Tag: NFC terminals

Resources and Tools to Help Merchant Technology Ecosystem and Companies Capitalize on Mobile Commerce

NEW YORK CITY – November 21, 2013 – Isis®, the mobile commerce joint venture created by AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless, today announced the launch of the Isis Alliance Program. The Isis Alliance Program supports merchant technology ecosystem partners with exclusive tools and resources to help them capitalize on the opportunities created by mobile commerce.

“We created the Isis Alliance Program to serve as a resource where companies looking to deploy mobile commerce solutions have access to tools and information,” said Jim Stapleton, chief sales officer, Isis. “The Isis Alliance Program will help companies harness the competitive advantages created by mobile commerce and better serve merchant customer needs.”

The Isis Mobile Commerce Platform™ offers merchants the ability to deliver a richer, more personalized relationship with their customers through the Isis Mobile Wallet®. It leverages the existing payments infrastructure, which means any merchant with a contactless payment terminal can accept payments via the Isis Mobile Wallet.

“Merchants depend on the retail technology industry to deliver the latest, most innovative technologies to grow their businesses,” said Joseph Finizio, president and CEO, Retail Solutions Providers Association. “We’re pleased to support the Isis Alliance Program and believe the critical tools it delivers will help retail technology providers future-proof their offerings and advance the solutions hitting the marketplace.”

Leading payment terminal manufacturers and software partners are integrating near-field communications (NFC) mobile payments and Isis SmartTap capabilities into point-of-sale (POS) offerings to ensure merchants can fully maximize the business opportunities created by mobile commerce. This enables Isis Mobile Wallet™ users to pay, present loyalty cards and redeem offers in a single transaction, effectively creating a new platform for merchant marketing campaigns and streamlining the customer experience.

“We applaud Isis for the launch of the Isis Alliance Program. Industry innovators like Isis are capitalizing on strong consumer and merchant interest in mobile payments, and the Isis Alliance Program recognizes the ISO and POS solution provider channel is a powerful pathway to get new technology to merchants,” said Jason Oxman, CEO, Electronic Transactions Association. “With relationships with more than eight million merchants, ETA member companies are uniquely positioned to introduce their merchant customers to new payments technologies. We applaud Isis for utilizing the merchant services channel to drive business, provide technology leadership and create new opportunities.”

The Isis Mobile Wallet is available nationwide and accepted in a range of merchant environments such as mass transit, vending machines, fuel pumps, taxis, restaurants, grocery and retail stores. The Isis Alliance Program supports companies representing all aspects of the merchant technology ecosystem, from hardware and software to service and technology providers.

“We firmly support the Isis Alliance Program – it aligns with our goal of advancing the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director, Smart Card Alliance. “By partnering with merchant payments acceptance providers, Isis is taking all the right steps to deliver secure payments and mobile commerce capabilities to merchants.”

To learn more or join the Isis Alliance Program, visit www.IsisAllianceProgram.com.

About Isis

The joint venture is between AT&T Mobility LLC, T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Verizon Wireless and is based in New York City. The venture is chartered with building Isis, a national mobile commerce venture that will fundamentally transform how people shop, pay and save. The Isis Mobile Commerce Platform™ will be available to all merchants, banks, payment networks and mobile carriers. Isis, Isis Mobile Wallet, Isis Ready, Isis Mobile Commerce Platform and the associated logos are trademarks of JVL Ventures, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos, product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. For more information, visit www.paywithisis.com.

Credit companies pressure US retail industry to upgrade point-of-sale terminals

U.S. retailers are facing a deadline from American Express, Discover, Visa, and MasterCard, to make upgrades to their point-of-sale terminals to make them more compatible with mobile commerce. The deadline is set for October 2015, giving retailers plenty of time to invest in NFC-enabled terminals, but few retailers have shown enthusiasm in diving into the world of mobile commerce. Some retailers claim that mobile commerce is not yet at the point where it can be considered viable.

Mobile commerce is gaining modest ground in US

Despite concerns regarding security and efficiency, mobile commerce is growing in the U.S., backed heavily by financial groups and the telecommunications industry. These parties are investing heavily in NFC technology and the infrastructure needed to make mobile commerce a success. Part of this effort is encouraging the retail industry to make updates to its point-of-sale technology to foster the expansion of mobile commerce.

New terminals may mean better financial security

Retailers are tasked with upgrading their sales terminals to be equipped with NFC technology so as to better serve consumers with NFC-enabled smart phones and mobile devices. These devices can be used to make payments for goods and services, but only if they have an NFC terminal to interact with and finalize the purchase. Sales terminals are also expected to make up the bulk of the security features the mobile commerce industry needs to thrive. As such, these terminals may help placate the fears consumers have been having regarding the safety of their financial information.

Retailers still unconvinced of the popularity of mobile commerce

The retail industry has been disinclined to throw major support behind mobile commerce and prepare for the widespread use of NFC technology because of the relatively high upfront cost associated with such an initiative. Though there have been signs of mobile commerce catching on with some consumers, many retailers claim that there is not enough evidence to justify dumping funds into upgrading technology that is able to meet the needs that consumers have now.