Tag: smartphone payments

According to a recent report, consumers like using quick response (QR) codes to make in store purchases.

The latest study form Nielsen found that consumers who use their smartphones to make purchases in physical stores, prefer to make mobile payments that involve QR codes, and that 45% of the 3,784 respondents said that they use this particular system to check out with their mobile phone.

40% of consumers surveyed use mobile apps as their preferred way to pay for merchandise.

The over 3,700 survey participants were made up of individuals who were 18 years of age or older and who had used their mobile device (tablet or smartphone) for banking, shopping, or paying within 30 days of the survey taking place. The income of users who carried out mobile payments varied extensively. For instance, the report found that the highest usage occurred among consumers who made over $100,000 and less than $50,000.

According to Nielsen’s analysis, “Digital is starting to transform how consumers pony up cash for their everyday purchases.” It added that “for consumers using mobile payment technology, digital is already the norm.”

In addition to QR codes, other digital payment methods that were popular among mobile users included NFC (near field communication), such as Isis and Google Wallet, and using a mobile phone scanner to scan a code.

QR codes make mobile transactions easy for cashiers and customers.

The quick response code mobile payment method is easy for both the cashier and the consumer because all the cashier has to do is scan the QR code on the consumer’s phone just as they would any bar code. Once scanned, the payment is processed and completed.

When these cubed-shaped codes first became trendy, they were popping up on everything, everywhere, from product packages and brochures to museums and restaurants. However, these codes, which have the ability to store a considerable amount of digital data, have been losing ground and some people feel that they have become irrelevant. That being said, considering the responses Nielsen received for its study, it’s clear that when it comes to the realm of mobile payments, QR codes are well liked by consumers.

Popular app files two trademarks that could dictate its future

Massively popular mobile photo-sharing application Snapchat may be looking to solidify its future as a relevant application by embracing mobile payments. The app has become widely popular among a large demographic, but its uses are somewhat limited. It exists as a photo and video-sharing platform, through which users can share snippets of their lives with those on their contact lists. Typically, the pictures and videos shared through the app have a very short lifespan, with some lasting only seconds before being lost forever.

Trademarks highlight mobile commerce services

Snapchat has filed two trademarks that highlight its interest in the field of mobile commerce. The trademarks suggest that the company is interested in accepting, processing, and transferring payments among its users. One of the trademarks refers to computer application software that is responsible for handling electronic payments. The trademark suggests that this software can be downloaded from a global network, allowing it to be accessed by potentially millions of users. The second trademark filed by Snapchat involves the electronic transfer of money to others. This would involve the transfer of funds from various sources, including mobile devices.

Snapchat may be able to find enduring success by engaging in mobile commerce

Snapchat has not yet revealed how it intends to implement these new trademarks, but a focus on mobile commerce could help the company establish lasting relevance among its users. Snapchat is not the first photo-sharing application and it will not be the last. Many of its predecessors have faded into obscurity because they had little in the way of versatility. Apps that offer more than just a single, relatively simple feature have the potential to remain relevant among consumers that are generally quite fickle about the apps that they use.

Snapchat has limited experience in mobile payments

The demand for mobile commerce is on the rise. Consumers want to make use of new services that allow them to manage, transfer, and use their funds at their discretion. Snapchat may not have extensive experience with mobile commerce, but it does have access to a massive consumer base that may respond well to whatever efforts it ends up making in the mobile payments field.