting consumer information without the express consent of the consumer. The FTC also closed several cases against companies concerning the use of software that was being used to deliberately spy on consumers.
Google runs afoul of federal government
Google was also targeted by the FTC in late 2012 for circumventing the protocols of Apple’s Safari Internet browser to introduce users to targeted advertisements. The massive technology company was fined a record setting penalty of $22.5 million for breaching mobile security standards. FTC officials are likening the current state of the country’s mobile security practices to the “wild, wild west,” suggesting that many companies operating in the mobile space have little to no concern for mobile security.
Mobile security recommendations coming from the FTC
The FTC is currently developing recommendations concerning mobile security standards titled “Building Trust Through Transparency.” These recommendations are meant to help ensure the protection of consumer information, keeping this data safe from exploitation by marketers and similar groups. The initial recommendations will focus on companies collecting information from mobile consumers. In the future, the FTC will focus more closely on application developers, hoping to further bolster mobile security for consumers.
