Google Payments in the News, Plus Forrester Research on Mobile Loyalty

Google Wallet is in the news with a couple of speculative stories about its future.

First is a story about Google testing a new payment style and references code name "Plaso":

http://www.mobilepaymentsinsider.com/2015/02/12/google-tests-new-mobile-payments-platform/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Google is rumoured to be testing a new payments service called Plaso which allows consumers carrying Android phones to pay for goods and services by giving just their initials to the merchant.

Next is the possibility Google dumps NFC and enables a Bluetooth payments capability, what I think is an iterative improvement over NFC.  This one also references "Plaso":


http://www.pymnts.com/news/2015/plaso-googles-slightly-unnerving-answer-to-apple-pay/#.VNzKK-bF_9Y

Here is a snippet from that piece:

It seems Google might be considering moving beyond NFC in its quest to compete with Apple Pay, according to new data published in The Information. The search-giant has reportedly been quietly testing a contextually-aware mobile, bluetooth-based payment system codenamed “Plaso” both in-house and with some select retailers like Papa John’s and Panera Bread.

Finally is a brief write-up on Forrester research about mobile wallets and the importance of loyalty program integration with payment:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/forrester-loyalty-programs-will-be-mobilized-as-digital-wallets-become-marketing-channel

Here is a snippet from that piece:

While mobile wallets currently offer significant value to brands, marketers must also look beyond those solutions and focus on mobilizing loyalty platforms to create branded moments and transform payment options into a viable marketing channel, according to a report from Forrester Research.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant