Mobile Payment Magazine

Self Service Customer Service via Mobile

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Brian Day, product development architect for The Members Group (TMG) says it’s time for financial institutions to rethink they way they service customers – understanding that today’s consumer increasingly values self service over traditional customer service.

This shift in customer preference, Day says, has elevated the importance of products like mobile banking for community-based financial institutions.“Making time for chit-chat is not a priority for Generation Y, nor even Gen X and their parents, the Boomers,” writes Day in a recent white paper, entitled “Self Service as Customer Service.” “We are a busy, mobile society, and we expect our financial institutions to stay in stride.” Aside from consumer banking preferences, Day explores the top five mobile banking activities, as well as what he calls the “mobile banking triple play.”

The triple play refers to the three methods of accessing mobile banking – namely text, browser and application. Day also provides an analysis of the benefits mobile banking provides financial institutions, sharing customer service cost figures on a per-engagement level.

Read more: “Self Service as Customer Service” white paper.

Source: TMG

Google Wallet and Retail NFC Mobile Payments Ignite Buzz, Says ABI Research

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Recent developments in contactless payment technology are generating renewed interest, and suggest that the long-delayed dream of comprehensive contactless payment systems may finally be approaching reality. The introduction of Google Wallet and the expectation that several new NFC-enabled smartphones will reach consumer markets soon have created a sense of optimism.

According to ABI Research, in 2010 only about 10% of total POS terminal shipments included some form of contactless technology. While the analyst firm does not agree with some of the wilder media predictions for contactless POS growth – for example that within 12 months, one third of all terminals in the US will accept contactless payments – it does forecast that 85% of terminals shipped worldwide will be contactless-enabled in 2016, driven by increased proliferation of contactless cards and especially, rapid adoption of NFC-enabled cell phones.

Senior analyst Craig Foster comments, “Contactless has the potential to change the way we pay for goods completely, significantly reducing time spent queuing at the point of sale. It also represents an almost perfect fit for the vending industry, because:

  • The increased speed and simplicity of check-out go hand-in-hand with the very essence of the vending machine – to provide goods quickly and conveniently;
  • The fact that small-value transactions – typically under $25 in the US – do not need to be authenticated by signature or PIN entry is very appealing to vending machine operators.”

M2M practice director Sam Lucero adds, “Contactless technology is also in the very early stages of adoption in ATMs: rather than inserting the card, a customer waves it in front of the machine and enters a PIN.”

Ingenico, VeriFone, and Hypercom are the three leading vendors of POS terminals and command most of the market. VeriFone recently completed the acquisition of Hypercom after satisfying the antitrust concerns of the US Department of Justice. Contactless terminals have formed an increasingly significant part of Ingenico’s portfolio in recent years, accounting for a claimed 21% of the company’s shipments in 2010.

ABI Research’s “Cellular-enabled POS Terminals, ATMs, and Vending Machines” study examines the overall market opportunity for each segment, with a particular focus on value chains, competitive landscapes, market adoption drivers and inhibitors, and technology issues.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 40+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990.

Source: ABI Research

China NFC Payment Transaction Values to Top $8 Billion by 2014, Says Report

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China could see more than $8 billion in mobile payments by 2014, according to ABI Research forecasts.

The Near Field Communication (NFC) market is moving forward on an uneven front. Google is aggressively supporting the technology through the latest generation of Android handsets from its partners such as Samsung. Nokia is introducing NFC-capable handsets, but the C7 and N9 only support non-secure applications and not contactless payment.

In China, however, device manufacturers and operators are keen to move ahead with contactless mobile payment. It will be interesting to see how ZTE, as a local OEM, implements its announced range of NFC smartphones and handsets.

Jake Saunders, VP for forecasting at ABI Research notes, “China is a big mobile payments market to play for. There were more than 868 million cellular subscribers as of the end of March 2011.”

China’s mobile payments industry is burgeoning, attracting many participants wishing to grab first-mover advantage and vie for a bigger slice of the pie. ABI Research estimates that NFC payment transaction values in China could surpass $8 billion by 2014. Financial institutions (China UnionPay), third party mobile payment service providers, and Mobile Network Operators (China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom) are all jostling for position. According to Saunders, “ABI Research believes the mobile payment market in China will largely adopt an MNO-led business model.”

The Chinese government has expressed a preference for an NFC device solution utilizing the 13.56 MHz frequency band. To break the classic chicken-and-egg cycle, there are bridging solutions intended to stimulate the contactless payment market. The principal one is contactless (NFC) SIM cards. WatchData’s SIMpass solution has attracted strong interest from all three operators.

