Tag: mobile payments

The daily deal provider accidentally released its application early, but it is now available for iPads.

Although the element of surprise was no longer available following the false start of the mobile payments tablet POS app from Groupon at the Apple App Store, the application has now been officially released for use by businesses.

The company had previously released the app for download, only to take it back down again hours later.

Following the premature launch, the Groupon mobile payments app was added to the App Store for iPad once more. This application is a new version of its Breadcrumb POS solution. The company is hoping that it will help to broaden its footprint from being relatively limited to bars and restaurants, into all forms of brick and mortar company, instead.

This iPad mobile payments app launch has the potential to replace traditional cash registers.

According to the statement released by the Groupon vice president of merchant OS, Mihir Shah, “With this launch we can help every local business replace their outdated cash registers with a modern, affordable, money-saving tool that allows them to save on credit card transaction fees and run their businesses better.”

Beyond the Breadcrumb POS mobile payments launch, Groupon has also announced that it is rebranding its original point of sale solution – that is, the one that was geared toward restaurants and bars – as its Breadcrumb Pro solution. Both of the available solutions come with the Breadcrumb Payments feature, which allow for quick and easy credit and debit transactions for restaurants and retailers, alike.

Beyond mobile payments credit and debit transaction acceptance, the solution also provides a number of additional features, such as live support, next day deposits, and analytics. However, what many in the industry think will be the primary selling point of the service to businesses will be the guarantee of the lowest rates.

At the moment, Groupon’s mobile payments POS solution comes with a 1.8 percent, plus 15 cents per transaction, fee. Moreover, it also includes free processing for the first $5,000 that the merchant brings in through transactions in its Breadcrumb POS system.

Report highlights consumer complaints regarding mobile commerce

Mobile commerce has been showing promising growth around the world, but not all consumers have been won over by the prospects of mobile payments. Those that do support mobile commerce praise it for the convenience and efficiency it brings to both online and offline shopping. There are a growing number of consumers that consider mobile commerce to be time consuming and more difficult than necessary, according to a new study from Harris Interactive.

Businesses eager to embrace mobile payments

The study highlights the growing problems that consumers in the U.S. are beginning to have with mobile commerce. U.S. retailers and other merchants have been aggressively supporting mobile commerce, hoping to tap into the growing market of consumers with smartphones and tablets. In the scramble to appeal to mobile consumers, the mobile commerce platforms that many retailers are putting to use have apparently failed to meet the standards of customers. The study suggests that consumers are growing more frustrated with faulty platforms that disturb their shopping experiences.

Technical issues drive consumers away from mobile commerce

The study shows that approximate 68% of mobile consumers have attempted to purchase products from their smartphones or tablets, but 66% of these consumers have failed to do so due to the obstacles they have encountered with mobile commerce platforms. Many of these problems come in the form of poor network support. A slow Internet connection can effectively ruin a mobile commerce platform as connection problems can halt or duplicate transaction. Other technical problems have also proven frustrating for consumers.

Faster transactions could reclaim the favor of consumers

According to the study, some 47% of mobile consumers claim to have abandoned mobile commerce simply because transactions take too long. Businesses embracing mobile payments may do well to ensure that transactions are not time consuming so as to placate the concerns of consumers. This may require some retailers to make use of new mobile commerce platforms that are more capable of facilitating transactions over a better Internet connection.