Consumer Reports Bends Some Phones

Have you heard of the incredible bending iPhone?

Thought so.

Well how about putting some science in to the question?  That is what the folks over at Consumer Reports has done.

The result shouldn't be surprising to anyone who has held a new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus (my 64GB iPhone 6 arrived on Friday, I like it).  These are thin and will yield under pressure.  No doubt these could be bent in half if someone tried.  How bad is it exactly?

Pretty comparable to the competition but more prone to bending than the previous iteration of the iPhone.

Read more here:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/09/consumer-reports-tests-iphone-6-bendgate/index.htm

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0156 Encrypted Phones Now Default

Very good read over on Boston Globe.com about the new phones coming out that block law-enforcement from accessing the phone.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/09/27/post-snowden-iphone-draws-ire-security-agencies

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The phone encrypts emails, photos and contacts based on a complex mathematical algorithm that uses a code created by, and unique to, the phone’s user — and that Apple says it will not possess.

The result, the company is essentially saying, is that if Apple is sent a court order demanding the contents of an iPhone 6 be provided to intelligence agencies or law enforcement, it will turn over gibberish, along with a note saying that to decode the phone’s emails, contacts and photos, investigators will have to break the code or get the code from the phone’s owner.

Personally I'm all for this kind of personal property protection.  Access to people's smartphones has been far too open until now.  Something as personal as these devices should be considered closed.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0155 Apple Pay Skepticism

I don't consider myself an Apple lover.  I'm company agnostic when it comes to technology.  Pragmatism rules for me.  If it works and ads value for me I will consider buying it.  I don't care who makes it.  I have had iPhones since the first incarnation.  Own an iPad Air.  I have a Windows 8 tablet, a Nexus 7 Tablet, three computers connected at home running Windows 7, and I don't know what else.  So when Apple makes a move I look at the successful history, recent history, of the company but then I look at their product.

Apple Pay seems like a very overblown announcement to me.

One other writer has a similar take:

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-im-not-sold-on-apple-pay

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Apple seems to have solved some of the key challenges that have dogged other attempts at mobile payments. The company has the merchant banks and card issuers on board, with all the major players supporting Apple Pay. Additionally, the Touch ID fingerprint scanner and Passport wallet technology solve one of the key issues with mobile wallets, where complex passwords or convoluted apps created a payment process that was more difficult than traditional plastic. Therein lies the rub for any new mobile payment technology: it needs to be easier than plastic.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Durbin Comments on Interchange

Richard Durbin says the Federal Reserve acted in a manner that did not follow the law he helped craft to lower interchange fees for debit card swipes.

The NRF.com site has a story on this piece:

https://nrf.com/news/durbin-says-fed-set-debit-swipe-cap-too-high-and-consumers-have-suffered

Here is a snippet from that piece:

“The amendment was carefully crafted and its purpose was clearly expressed,” Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said. “Unfortunately, the Board’s final rulemaking failed to sufficiently follow the text and purpose of the law.”

“Because interchange fees are ultimately borne by consumers in the form of higher retail prices, consumers have suffered as a result,” Durbin said.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0154 Personalization Problems

The folks over on CMO.com have another excellent read about personalization.

It seems to me they nail this right on the head.

http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Why-Marketers-Still-Havent-Mastered-Personalization/1011220/1

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Marketers have heard it loud and clear: Personalization is important. But they’re still struggling to execute it. A critical issue? They haven’t mastered the development of a single customer viewpoint, and according to a July 2014 survey by Forbes Insights in association in Sitecore, fragmented and siloed data systems were a key factor preventing this.

Senior executives polled in North America said their companies were using an average of 36 different data-gathering systems and vendors—and some used more than 100.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0153 Modern Convenience Stores

This article is a week old but I just found it.  Therefore, it is the best read of the day.

