Mobile Payment Magazine

Collective POS Launches Mobile Payment Solution for Apple, Blackberry and Android Smartphone Devices

by

Collective Point of Sale Solutions, a Canadian provider of payment processing services, has launched VirtualMerchant Mobile, a mobile P.O.S solution that allows small and medium-sized businesses to process credit card payments using an existing smartphone device.

“We worked very hard to deliver a payment solution that enables businesses to utilize their existing hardware, technical infrastructures and communications providers,” said Michael Back, CEO and President of Collective POS. “With this product, merchants can turn any iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android or Blackberry device into a secure, affordable point of sale terminal.”

To set up, merchants who have been approved for credit card processing download an application from the relevant app store and enter the account information provided to them by Collective POS.

VirtualMerchant Mobile includes both hardware and software features to ensure complete end-to-end transaction security. To protect merchants and cardholders, no payment information is stored on the mobile device. At the time of swipe, card data is encrypted through the provided card encryption sleeve and immediately sent to a firewall-protected, secure hosting environment.

“This solution is perfect for taxi and livery services, companies that offer delivery, participate in trade shows or flea markets, home-based businesses and any other business that wishes to accept credit cards on the go,” said Michael Back.

In addition to portability and information security, VirtualMerchant Mobile offers the reliability that is synonymous with all Collective POS offerings, making it an ideal solution for any on-the-go business or service.

Collective POS serves more than 10,000 businesses across Canada, including retail stores, restaurants, hospitality providers, mobile services, e-commerce merchants, mail order/telephone order businesses, professional firms/clinics/practitioners, B2B product/service providers, tradespeople and many other industries.

Source: Collective Point of Sale Solutions, Ltd.

MasterCard Demonstrates Google Wallet for Mobile Payments

by

MasterCard demonstrated the Google Wallet application, which is scheduled to launch soon.  Running on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G — with a planned expansion to multiple devices — users can connect a Citi MasterCard account to the service, and tap-to-pay at any retail location outfitted with a PayPass station.

The transactions take place as instantaneously as you’d expect, with spending alerts notated automatically in-app, as well as via text message.  Currently, the Google Wallet service is Android-only, and that’s probably a direct result of the AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile backed mobile payment rival, ISIS. [Read more…]

comScore Reports U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share for July, 2011

by

comScore, Inc. has released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending July 2011. The study surveyed more than 30,000 U.S. mobile subscribers and found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 25.5 percent market share. Google Android continued to gain ground in the smartphone market reaching 41.8 percent market share.

OEM Market Share

For the three month average period ending in July, 234 million Americans ages 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 25.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers (up 1.0 percentage points), followed by LG with 20.9 percent share and Motorola with 14.1 percent share. Apple strengthened its position at #4 with 9.5 percent share of mobile subscribers (up 1.2 percentage points), while RIM rounded out the top five with 7.6 percent share.

Top Mobile OEMs
3 Month Avg. Ending Jul. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2011
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
Apr-11 Jul-11 Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers 100.0% 100.0% N/A
Samsung 24.5% 25.5% 1.0
LG 20.9% 20.9% 0.0
Motorola 15.6% 14.1% -1.5
Apple 8.3% 9.5% 1.2
RIM 8.2% 7.6% -0.6

Smartphone Platform Market Share

82.2 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in July 2011, up 10 percent from the preceding three month period. Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 41.8 percent market share, up 5.4 percentage points. Apple strengthened its #2 position with 27.0 percent of the smartphone market, up 1.0 percentage points from the prior reporting period. RIM ranked third with 21.7 percent share, followed by Microsoft (5.7 percent) and Symbian (1.9 percent).

Top Smartphone Platforms
3 Month Avg. Ending Jul. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2011
Total U.S. Smartphone Subscribers Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
Share (%) of Smartphone Subscribers
Apr-11 Jul-11 Point Change
Total Smartphone Subscribers 100.0% 100.0% N/A
Google 36.4% 41.8% 5.4
Apple 26.0% 27.0% 1.0
RIM 25.7% 21.7% -4.0
Microsoft 6.7% 5.7% -1.0
Symbian 2.3% 1.9% -0.4

Mobile Content Usage

In July, 70 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device, up 1.2 percentage points. Browsers were used by 41.1 percent of subscribers (up 2.0 percentage points), while downloaded applications were used by 40.6 percent (up 2.8 percentage points). Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 2.1 percentage points to 30.1 percent of mobile subscribers. Game-playing was done by 27.8 percent of the mobile audience (up 1.6 percentage points), while 20.3 percent listened to music on their phones (up 2.3 percentage points).