As a result, more NFC handset add–ons are shipped than NFC-enabled mobile handsets: 2.5 million SIMpass add-ons and 50,000 SD add-ons, versus 45,000 handsets in 2010.

ABI Research’s “Mobile Payments in China” study, produced by the firm’s Singapore division, provides an overview of the contactless mobile payments ecosystem in China. It also explores the near-term regulatory directives and the payment technology competition among the key players, and points out the potential winners and losers.

Mobile Payments in China Report Overview

China is the world’s largest single mobile market. Indeed, China’s mobile payments industry is a burgeoning market. It is attracting a number of participants in an attempt to assume first mover advantage. While the market potential is very real, there is uncertainty over which proximity payment technology will ultimately secure dominance – RF SIM on the 2.4 GHz band versus NFC on the 13.56 MHz band. This survey attempts to provide an overview of the contactless mobile payments ecosystem in China. It also explores the near-term regulatory directives and the payment technology competition amongst the key players and points out the likely winners. The race to lead in China primarily exists among the MNOs, banking institutions and the third party mobile payment service providers. Each has its own competitive advantage and offering to consumers.

In this Report:

  • What are the opportunities for contactless payment in the Chinese market?
  • What standard does the government support?
  • How will NFC be implemented?
  • What is SIMpass?
  • Who are the key players in the Chinese mobile payment market?
  • What are the main bottlenecks?
  • How will the market evolve?

Target Audience:

  • smart card vendors
  • mobile operators
  • government planning departments
  • investment banks

Source: ABI Research

Research: Smartphone Banking Security

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Javelin Strategy Research has release a new report entitled: “Smartphone Banking Security: Mobile Banking Utilization Stalls On Consumer Fears.”

Mobile banking adoption has stagnated despite explosive growth in smartphone adoption from 2009 to 2011.

In 2009, one in four smartphone owners considered mobile banking unsafe. One year later, 40% of smartphone owners felt the same way.

As financial institutions push forward, offering innovative and convenient financial options to a new mobile generation, consumers are left questioning whether security was sacrificed in the rush toward innovation. In the context of the recent infiltration of malware into the Android Market, it is imperative that FIs reassure consumers that mobile security is a priority.

Primary Questions

  • What is the rate of smartphone adoption?
  • What is the growth rate of mobile banking and purchasing?
  • What are some factors that are inhibiting the adoption of mobile financial activities?
  • How can FIs encourage mobile financial activity?

For more information please click on:
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/704e3c/smartphone_banking_security_mobile_banking_u

Methodology

For this report, Javelin gathered data from three different surveys administered in 2010 – 2011. Each survey collected data from a base of 3,000 to 5,000 consumers, representative of the general U.S. population. They were interviewed on a range of topics including, but not limited to, fraud, security services, and technology adoption.

  • For questions answered by all 5,102 consumers in the March 2011 Financial Services Channel survey, the margin of error is &Plusmn;1.37 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The margin error is higher for questions answered by subsegments. For longitudinal comparison, data from 2009 and 2010 was reweighted to the latest census targets according to the U.S. Census Current Population Survey (CPS).
  • For questions answered by all 5,211 consumers in the March 2010 Financial Services Channel survey, the margin of sampling error is &Plusmn;1.39 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
  • For questions answered by all 3,100 consumers in the July 2010 Mobile survey, the margin of error is &Plusmn;1.76 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Audience: Financial institutions, mobile banking and marketing departments, credit card networks, credit card issuers, payment processors, mobile banking vendors, mobile payment vendors, mobile network operators, authentication technology vendors, authentication platform vendors.

For more information please click on:
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/704e3c/smartphone_banking_security_mobile_banking_u

Title Index:

– Overview
– Methodology
– Executive Summary and Recommendations
– Smartphone Adoption
– Stagnation of Mobile Financial Activities
– Security Concerns with Mobile Banking

What is a Killer App?

– Consumers Prefer Mobile Optimized Browser Sites
– Companies Mentioned

Table of Figures

– Figure 1: Smartphone Ownership, 2009 – 2011
– Figure 2: Consumers Who Have Mobile Banked in the Past 90 Days by Primary Bank
– Figure 3: Mobile Banking Use by Smartphone Users, 2010 – 2011
– Figure 4: Purchases Made via Mobile Devices by Smartphone Users, 2009 – 2010
– Figure 5: Smartphone Owners’ Perception of Mobile Banking Safety, 2009 – 2010
– Figure 6: Smartphone Owners’ Perception of Mobile Banking Channels, 2009 – 2010

For more information please click on:
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/product/704e3c/smartphone_banking_security_mobile_banking_u


Smartphone Banking Security: mBanking Susceptible to Consumer Fears

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According to Research and Markets, mobile banking adoption has stagnated despite explosive growth in smartphone adoption from 2009 to 2011, and the company attributes the slowdown to consumer fears over mobile banking security.