Nielsen has an interesting study on consumer behavior in Europe and the rise of the modern convenience store.  In the United Stated we've seen big-box retailers such as Wal-mart and Target join the ranks of the small footprint store.  Very interesting observations in this article.

http://www.nielseninsights.eu/articles/the-rise-of-the-modern-convenience-store-in-europe

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The slow economic recovery in Europe hasn’t delivered as much positivity as consumers had expected, keeping optimism in short supply. Consumers remain cautious, and the economic turbulence of the last five years has changed shopper behaviour in the process. In short, shoppers have grown increasingly focused on value, cost and convenience—attributes that have sparked expansion in the discount trade channel, the development of smaller store formats in many countries and the creation of a new online channel in some countries.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Subway sides with Softcard (ISIS)

Pretty big news in the world of mobile payments as the on life support company known as Softcard, previously branded as ISIS until that organization in the Middle East began making so much noise, has landed Subway for mobile payments.

http://www.mobilepaymentstoday.com/news/subway-goes-with-softcard-for-mobile-payments-platform/

A very good analysis over on Mobile Commerce that matches my own thinking:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/apple-pays-halo-effect-evident-in-subway-softcard-partnership

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The excitement around Apple Pay is helping to shine a new light on NFC-enabled mobile payments solution Softcard – previously known as Isis – which had been languishing, as evidenced by a new deal to support mobile payments and loyalty at Subway.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0152 Macy's Back for More

Macy's is a company I have identified as a leader in omnichannel efforts.  Their work in mobile, in-store experience, online, loyalty, and more continues to lead retail forward.

Last week Apple announced Apple Pay and stated Macy's would be a part of the initial wave of retailers to accept this new payment mechanism.

We have more news from Macy's this week.  They are expanding their beacon usage through Shopkick and much more:

http://chainstoreage.com/article/macy%E2%80%99s-unveils-new-omnichannel-initiatives?ad=technology

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Macy’s Inc. is launching a large number of omnichannel strategies and technologies encompassing stores, online and mobile. In addition to supporting the new Apple Pay mobile payment system, the department store retailer’s new moves include piloting same-day delivery, testing new POS technology and customer service enhancements, and expanding its use of RFID to fashion categories.

Mobile Commerce Daily has a story on Macy's firing back at the Amazon Fire product photo capability:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/macys-significant-omnichannel-push-includes-showroom-busting-image-search-app

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Macy’s is the latest retailer to fire back at Amazon with its own image recognition mobile application designed to simplify searching for items on its ecommerce site by submitting a photo of an item from daily life.

They remain a company to follow in the world of omnichannel retailing.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE** Macy's, along with Sears and Nordstrom, have been named digital retail "geniuses".
http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/article/sears-a-digital-retail-genius/1

Apple Pay - Follow the Money

The introduction of Apple Pay, the mobile payment capability through NFC that will be available with the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch, has raised one important question in the industry.  How is Apple going to make money off of this?

Clearly this move is designed to make the walled garden of Apple's ecosystem even more attractive.  However Apple will want ARR from this as well.  How else to pay for this.

Some folks are digging through the developer guide for Apple Pay and have found some clues.

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/Apple-Pay_-No-Charge-for-Merchants_-But-Transaction-Security-Fees-for-Issuers

Here is a snippet from that piece:

...“How much does it cost to accept Apple Pay?”

Here is how Apple answered its own question: “Apple does not charge users, merchants or developers to use Apple Pay for payments. Your credit and debit transactions will continue to be handled by the payment networks.”

With users—consumers—and merchants and developers out of the running, the remaining actors on the payments stage for potential revenue generation could only be card issuers and the networks.

...

But now it looks like issuers will be paying about 15 basis points, or 0.15% of an Apple Pay purchase, for what amounts to a guarantee by Apple that a tokenized and biometrically verified transaction is good, a source familiar with the payments industry tells Digital Transactions News.

