Tag: mobile payments

Mobile payments research study reveals explosive growth trend

Mobile payments to excel in futureAccording to a new study, mobile transactions will become more prominent in the future.

The results of a recent study, conducted by Javelin Strategy and Research, has found that mobile payments have increased in popularity and that over the course of the next five years, they are likely to be the payment method that grows the fastest compared to all other types of transactions.

More consumers will turn to mobile devices to make in-store purchases. 

While online shopping has gained a lot of attention, researchers who performed the Javelin study discovered that despite the popularity of e-commerce, 93% of the entire U.S. retail dollar volume is made up in brick and mortar retail stores. The study went on to report that it will not be long before mobile payments start to have a profound effect on the retail POS (point-of-sale) market.

Mobile payments are predicted to exceed $5 billion by 2018.

Results of the Javelin study revealed that the POS retail market is developing at an incredible speed. This is due mostly to the ever-increasing popularity of both the mobile payments and e-commerce markets. Consumers of today want a fast and convenient shopping experience and it is believed that digitized transaction methods will allow shoppers to achieve the superior in-store experience they not only crave, but expect.

Although mobile payments have yet to become one of the top payment options among retail shoppers, this is anticipated to change within the next five years. According to the study, by 2018, mobile payments in the U.S. will hit $5.4 billion. That being said, the researchers did also point out that they approximate retail POS purchases on the whole will be worth closer to the $4.2 trillion mark in 2018.

However, despite this much larger overall number, the amount estimated for mobile transactions appears to be nothing short of extraordinary. What’s more, the Javelin Strategy and Research study mentioned that, within five years, mobile payments will surpass all other types of payments in terms of having the biggest compound annual growth rate. Thus, in such a rapidly changing environment that is becoming more and more mobile-friendly, a big change in POS retail market trends is highly likely.

NFC technology added to a mobile payments solution from Sweden

NFC Technology SwedenThe SEQR service will be using near field communication tech according to the company’s announcement.

An SEQR mobile payments service company based in Stockholm, Seamless, has just announced that its product will now include the use of NFC technology for more transaction options.

The latest predictions from the company say that it will be implementing the contactless tech any day now.

The company has said that the solution is ready and that consumers should expect to start seeing the NFC technology in stores any time now. At the moment, it uses SEQR, which is a method that applies QR codes that are affixed to the terminals at the point of sale in a store. This allows smartphone users to scan the barcodes in order to be able to complete a purchase transaction.

As with the former version of the service, the company’s app is required to use the NFC technology.

In order to make payments using the NFC technology, smartphone users must have an enabled device in which they have downloaded the Seamless app. From there, they can choose to either scan the QR code or they can tap the device to the NFC stickers, which will produce the same results. This action automatically uses funds from the user’s account to pay for the purchase.

Though the QR codes should still be available, the new solution will allow NFC technology stickers to be used instead by devices that are capable of using them. According to the president and CEO of Seamless, Peter Fredell, “This will make us a completely technology-independent option for retailers and users.”

Fredell also pointed out that “It still costs the retailer nothing to introduce SEQR, and no expensive hardware or complicated installation is needed. With the Seamless NFC solution, we have also solved the big security problems that were previously associated with NFC technology.”

The company has stated that its new mobile payments solution has allowed it to become the leading smartphone transaction service in Sweden. It has already been adopted by McDonald’s restaurants as well as by the grocery retailer, Axfood group, which has allowed it to become widespread throughout Sweden. Now, it will be bringing NFC technology to each of these locations, as well.