Absurd? Maybe not. Visa, MasterCard and AMEX and their peers are acknowledging a serious threat in the future: the Smartphone. All of these companies make their money by taking a very small percentage of every transaction that uses their services. But what if you could complete a transaction without their services? What if you could … Continue reading Can Visa, MasterCard and AMEX Become Extinct?
Bricks, Not Bits, Will Drive the Mobile Wallet
The most widespread misconception about potential of M-Commerce is that it will primarily be a way to shop online. But, online retail accounts for only about 4% of all retail transactions today, and will probably grow to about 8% by 2014. While the growth rate is impressive, the fact remains that brick and mortar retailers … Continue reading Bricks, Not Bits, Will Drive the Mobile Wallet
Migration from the Wallet to the Smartphone: Barcodes
Do you carry any barcodes with you in your wallet? What about your keychain? Take a look and count all of the loyalty cards, membership cards, coupons, and all of the other places were a barcode me here. I found four in mine, and I have thrown them all away in lieu of one of … Continue reading Migration from the Wallet to the Smartphone: Barcodes
Forbes and Gartner Weigh In on Mobile Security Issues
Recently, Darcy Travlos of Forbes published an article in the ‘Intelligent Investing’ column in which she delivered valuable and relevant insights to the Mobile Payments discussion. Here’s why: The main obstacle to mobile payments adoption in the United States is the “security” issue. Travlos begins her article with a reference to the Harris Interactive and … Continue reading Forbes and Gartner Weigh In on Mobile Security Issues
Mobile Payments and the Third World
“…what’s past is prologue.” – William Shakespeare, and to a lesser extent, Visa Mobile In the Emerging Markets section of the Visa Mobile page, Visa states, Nowhere is (the power of mobile payments) more apparent than in developing economies where mobile penetration outpaces bank card availability. Using existing mobile devices to access and transfer funds, … Continue reading Mobile Payments and the Third World
DIY CyberGuy with David W. Schropfer 