Next is Walmart's and Best Buy's response to Apple Pay (no way):

http://www.mobilepaymentsinsider.com/2014/09/12/walmart-turns-down-apples-mobile-payment-system/

Here is a quick analysis of Apple Pay vs. CurrentC:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/apple-pay-vs-mcx-which-has-bigger-potential-in-mobile-payments

Finally is word on how to use Apple Pay in the drive-through at McDonalds (it isn't pretty folks):

http://recode.net/2014/09/14/how-youll-buy-a-big-mac-with-your-iphone-at-a-mcdonalds-drive-through/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

CTIA Super Mobility 2014 Day Three

The closing day was a bit subdued.  I felt everyone was completely gassed after two long days and whatever else might have been going on around Las Vegas in the evenings.

Nothing of interest for me in the sessions or keynote but I had a number of booths still on my list so it was back at it for me on the 11th.

Here is your blogger host outside of the exhibit floor:

Yeap.  Everyone had about had enough by this point in the afternoon on Day Three.  These workers were playing around quite a bit.

The first booth I saw breaking down was 123EWireless and I captured the moment.

A quick shout out to those who were so nice and helpful at the greeting to the VIP Club, and I was out the door to begin my journey back home early the next morning.

Great event overall.  I made a number of excellent business connections that may help my efforts going forward and saw a number of great and informative speakers and interactive sessions.

If it is mobile, and it isn't named Apple, it is here.

Back to my regularly scheduled blog next week.

J.W. Gant

CTIA Super Mobility 2014 Day Two

I'm a bit late in my writing.  I still haven't written anything for Day Two.

Here goes.

This was the biggest day of the event, and writing this after Day Three has ended I can state that absolutely.

Just an enormous amount going on.

My day started with the 9am Keynote that was a set of speakers from various industries.  AT&T led it all off with a panel.

The day continued on the exhibit floor with a ridiculous amount of activity.  Here are a couple shots from the floor.

Cool car

Miss your blackberry?  Plenty of people do and these folks have a solution for you.

I was able to sit in on a number of excellent interactive sessions and presentations including a focus on women in mobile and a great job by Adam Singer of Google's Analytics.

Here is a view outside the keynote room:

One of the better conversations I had was with Larry Irving, a 7 year Assistance Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton.

Excellent day.

J.W. Gant

Industry Response to Apple Pay

Well, they certainly created a buzz with Apple Pay.

Here is a good analysis of what Apple's move will do for mobile payments:

http://www.pymnts.com/in-depth/2014/it-took-an-apple/#.VBG4qMJdXVU

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Players in the payments space for years have talked about when the right moment will come when mobile payments finally will take off. And most people said when Apple entered the game, it will, given Apple’s tendency not to jump into willy-nilly notions of what might succeed only to disappoint its loyal following of tech-savvy consumers.

But while Apple finally made the move into payments on Tuesday (Sept. 9), it still will take time for the progress to be made. But, the pace may just be quicker now, executives from Chase and Chase Paymentech noted during a podcast interview this week with MPD CEO Karen Webster.

Next is a very true statement.  Apple just gave a huge give to credit card companies.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-isnt-disrupting-credit-card-111412294.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The announcement of Apple's new Apple Pay service marks another big gun — the biggest, probably — entering the mobile payments space. Those expecting Apple to disrupt the tri-opoly of MasterCard, Visa and American Express will be sorely disappointed. While tech startups in the mobile payments business talk frequently about replacing the traditional banking and financial services industry, Apple probably sees that as a fight that's simply not worth having.

Here is a very good write-up in the New York Times stating Apple is solving a problem that really isn't a problem:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/upshot/apple-pay-tries-to-solve-a-problem-that-really-isnt-a-problem.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar

Some retailers don't understand why NFC is the approach Apple has taken.  Why not use beacons instead?  I believe this move is more to support the market in China than the United States so this puzzlement makes sense.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/lord-taylor-reexamines-nfc-following-apples-announcement

What does Apple Pay mean for retailers?

http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/article/what-apple-pay-means-retaiilers/1

Here are a few more:

Target: http://chainstoreage.com/article/target-extends-mobile-commerce-like2buy-instagram-and-apple-pay

FinExtra Article: http://www.finextra.com/news/fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=26433&topic=innovation

Mobile Payments Insider: http://www.mobilepaymentsinsider.com/2014/09/10/ditch-your-wallet-apple-unveils-nfc-mobile-payments-for-iphone-6-and-iwatch/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

CTIA Super Mobility 2014 Day One

Well, the enormous news by Apple showed how big they are.  We may not see huge news like that at this year's Super Mobility Conference but it is still an amazing event.

