Tag: mobile payments

Wal-Mart to take a swing at mobile commerce

| March 28, 2013

Walmart mobile commerceWal-Mart has high hopes for mobile commerce

Wal-Mart is already considered the world’s largest retailer, but the company is eager to solidify its place as such by providing services that it claims no other retailer will be able to match. The retailer has plans to combine its 10,000 stores and 10 global e-commerce websites in order to develop a new platform that the company believes is more suitable for the modern consumer. The initiative is meant to make Wal-Mart the most powerful online retailer in the world and mobile commerce may be able to help the company achieve this goal.

Consumers begin to favor mobile commerce over traditional commerce

Mobile commerce has grown to become a very attractive concept throughout the world. The idea that a mobile devices, whether it be a smartphone or tablet, can be used to purchase goods or pay for services has become very alluring to consumers. This idea means that these people would not have to worry about physical currencies and could make a purchase with little more than a wave of their device or a tap of their finger. The convenience of mobile commerce is one of its most attractive features, especially to those that rely heavily on their mobile devices, and Wal-Mart believes that mobile commerce could help it dominate the online world.

Retailer to launch new initiative this summer

Wal-Mart has announced a plan to launch a pilot project this summer. This project involves allowing consumers to purchase products online and retrieve these products from lockers in physical Wal-Mart stores. This is similar to an initiative that was launched by Wal-Mart’s primary competitor, Amazon, where the online retailer would deliver purchased products to stores so that they could be picked up at a convenient time for consumers. This particular service will be somewhat accommodating to mobile consumers as the service will be optimized for use on mobile devices.

Retailer to update e-commerce platforms

Wal-Mart also has plans to renovate its e-commerce structure. Currently, the company’s online retail presence is based on old technological platforms. Many of these platforms are simply not designed to accommodate mobile traffic. As such, these platforms are often linked to poor performance on mobile devices. In an effort to better accommodate mobile commerce, Wal-Mart has plans to upgrade its e-commerce platforms.

Mobile payments reach new heights for Starbucks

| March 28, 2013

Starbucks Mobile PaymentsStarbucks reports spike in mobile payments

Over the past two years, Starbucks has been slowly increasing its mobile presence. The company has seen a marked increase in mobile traffic as more consumers begin to visit its website from mobile devices, but a relatively new trend shows that consumers are becoming more inclined to pay for purchases using their smartphones and tablets. Starbucks has reported a sharp increase in mobile payments over the past year, claiming that the company has reached a major milestone in the realm of mobile commerce.

Company continues to focus on mobile sector

According to Starbucks, more than three million mobile payments are made for the company’s products every week in the U.S. The company suggests that mobile payments are so popular with consumers because they represent a more convenient way to pay for goods. Many consumers that frequent Starbucks have mobile devices of some kind, making them more apt to make a payment using their smartphone or tablet. Starbucks suggests that doing so may be a matter of prestige, as mobile payments are considered somewhat exclusive due to the lack of comprehensive mobile commerce services in several industries.

New global initiative expected to be launched by Starbucks

Backed by the strong growth of mobile commerce, Starbucks has announced plans to launch a new cross-channel, multi-brand loyalty initiative that will cover the globe. The initiative is meant to highlight the social aspects of Starbucks and provide more value to business partnerships around the world. Mobile payments are expected to play some role in the initiative as Starbucks looks to promote mobile commerce outside of the U.S.

US is not only country where mobile payments are gaining momentum

While Starbucks has seen major growth in mobile payments in its home country, the U.S. is not the only place where mobile commerce is taking off. The United Kingdom and Asian Pacific markets are home to aggressive growth in the mobile commerce sector. This growth is largely due to a growing population that can afford smartphones and tablets as well as the introduction of easy-to-use mobile commerce services in several countries.