Tag: mobile payments

Mobile payments find new advocates in Germany

| April 7, 2013

Mobile Payments Germany PartnershipDeutsche Telekom finds new partners to expand mobile payments throughout Europe

Deutsche Telekom, one of the largest telecommunications companies in Europe, has found two new vendors to support its deployment of NFC-based mobile commerce systems. These vendors are B+S Card Services and Intercard. Together, the vendors form a network through which NFC-based mobile payments can be made more available to consumers. In Europe, the demand for comprehensive mobile commerce services is increasing rapidly, pressuring Deutsche Telekom to reach out for partners in its continued efforts to make mobile payments more common.

NFC-based mobile payments to be major focus

The telecommunications company has been an advocate of mobile payments for some time, favoring solutions that make use of NFC technology. This technology is responsible for facilitating mobile payments as it allows for digital information to be transmitted over short distanced. Indeed, NFC is one of the pillars of the mobile commerce world, helping it take form and expanding its acceptance throughout the world. Deutsche Telekom has been developing several NFC-based mobile commerce platforms in order to meet the growing needs of consumers.

Infrastructure to be expanded in Germany

The vendors will help bolster the infrastructure required to process mobile payments at point-of-sale terminals and vending machines. These efforts will be primarily focused on the German market initially. Expansion of this infrastructure is likely to happen within the next few years, as mobile commerce becomes more common in several industries. These efforts are just a portion of the overall plan of Deutsche Telekom, which has been branching into several fields of mobile commerce to find ways to promote mobile payments among consumers.

NFC may be becoming less popular in mobile commerce

NFC technology has been the subject of criticism for some time, mostly due to its lackluster security features. Some companies claim that NFC is just not capable of providing the security necessary to make mobile commerce common among consumers. Along with the current lack of NFC-enabled mobile devices, the technology is quickly becoming a less prominent focus on the mobile commerce field.

Mobile commerce growing among consumers

| April 7, 2013

Mobile Commerce Consumer GrowthStudy highlights the continued growth of mobile commerce

Affiliate Window, a leading performance marketing network and analysis firm, has released its latest study concerning the state of mobile commerce. According to Affiliate Window, mobile commerce continues to see strong growth across several sectors, especially in regards to retail. Consumers are becoming more comfortable with purchasing products using little more than a mobile device. The study indicates that mobile sales are seeing some turbulence, but more consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online.

Consumers becoming more apt to purchase and shop with their mobile devices

According to the study, 14% of all sales made in the retail sector came from mobile devices, approximately 5% of which came from smartphones. Mobile traffic is on the rise as more consumers begin to favor shopping with their mobile devices rather than visit physical stores. Even those that do visit physical stores are beginning to use their mobile devices more frequently to search for products online. Approximately 12% of online traffic came from smartphones.

Mobile traffic is on the rise

In March of this year, Affiliate Window recorded its one millionth mobile sale this year. Last year, the firm did not reach this milestone until August. The firm notes that mobile  traffic has increased by 3 times over what it had been in March 2012, showing that consumers are becoming more comfortable with the prospects of mobile shopping. The firm recorded the highest mobile traffic volume it has ever seen in March of this year, much of which came from consumers using iOS devices.

Security concerns begin to waver

Consumers are becoming more comfortable with the concept of mobile commerce, especially where it involves shopping for products they are interested in. Mobile commerce is being considered a more convenient option for consumers, since many people already have access to smartphones and tablets. Consumers appear to be putting their concerns with mobile commerce security aside, favoring the convenience that mobile commerce services offer over the potential threat of having their financial information stolen by malicious parties.