Mobile Content Usage
3 Month Avg. Ending Jul. 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending Apr. 2011
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers (Smartphone & Non-Smartphone) Ages 13+
Source: comScore MobiLens
Share (%) of Mobile Subscribers
Apr-11 Jul-11 Point Change
Total Mobile Subscribers 100.0% 100.0% N/A
Sent text message to another phone 68.8% 70.0% 1.2
Used browser 39.1% 41.1% 2.0
Used downloaded apps 37.8% 40.6% 2.8
Accessed social networking site or blog 28.0% 30.1% 2.1
Played Games 26.2% 27.8% 1.6
Listened to music on mobile phone 18.0% 20.3% 2.3

 

Source: comScore

BOKU 1-Tap Mobile Billing Live in 56 Countries

by

BOKU, Inc., an online mobile payments provider, has released the production version of its 1-Tap Mobile Billing for Android, now live in 56 countries. The developer SDK opens up significantly expanded revenue opportunities to Android developers via direct carrier billing for in-app purchases, along with a consumer reach that spans the globe. Once integrated, BOKU’s production Android SDK provides users with a simple 1-Tap purchase process that does not require the collection of credit cards, financial information, user login, or registration through a third-party website.

“When we developed the beta version, the reaction was tremendous and the value to developers was immediately clear,” said Erich Ringewald, CTO of BOKU. “The production version released today includes global country coverage, faster end-to-end transaction time, clear messaging to consumers and enhanced error handling. All these new features help to increase conversion rates to merchants while providing a seamless and secure purchase experience.” [Read more…]

PaymentOne Launches Android Mobile Payment Solution

by

PaymentOne Corp. has launched an Android Payment Solution and Android Developer SDK, which is an extension of its core Mobile Payments Platform. The company provides phone-enabled payments for landline, broadband, and mobile carrier billing.

The PayOne Android solution allows consumers to simply click and use their mobile phone number to securely pay for applications, in-game extras, and related digital services through a convenient feature on their mobile phone. Consumers experience a seamless payment solution without the delay of exiting the application or game, and unlike alternatives, no credit card, pre-registration or account signup is required.

“Game developers and publishers are looking for effective monetization solutions that don’t interrupt the gaming experience,” said Joe Lynam, President and CEO of PaymentOne. “We have been successfully partnering with digital merchants to monetize their services for over 10 years. In-game payments, subscriptions and virtual goods on all platforms, from console to PC to mobile device, are perfectly suited for carrier-based billing.”

Source: Marketwire

Many Financial Institutions Favor iPhone for Banking App’s, Says Analyst

by

While Android has made huge strides against the iPhone in terms of smartphone usage,according to Aviva Litan, an Analyst at information technology research and advisory company  Gartner, Inc., banks are more comfortable with the iPhone for their banking apps. And even then, she writes, the mobile apps that banks are releasing “offer limited functionality and don’t enable high-risk transactions such as adding new payees for bill payment or new accounts for fund transfers.”

In a recent blog post, Litan writes:

“Most of the financial institutions I work with or use have released iPhone apps but have stayed away from other mobile operating systems and platforms. I asked a few banker colleagues the reason for this, and they told me that; the iPhone development environment is easier to work with, the applications are better controlled in terms of distribution (using the iTunes store), and that they didn’t have the security confidence or appetite yet to develop mobile apps for at least ten operating systems or handset versions (e.g. various Blackberry versions, Symbian, Android) that they would need to support to reach more of their customer population.”

More via Gartner.

300,000+ Android Phone Activations Per Day, Says Schmidt

by

According to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, more than 300,000 Android phones are activated every day, double the number of activations reported just six months ago.

Canalys reported that in Q4 2010 the Android O.S. was the world’s best-selling smartphone platform, dethroning Nokia’s Symbian from the 10-year top position. According to Gartner, Symbian is still slightly ahead on sales if some legacy non-Nokia Symbian smartphones are included in the Q4 2010 figures.

Android has a large community of developers writing application programs (“apps“) that extend the functionality of the devices. There are currently over 200,000 apps available for Android. Android Market is the online app store run by Google, though apps can also be downloaded from third-party sites. Developers write primarily in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.

References: GigaOm; Wikipedia

PaymentOne to Demonstrate Android Payment Solution at 2011 Mobile World Congress

by

PaymentOne Corp. will demonstrate its latest integrated mobile payment solution for Android based on the company’s patented Propensity-to-Pay fraud and security technology.

Called “PayOne,” the Android solution will be demonstrated at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, February 14 through February 17, 2011.

The PayOne Android solution allows consumers to click and use any one of their phone numbers to securely pay for applications, in-game extras, and related digital services. Consumers experience a seamless payment solution without leaving the application or game, and  no credit card, pre-registration or account signup is required.

Developers and Publishers can integrate PayOne Android with minimal effort using the PayOne Developer SDK and benefit from the over 1100 carrier billing relationships PaymentOne has around the world. PayOne Android also provides the unique ability for publishers to maintain their brand and look/feel throughout the payment experience.