I've captured just a bit for you.

First, what is the CTIA?

http://www.ctia.org/

The wireless mobility conference to end all conferences.  This brings together all the categories around mobile including the actual cell tower providers, cell phone repair, accessories, etc. etc. etc.  Huge.

The speakers are pretty tremendous this year and come from most of the major players, other than Apple.

Here is Twitter with CNBC at the afternoon keynote:

I'll have quite a bit more to write about later this week but for now I want to share the coolest charging station I've ever seen.

These are little, personalized, lockers for your phone to charge in.  Simply insert your phone in to an empty locker, connect the charger, close the door and enter any 4 digit code.  Walk away.  Come back later and re-enter your code to access the locker and retrieve your phone.  Brilliant.

Now if they could just improve batteries so we wouldn't need cool lockers like this!

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Pay

What does Apple Pay mean for mobile payments?

Quite a bit.

With Apple sitting on the sidelines the last few years there has been a headwind to any effort in this space.  The wait and see approach has been preferable to many, and the most affluent and innovative mobile consumers (largely) have been staying with Apple.

That all changed yesterday.

Clearly this will have ramifications throughout the space.  This is validation for efforts towards mobile payments.  The biggest players, including the biggest credit card companies and the largest banks, are all united on this path.  I view it as a sustaining move by the issuers and credit card companies.  They want to see things continue exactly as they are.

What about the merchants?

If you have great margins, as the luxury companies do, or speed is incredibly important for you, or you want/need your brand to be tied to a brand viewed as high-quality, this is good for you.  We've seen the companies announced and that matches perfectly.  What about the masses though?  Lower margins mean the existing payments networks are a terrible drain for you.  That is where CurrentC by MCX comes in.

I see this playing out along the lines of the wealth divide in the United States.  Apple with other luxury brands will ignite Apple Pay and NFC.  Meanwhile, CurrentC will grow amongst the largest retailers in the world.  Things should be pretty interesting the next few years.

Here are a couple articles that provide some perspective.

"New iPhones Will Get us Half Way to Mobile Payments"
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-09/new-iphones-will-get-us-halfway-to-mobile-payments

"How Apple's iPhone 6 Can Finally Make Mobile Payments Happen"
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-05/how-apples-iphone-6-can-finally-make-mobile-payments-happen

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Signals Start of a New Era

Good Morning Everyone,

If you are in the mobile space, technology, payments, etc. then you were likely blown away yesterday.  Wow.  What a day.

I'm at the 2014 CTIA Super Mobility Week in Las Vegas this week but the biggest news came from Cupertino.  Apple doesn't need the world's largest conference on mobile products.  It just takes all the air out of the room with its own announcements and, as only Apple can do (for now), everyone is talking about Apple's products.

New Era

We have been hearing about "i-stuff" for many years now.  We've come to expect everything to be an "i-something".  No more.  Apple under Tim Cook has entered a new era and has signaled that in their product naming. We didn't get the iWatch yesterday.  Instead we were delivered the Apple Watch.  Also announced was Apple Pay. This is a new era as the tremendous lineup of new products showed and it has been signaled even further by the naming conventions used.  The iPhone has not seen such a radical change since its initial launch and this in itself is a huge departure from the previous era.  The new Apple Era has begun, and it looks pretty healthy so far.

By using the Apple logo in their naming they are tying everything much closer to their ownership and their ecosystem.  This works exceptionally well with Apple's move in to accessories.  Want that logo?  You'll have to pay for it.