In 2009, one in four smartphone owners considered mobile banking unsafe. One year later, 40% of smartphone owners felt the same way. As financial institutions push forward, offering innovative and convenient financial options to a new mobile generation, consumers are left questioning whether security was sacrificed in the rush toward innovation.

In the context of the recent infiltration of malware into the Android Market, the company notes that it is imperative that FIs reassure consumers that mobile security is a priority.

Research and Markets  has announced the release of a new  Javelin Strategy & Research report entitled “Smartphone Banking Security: Mobile Banking Utilization Stalls On Consumer Fears.”

Primary questions covered:

  • What is the rate of smartphone adoption?
  • What is the growth rate of mobile banking and purchasing?
  • What are some factors that are inhibiting the adoption of mobile financial activities?
  • How can FIs encourage mobile financial activity?

Companies Mentioned:

  • Apple
  • Bank of America
  • BB&T Bank
  • Chase
  • Citibank
  • Citizens
  • Fifth Third Bank
  • Google
  • HSBC
  • IBM
  • Key Bank
  • Microsoft
  • PNC
  • Regions
  • RIM
  • SunTrust
  • TD Bank
  • US Bank
  • USAA
  • Wachovia
  • Wells Fargo

More information: Smartphone Banking Security: Mobile Banking Utilization Stalls On Consumer Fears

 

Source: Business Wire

Mobile Banking and Payments Report: The Role of the Mobile Phone as a Banking Device

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With over 2 billion users worldwide, mobile phone usage penetrates every core demographic of the world’s population. Research and Markets has announced the release of a new report entitled “ Mobile Banking and Payments.” The report assesses the role of the mobile phone as a banking device as well as a payment function. The report provides readers with the ability to:

  • Assess the prospects for mobile banking and payments
  • Learn how additional revenue can be raised through value added services
  • Review the strategic and operational issues that face the mobile banking sector
  • Study the profiles of leading banks within the mobile banking arena

After abandoning initial roll-outs a few years ago following poor consumer take up, banks worldwide are now re-entering the market. Mobile banking is an opportunity and a threat to established retail financial players. The first section of this report provides the business case for successful mobile banking. It presents the short-term solutions and the longer-term strategy needed to create a successful program.

Key Points Addressed in This Report:

  • The mobile banking phenomenon explained.
  • Trends among emerging and developed markets.
  • Mobile banking and mobile payments defined.
  • Reasons for low adoption by banking customers.
  • Importance of mobile as a marketing tool and as a customer retention strategy.
  • Negotiating the relationship between banks and mobile carriers.

Case Studies and Examples Include:

  • Bank of America
  • Blaze
  • Charles Schwab
  • Citi
  • ClairMail
  • Co-op Bank
  • Elite mBanking
  • Facebook
  • Fi-Mobile
  • First National Bank
  • iTunes
  • Mfoundry
  • Microsoft
  • Mshift
  • MTN bank
  • Nokia
  • Paypal
  • Regalo Card
  • St George Mobile Banking
  • Sun mBanking
  • Twitter
  • Vancity CU
  • Visa
  • Wells Fargo
  • Wizzit bank

Key Topics Covered:

  • Business case for mobile banking
  • Business case for mobile banking
  • Generate revenue through value added services
  • Enhance other delivery channels
  • Marketing via the mobile channel
  • Banking the unbanked
  • Strategic and operational issues
  • Choosing the technology platform
  • Security considerations
  • Usability considerations
  • Marketing considerations
  • Market profiles
  • USA
  • South Africa
  • Key emerging markets

More information: Research and Markets – “Mobile Banking and Payments Report”

 

Source: Business Wire

Worldwide Mobile Payment Volume Up 76% to Reach $86 Billion in 2011

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Worldwide mobile payment users will surpass 141.1 million in 2011, a 38.2 percent increase from 2010, when mobile payment users reached 102.1 million, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide mobile payment volume is forecast to total $86.1 billion, up 75.9 percent from 2010 volume of $48.9 billion.

Despite these strong growth projections, Gartner analysts said the mobile payment market is growing slower than expected.