The Android market is rapidly expanding and according to Nielsen data, Android has increased its share of the Smartphone market by 10X in less than 18 months. Over 150,000 applications have been developed and are being broadly distributed on and off of the Android Marketplace, and market analysts project this market to exceed $6 billion in the next 3 years.

“Publishers and Developers are looking for simple open solutions that enable direct monetization of their applications in multiple distribution channels,” said Joe Lynam, President and CEO of PaymentOne. “We have been successfully partnering with digital merchants to monetize their services for over 10 years, and as every screen becomes a point of sale, from smart phones to tablets, and personal computers to TVs, our focus is to continue to provide payment services across all types of applications and devices that allow simple, safe and secure payments.”

PaymentOne’s AnyPhone is the only implementation of a seamless mobile payment solution that accepts any phone number and is backed by the patented Propensity-to-Pay technology that significantly reduces fraud and charge-backs.

Source: Business Wire

Intuit to Develop Mobile Payment App for Android 3.0 Honeycomb

by

Intuit GoPayment, which lets anyone who sells products or services get paid via mobile devices, is one of the first mobile payment apps being developed for Android 3.0, Honeycomb.

Building on the capabilities of Honeycomb, GoPayment allows people and businesses selling products or services to process credit card payments no matter where they are–on the road, in a store or at their home.

GoPayment for Honeycomb lets users:

  • Take photos of frequently sold items – Using a device’s camera, save time by photographing products and storing details to create a visual product list to quickly take customer orders.
  • Drag and drop frequently sold items from a product list – Quickly complete a sale by dragging and dropping items into the shopping cart and easily add or delete items as needed.
  • Work within an easy-to-view, large-screen environment – Easily view transactions and work faster when processing payments on a tablet.
  • Find data quickly – Find items in a product list or locate past transactions using new search capabilities. Authorize transactions with touch screen signature – For added security and professionalism, customers can quickly sign a tablet’s touch screen to authorize their transactions.
  • Swipe cards within seconds – Save time and money by swiping a card instead of entering numbers manually with support for a variety of credit card readers. All compatible card readers also encrypt the credit card data for added protection.

“We are excited about bringing one of the first mobile payment apps to Honeycomb,” said Chris Hylen, vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Payment Solutions division. “We are continually looking to support the newest mobile platforms and devices so that more people can start taking credit card payments no matter where they are.”

Availability and Pricing

Intuit will publicly demo GoPayment for Honeycomb at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, from Feb. 14 to 17 at the Android booth. GoPayment for Honeycomb is expected to be available this spring on Android Market.

The GoPayment app is free and offers various pricing plans including no monthly fees and a free Intuit Credit Card Reader for people who are just getting started. For those who frequently process credit cards, there is also a plan with lower rates for higher-volume processing. GoPayment has no set-up, cancellation or gateway fees.

More information: GoPayment

Source: Business Wire

Google Moves Even Stronger Into Mobile Marketing and Payments with Acquisition of Zetawire

by

Back in November, Google’s Eric Schmidt teased the crowd at Web 2.0 about Google’s plans for NFC mobile payments using the Android OS, and introduced the Samsung Nexus S running Gingerbread and an NFC chip by NXP. It turns out that as early as August, according to the 451 Group, a technology industry Analyst company, Google  also had purchased Canadian stealth startup Zetawire, which likely has a product built around a payment, identity management and advertising system, based on Zetawire’s open patent application.

Google is moving quickly into the mobile payment arena, but with Google, it’s a lot more than just payments. The company has also been active around location-based and mobile marketing and advertising with the launch of the more robust Google Places and its new Hotspot service. Now, with Near Field Communication (NFC) coming closer to reality (led by Google’s Android OS Nexus S smartphone), the company is increasingly well-positioned to capitalize on the coming boom in mobile payments:

  • Android smartphones (Nexus S), with built-in Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities
  • Google Places and Hotspot, a fast-growing directory of businesses, along with a Marketing/Advertising platform (remember, Google controls online search results also, which often display Google Places company listings)
  • Mobile marketing
  • Google Checkout

Now covering the spectrum of actions from the search, to the ad or merchant listing, to the click, to the promotion coupon to the payment, Google has a lot of touch-points to profit from, and to track ROI.

While some of Google’s previous efforts to branch out its offering of services have withered (Social Networking, for example), the company caught a huge break while Apple’s iPhone was stuck at ATT by launching the very successful Android OS for a generation of smartphones running on alternate networks such as Verizon’s.  By August of this year, Nielsen reported that new smartphone subscribers choosing Android phones were at 27 percent, surpassing Apple iPhone’s 23% share.

References: TechCrunch; Mashable