Several large banks are working to serve mobile consumers better
Major banks in the United States are beginning to take the fight to the mobile payments space after resting on their laurels for several years. Banks had been wary of introducing innovative services and platforms in the past due to the financial crisis of 2008. Now, however, banks are finding that the mobile commerce space has the potential to be quite disruptive. While the mobile commerce space is intrinsically connected to these banks, they want to ensure they can compete on a level that the mobile commerce space has been able to corner, and that involves engaging consumers more effectively.
Banks are beginning to make use of the clearXchange system
For years, mobile commerce companies have made it possible for consumers to send and receive money almost instantaneously. Peer-to-peer payment services have become very popular among young consumers, many of whom rely very heavily on their smartphones. Banks see this as an opportunity, and many have begun to use the clearXchange system, which allows for instant money transfers to friends and families. Customers with U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America can now send money instantly thanks to the new system. JPMorgan and Capital One Financial plan to begin using the system later this year.
PayPal highlights the success companies can find in the mobile commerce space
The reason the mobile commerce space has become more important to banks is because consumers are becoming more mobile-centric. In the early days of mobile commerce, PayPal managed to find significant success and growth by engaging mobile consumers. In 2013, PayPal acquired mobile payments firm Braintree, which had control of the Venmo mobile application. Last year, Venmo processed more than $7.5 billion in money transfers between consumers. In January of this year, some $1 billion in money transfers had been handled by Venmo.
Banks want to find the same success that PayPal has seen over the past few years
The success PayPal saw through its early acquisitions is something that banks want to mimic, especially as more consumers become involved in the mobile commerce space. These banks will have an uphill battle, however, as many consumers have already become comfortable with the mobile payments services they are currently using.
The mobile payments space failed to find mainstream success in 2015
Last year, mobile payments managed to gain momentum, but failed to become mainstream. Several companies, including Apple, Google, and Samsung, introduced new mobile payments services in 2015, but interest among consumers has been somewhat limited. Indeed, these consumers opted to use an existing platform provided by PayPal to spend their money on their mobile devices. While mobile payments may not have gone mainstream in 2015, this could change this year, as new services become available and companies begin offering better benefits to consumers.
Many consumers remain concerned about the security of mobile payments
One of the reasons that consumers have been avoiding mobile payments is because they are not convinced of its overall security. In the past few years, major retailers have reported major data breaches, which lead to the financial information of consumers being compromised. This has sown fear among consumers, who believe that mobile payments services may be exposed to exploitation. As such, they have shied away from services, despite the availability of new technology that ensures the protection of consumer information.
Consumers want to see more value from the services that they use
Another problem that consumers have with mobile payments is that they do not see the benefit that services offer. While many services also function as a type of digital wallet, they do not consider the ability to store financial information valuable. Being able to take advantage of special deals being offered by retailers has added more attraction to certain mobile payments services, but consumers want more out of the products that they are using.
Supporting loyalty programs and improving security features may ensure the mainstream success of mobile payments
Companies involved in mobile payments may need to ensure that their services offer a worthwhile experience while also being able to keep consumer information safe. These companies will also have to show more support for loyalty programs, which have become quite popular among consumers. In doing so, these companies may be able to find more success in the mobile payments space in 2016.
