Tag: mobile commerce news

UK mobile commerce platform partners with MasterCard

| February 12, 2014

Weve teams with MasterCard to accelerate adoption among businesses

Weve, an upcoming mobile commerce platform in the United Kingdom, has announced that it has partnered with MasterCard. This partnership is meant to make the launch of Weve throughout the UK smooth as well as accelerate the rate at which merchants adopt the platform. The United Kingdom is quickly becoming one of the most attractive mobile payments market in the world. More consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online, claiming that shopping from a mobile device is more convenient.Mobile Commerce & Payments Partnership

Weve aims to provide organizations with platform that can effectively engage consumers

Weve was introduced last year after it had won the approval of the European Union. The platform represents a joint venture from Vodafone, EE, and O2, three of the largest telecommunications organizations in the United Kingdom. Weve is meant to serve as an all-encompassing platform that banks, retailers, and advertisers can use to engage mobile consumers. Such platforms are becoming more important as consumers begin to rely more heavily on their smartphones and tablets in daily life.

Partnership with MasterCard may attract more attention to mobile commerce platform

In partnering with MasterCard, Weve may be able attract the attention of banks and other organizations more quickly. Banks and retailers typically invest in third parties to develop mobile commerce platforms for them, but these platforms are often quickly developed and offer limited features to consumers. Through Weve, businesses will have a well-developed platform they can use to engage consumers more effectively and provide these consumers with a favorable experience.

Weve may not win favor with iOS consumers without NFC devices

Weve anticipates that it will see widespread rollout in the United Kingdom beginning in 2015. The platform is expected to be used as part of more than 300,000 point of sale systems in the country. The problem, however, is that the platform is based on NFC technology, meaning that those without NFC-enabled mobile devices, such as those with iOS devices, will not be able to make use of Weve. This could limit the potential acceptance than Weve receives in the United Kingdom.

OpenTable launches mobile payments pilot project

| February 11, 2014

Pilot project seeks to make dining out more convenient for consumers

Mobile Payment Pilot Project - OpenTableOpenTable, an online restaurant reservation service, has launched a new pilot program focused on mobile payments. The pilot program is meant to test the viability of using mobile payments as a way to allow consumers to pay for their meals quickly while dining out. This would allow them to, essentially, “skip” the check, so to speak. OpenTable believes that leveraging mobile commerce could help make restaurants more convenient and attractive to consumers that have become very reliant on their smartphones and tablets.

Restaurants show strong interest in mobile payments

The pilot program is currently restricted to San Francisco, California, but OpenTable plans to expand the program in the coming weeks. In 2013, OpenTable successfully acquired Just Chalo, which had been working on a mobile commerce platform of its own before the acquisition. This move generated some hype concerning OpenTable’s potential interest in the mobile commerce space and how it might involve itself therein. The company intends to make mobile payments more accessible to consumers that enjoy dining out at their favorite restaurants.

Restaurants are beginning to grow more accommodating of mobile consumers

Mobile technology has been finding a great deal of acceptance in the restaurant business recently. Many restaurants are now making it a point to engage mobile consumers directly by using interactive technologies. QR codes are becoming a common feature on menus and some restaurants are leveraging the power of augmented reality in order to engage consumers more dynamically. As restaurants become more mobile-centric, mobile commerce is beginning to attract a great deal of attention.

OpenTable may be able to beat out the competition with its network of connections

OpenTable is not the only company that is working to introduce mobile commerce to the restaurant business. Cover and Dash are two startups that already have a significant head start in this endeavor as far as providing access to mobile commerce platforms is concerned. OpenTable does, however, have strong relationships with prominent restaurants that could provide it with an edge over whatever competition it may face in the field.