So, what did Apple deliver yesterday.

Apple Pay

Payments have been a bit of a mess over the last decade or so as an aging infrastructure struggles to deliver newer, more modern and more secure, payments methods.  The average consumer in the U.S. doesn't see anything wrong with swiping a card and therefore isn't pushing for change.  Mobile payments has been viewed for many years as the next big thing but hasn't taken off.  NFC has been the de-facto standard for mobile pay but also hasn't taken off, partly because Apple refused to embrace it.  Has all of that changed now?  Maybe.

Here is an article on Apple Pay:

http://www.cnet.com/products/apple-pay-ios/

Apple has signed with a number of the larger banks, the issuers of credit cards, and the major credit card companies including American Express, MasterCard, and VISA.  Clearly this is a sustaining move by these companies.  They want the gravy train to continue in the new format.  This is not a revolutionary move by Apple or these companies.  Nor is it disruptive.  It is safe and comfortable and focused on luxury brands (though, McDonalds was listed explicitly by Apple).  These are all reasons why this might actually work.  I for one will by trying out Apple Pay with my new iPhone when it arrives.

Did I mention the Apple Watch will have NFC built in as well?  Thus the owners of older iPhones (apparently limited to 5 or 5S phones, nothing older) will also be able to use Apple Pay by getting an Apple Watch.

Apple Watch

Wearable devices is a category that has seen slow growth to-date but the biggest names have been entering this space for the last year or more including Samsung and Android Wear by Google.  Now Apple has joined in.

The price starts at $349 and likely will move up quite high for the gold version.  Details are sparse at the moment but this article has quite a bit:

http://www.cnet.com/products/apple-watch/

Clearly this will not be a huge seller after the initial wave of Apple fans has picked one up.  The price is just too steep for this to be an enormous seller, unless the consumer sees some value they can't already get from their iPhone or iPad.  Did I mention the Watch must be tethered to an iPhone?  That limits the market to the install base of iPhone owners and limits it further to only the newer phones.  Still, that is a large base so sales could be robust initially.  Will this have legs?

Finally, is the new set of iPhones.

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

We get two new phones this year and bother are larger than any iPhone before it.  The expected size really has grown quite a bit since the launch of the iPhone in 2007.  Remember, back then the iPhone was considered to be HUGE.  The paradigm has changed thanks to the competition such as Samsung's devices and Apple has responded with its first Phablet.

The biggest news other than screen size is regarding the new camera and video capability.  This is a dramatic improvement.  For more information see this article:

http://www.cnet.com/products/apple-iphone-6/

What a day huh?  Does Apple have its mojo back?  Walking around the CTIA yesterday I overheard someone deriding Apple's announcement.  "They announced a watch?  So what?  We've been hearing about that for years now.  Surprise me please."  Interesting take.

The sum of the announcements, including U2's announcement releasing their new album for free on iTunes, really was quite big.  The new era of Apple has begun.  Will it be as meaningful as the last era?  Pretty hard to match that but they are off to a good start.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE** CNet has a story that speaks of the shift to a new era of Apple that echos what I wrote about above:
http://www.cnet.com/news/theres-no-i-in-apples-team-cook/

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0151 Pinterest Personalization Issues

Personalization in brand interactions with consumers is the use of data related to an individual to provide meaningful and relevant information, offers, deals, etc. to the consumer.

Pinterest just blew it in a big way.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/pinterest-accidentally-sent-emails-to-single-women-96643879969.html?src=rss

Apparently it is pretty common for some women to use Pinterest to 'pin' together a collection of ideas that form a vision for their perfect wedding.  This behavior, apparently, does not necessarily indicate whether or not the woman in question is actually getting married or even dating.  That didn't stop Pinterest from sending notifications to these women congratulating them on their upcoming wedding.

Oops.