“In developing markets, despite favorable conditions for mobile payment, growth is not as strong as was anticipated. Many service providers are yet to adapt their strategies to local requirements, and success models from Kenya and the Philippines are unlikely to be translated to other markets,” said Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner. While developing markets have favorable conditions for mobile payments, such as high penetration of mobile devices and low banking penetration, this is no guarantee of success, unless service providers adapt their strategies to local market requirements.”

“In developed markets, companies are trumpeting the prospects of Near Field Communication (NFC) without realizing the complexity of the service model. We believe mass market adoption of NFC payments is at least four years away,” Ms. Shen said. “The biggest hurdle is the need to change user behavior by convincing consumers to pay with mobile phones instead of cash and cards.”

Gartner expects Short Message Service (SMS) and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) to remain the dominant access technologies in developing markets due to the constraints of mobile phones. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) will remain the preferred mobile access technology in developed markets, where the mobile Internet is commonly available and activated on the phone. Mobile app downloads and mobile commerce are the main drivers of WAP payments, and WAP will account for almost 90 percent of all mobile transactions in North America and about 70 percent in Western Europe in 2011.

Money transfers and prepaid top-ups will drive transaction volumes in developing markets. These are seen as the “killer apps” in developing markets, where people value the convenience of sending money to relatives and topping up mobile accounts. This is most obvious in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, where these two services will account for 54 percent and 32 percent of all transactions in 2011.

“Thanks to the success of mobile application stores, such as Apple’s App Store, and the efforts in driving mobile sales by major retailers, such as Amazon and eBay, merchandise purchases far outweigh other use cases in developed markets, which include North America and Western Europe,” Ms. Shen said. “We predict that in 2011, merchandise purchases will account for 90 percent and 77 percent of all transactions in North America and Western Europe, respectively.”

Additional information is available in the Gartner report “Market Trends: Mobile Payments Worldwide, 2011.”

The Future of Online and Mobile Payments Report

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A new report, entitled “The Future of Online Mobile Payments” has been announced by Report Linker. The report provides an overview of the global online and mobile payments industry, examining the industry in terms of market size, its segments, evolution of the industry, geographic segmentation, value chain, key drivers, trends, major players, and challenges. It also examines the future of the digital payments industry in terms of convergence of devices, technologies and value chains.

Features and benefits

  • Use detailed analysis of the online and mobile payments industry to identify key business opportunities.
  • Access comprehensive coverage of the different segments within the online and mobile payments industry.
  • * Profile the leading players in the online and mobile payments arena and understand the impact of their recent initiatives.
  • Identify changes to value chains and business models, and their impact on the future development of the market.

Highlights

Business Insights anticipates that the alternate payments industry comprising online, mobile and contactless segments will post a CAGR of 17.6% over the period 2010–15, with revenues increasing from $740bn in 2010 to $2,700bn in 2015. The largest revenue generating segment of the advanced payments industry is the online payment segment.

The various industry drivers include increasing internet penetration rates, increasing fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions, ecommerce volumes, smartphone shipments, and smartphone penetration rates.

The over-riding consumer meta-theme for the industry is going to be convergence – whether of devices, technologies, or value chains. Due to this, NFC will emerge as the de facto industry standard for conducting mobile payment transactions within the next couple of years.

Key questions answered

  • What are the key drivers and resistors that will impact the growth of the online and mobile payments industry?
  • What is the market size and growth potential of each sub-segment of the industry? Which segment has the highest growth potential?
  • Who are the key players in the online and mobile payments industry? What initiatives are they launching, what are their strategies for future success?
  • How will consumer and technological trends shape the future of the digital payments industry?

More information: “The Future of Online and Mobile Payments Report”

 

Banks Feeling Threat of Alternative Mobile Payment Providers, Says Report

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Faced with growing competitive threats from non-traditional sources, such as alternative payment providers, banks around the world have aggressively swung their attention to emerging mobile platforms to defend their payments revenues, according to a new report from KPMG International.

Adding to the urgency, 84 percent of banking and financial services (FS) executives said mobile payments will have significant importance to their business within the next one to four years.  Furthermore, 73 percent suggested that mobile payments would be mainstream within the next four years. [Read more…]

Consumers Embrace Mobile Commerce Globally

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Consumer engagement in mobile commerce has exploded, according to data from the Global Consumer Survey from MEF, a global community for mobile commerce and content.

As much as 91% of UK respondents have used their mobile device for commerce, to either research or purchase a product. The equivalent figure for Brazil is 79%, while the level did not dip below 72% in any of the markets surveyed. [Read more…]