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Some female Pinterest users got emails from Pinterest with subject lines like “Hundreds of wedding invitations (P.S. You might find the one).” The erroneous emails read: “You’re getting married! And because we love wedding planning — especially all the lovely stationery — we invite you to browse our best boards curated by graphic designers, photographers and fellow brides-to-be, all Pinners with a keen eye and marriage on the mind.”

I've been exploring the border within personalization that defines useful & friendly vs. creepy and unhelpful.  This one accidentally walked right across that border.  Clearly companies with very good ideas and very smart people working there are making this mistake regularly right now and I expect more of these kinds of stories to surface in the coming months and years.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Issuer Fees and Amazon Groceries through the USPS

A couple pieces of news to post today.

First up is continuing rumors around Apple's possible mobile payments capability to be revealed September 9th.  This report says Apple has reached a deal with a number of major issuers (organizations that issue credit cards) to reduce the interchange fee for swipes through the Apple wallet with bio-metrics.

The key issue is proving the card is present during the swipe.  Since, technically, the card does not have to be present the merchant would see a higher fee known as Card Not Present.  With the card added to the Apple Passbook wallet with bio-metric proof of ownership it makes sense these should be considered Card Present transactions and that may be the deal they've made.

Here is the story over on PYMTS.com:

http://www.pymnts.com/in-depth/2014/apple-to-get-rebates-from-issuers-on-fees/#.VAmlcsVdX9Y

The article mentions the question of passing along relaxed interchange fees to the merchant in these instances.  This really does no favor for the merchant that is already paying what they consider to be a high interchange fee on Card Present transactions.

Take away some, take away more, then give back a bit of that last one and say you are giving me relief?  Doesn't sound to pleasant from where I'm sitting.

Next is news of Amazon working with the United States Postal Service to deliver perishable groceries:

http://www.internetretailer.com/2014/09/04/amazons-groceries-are-mail

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The U.S. Postal Service is delivering meat, vegetables and other groceries ordered via Amazon.com Inc. to consumers in the San Francisco area in a test that could produce a larger harvest of e-commerce deliveries for the federal agency

The test began the first week of August and was designed to run for 60 days, says a Postal Service spokeswoman. The agency will deliver orders to members of the AmazonFresh online grocery service between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., when postal trucks typically would be idle. Perishable food comes in insulated bags, eliminating the need for refrigerated transport.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

MCX Announces CurrentC Brand for Mobile Payments

We have some pretty enormous events stirring up this September in the payments space.

The Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), the consortium of retailers embarking on a journey in mobile payments together, yesterday announced its consumer-facing brand.

CurrentC

The logo above is the app icon.

We have a number of stories on payments that cover this and other news in payments so read on.

First up is one of my favorite sites for news in the mobile space, Mobile Commerce Daily:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/mcx-launches-currentc-in-pilot-programs-targets-2015-nationwide-rollout

Here is a snippet from that piece:

While Apple’s rumored launch of mobile payments solution next week is expected to make a big impact, Merchant Customer Exchange – a consortium of retailers – has beat the technology company to the punch with a pilot already in market and significant potential for a quick impact on sales.

Next is PYMTS.com with a very good analysis:

http://www.pymnts.com/in-depth/2014/the-411-on-mcx-and-mobile-payments/#.VAjOhcVdXVU

Here is a snippet from that piece:

[Dekkers Davidson, CEO of MCX, stated] ... “The CurrentC Network will provide merchants with unparalleled reach and resources in the mobile payments category and will offer merchants new and exciting channels to engage with customers, strengthen relationships, and enjoy more control of transaction data.”

A couple more to read:

http://gigaom.com/2014/09/03/mcx-launches-currentc-a-mobile-wallet-for-walmart-best-buy-and-other-retailers/

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/Eye-on-Branding_-As-Wallets-Struggle_-MCX-Dubs-Its-Scheme-CurrentC-While-Isis-Says-It-Is-Now-Softcard

Next is news from McDonald's and their NFC-based mobile payments efforts:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/mcdonalds-preparing-for-launch-of-mobile-payment-system-memo-shows

Finally is news from the troubled mobile carrier brand ISIS:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/isis-softcard-rebranding-leaves-strategic-woes-unaddressed

Hope you have a fine day.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  For purposes of disclosure I am involved in MCX through my employer Topco Associates, LLC.

Uber Now Delivering Fresh Food

Have you heard of Uber?

Then again, why would you be reading my blog if you hadn't?

Uber

Mobile payments, through Uber.  Prepared food delivery, through Uber.  What's next, grocery delivery, through Uber?  This little story on Supermarket News tells what you need to know:

http://supermarketnews.com/blog/why-uber-matters-food?eid=forward

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Mobile Usage Growing and More Effective

A couple of items, articles and news, caught my eye regarding mobile.

First is an article about the role of mobile devices to shop for back-to-school items.  Here is the article:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/mobiles-role-in-shopping-research-grew-during-back-to-school-sales

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The number of consumers taking to mobile first to find out about seasonal deals and promotions during the back-to-school shopping season surged, fueled by improvements in mobile-centric experiences.

Thinknear’s Mobile Marketer’s Guide to Back-to-School Shopping report said that 40 percent of consumers spent at least one to two hours planning for back-to-school shopping on mobile. The statistics, based on consumer-panel research conducted last month, shed light on brands’ embrace of the opportunity to provide a mobile platform that motivates a consumer to use it.

Next is a bit of research on the effectiveness of ads.  We are seeing a dramatic benefit to ads in mobile apps vs. merely a mobile web site:

http://www.warc.com/LatestNews/News/Mobile_ads_work_well_in_apps_.news?ID=33503

Here is a snippet from that piece:

NEW YORK: The click-through-rate (CTR) for ads on mobile apps is twice as high as the rate for desktop web ads, according to new analysis of tracked activity.

Based on some 300bn data points from mobile ad campaigns in the first half of this year, mobile ad measurement platform Medialets concluded that ads on apps achieved 0.58% CTR compared with 0.23% on the mobile web.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Payments - NFC, Amex, MasterCard, and VISA?

Wow.

The rumor mill is certainly churning with anticipation building ahead of Apple's announcement in Cupertino on September 9.

The biggest news I'm hearing that doesn't concern a wearable device such as an iWatch regards the following (all rumors until Sept 9):

• The new iPhone will contain a NFC chip to enable payments in close proximity.
• Apple has signed a deal with VISA for mobile payments.
• Apple has signed a deal with both MasterCard and VISA for mobile payments.
• Apple has signed a deal with American Express for mobile payments.

Wow.

Pretty intense rumor mill regarding Apple finally embracing NFC technology, something I've been extremely skeptical of to date.  You can't just ignore a firestorm of rumors though so September 9 should be fun, as we expected it would be.

Here is one excellent article by Karen Webster worth reading if you follow mobile payments:

http://www.pymnts.com/news/2014/whos-on-your-2014-fantasy-payments-team/#.VAW2hcVdX9Z

The American Express rumor:

http://recode.net/2014/08/31/apple-9-9/

The MasterCard and VISA rumor:

http://www.paymentssource.com/news/emerging-payments/apple-said-to-team-up-with-visa-mastercard-on-iphone-wallet-3019019-1.html

How many days left until the event?  Once again Apple has succeeded in building interest for their product launch.  Seems to be a strong feed of information from the supply chain yet again but the main points may have nothing to do with the hardware this time.  That is an opportunity for Apple to regain some of its vaunted secrecy ahead of a product launch.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE** Good article here that lays out the entire story:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/what-is-nfc-and-why-does-it-matter-for-the-iphone-6-96456683964.html?src=rss

**UPDATE #2** Another good article on this story stated merchants will decide whether or not Apple's foray in to payments will be successful.  True, unless consumer demand forces acceptance, a difficult trick to pull off.
http://blogs.forrester.com/denee_carrington/14-09-04-merchants_will_decide_the_fate_of_apples_mobile_wallet