Showing posts with label Google Wallet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google Wallet. Show all posts

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Google Wallet Coming to the UK For 2012 Olympics

Google Wallet apparently will launch next in the United Kingdom, in time for the holding of the summer Olympics starting June 27, 2012, French newspaper Les Echos reports.


It is believed that Google Wallet could debut in the first quarter of 2012. That will require convincing at least some top banks to participate, as well as retailers and at least one mobile service provider.


Google Wallet Reportedly Coming to the UK For 2012 Olympics


It would of course be helpful to have one or more providers of "daily deals" and other promotions. It isn't so clear that paying using a mobile is so much better than using cash or a credit card that people will have incentives to use a mobile wallet service.


But what does provide value for end users are incentives, coupons, discounts and special offers tied with use of mobile wallets. 


For retailers, the ability to target incentives at potential customers when they are in proximity to a retail venue likewise offers clear value. 





Friday, November 11, 2011

Isis Thinks Google Wallet Competition is a Good Thing

Mobile wallet providers
Michael Abbott, the CEO of carrier-backed mobile payments joint venture Isis, has an interesting take on rival Google Wallet: "It's the best thing that could happen."


You might think that an odd thing for one competitor to say about another major competitor. But early in the development of a brand-new industry, it actually can help to have multiple substantial contestants promoting the new market.


That is helpful because it reduces the perceived risk, on the part of potential users and customers. Any company executive that has tried to explain "what we do" in a market with no other providers or competitors will immediately grasp the concept. 

Abbott argues that competition from multiple parties is a good thing, early on, as it generates greater consumer awareness and can convince many other essential providers in the ecosystem to participate. Google Wallet is good for mobile payments


One is reminded that Apple under Steve Jobs did not conduct market research to develop new products, as Jobs' philosophy always was that people could not provide meaningful feedback about products they never have seen. 


That's another aspect of new markets, for new products consumers do not have experience using. Since people may not even be aware of why they need a product, it can be hard to sell such products. Having more contestants in such a market contributes to the overall evangelization process that creates better understanding on the part of users of why they "need" a product. 



Friday, October 21, 2011

Is PayPal Card Friend or Foe?

Value in mobile ecosystem
In a complicated ecosystem such as retail payments, no legacy contestant can be completely sure that other new participants in the broader ecosystem are complementary or disruptive.


PayPal, already a payment system for e-commerce transactions, has made no secret lately of its ambitions to move into the world of brick-and-mortar commerce. 


And PayPal might worry card issuers more than Google for a couple of reasons. First, Google clearly wants to build a business around advertising. PayPal wants to grow a transaction fee business, even as it works with traditional card issuers. 


Traditional payments typically involve a merchant, acquirer, issuer, and a consumer in the visible parts of the business. But essential roles also are played by the payment network provider as well. 


The roles of merchants and consumers are obvious. "Acquirers" are responsible for aggregating merchants  and enabling merchants to process payments. 


"Issuers" create payment devices for consumers to use (credit and debit cards, for example) and process the transfer of funds from consumer accounts to merchants. 


In the case of credit and debit cards and other electronic forms of payment, a payment network provider, such as Visa or MasterCard, resides between acquirers and issuers to facilitate the transfer of information and funds. 


The mobile payments business adds other potential participants as well, such as handset suppliers, mobile service providers and application providers that create "wallet" systems. That also means other functions such as daily deals services, loyalty program services, local advertising and other functions likely will be part of the ecosystem as well. 


You might argue that PayPal, up this point, has acted as a payment network of sorts, even though it works with existing clearing networks and card issuers. What does not seem completely clear is what it might mean now that PayPal has decided its "wallet" functions will take the form of a plastic card.  

The PayPal Card is a magnetic-striped plastic card that will become available to its base of 100 million active users some time in the first half of 2012.
The unembossed card, which account holders will have to apply for, will carry the PayPal logo on its face, but will bear no other identifying information—no name, no account number. 
Transactions on the card will be protected by a PIN. PayPal will also introduce at the same time a companion payment product it calls “Empty Hands,” a system that will let account holders pay the point of sale by entering a phone number and a PIN.
The card is intended to let users access the funding sources they have stored in their accounts, or digital wallets. These can include credit and debit cards, but also loyalty points, prepaid and gift cards, and demand-deposit accounts. 

Although it looks like a familiar payment card, its magnetic stripe stores encrypted data that lets consumers access a variety of accounts through PayPal. The card will not carry the customer's name or an account number but only the PayPal logo.


Keep in mind that The PayPal card might be viewed merely as an extension of wallet functions PayPal has had for a decade or more, experts say. For example, PayPal has had a MasterCard-branded credit and debit card for years. In that sense, PayPal already has been an issuer in its own right. 


But some in the banking industry will see a threat. "It is another step in PayPal's march to disintermediate" the traditional card companies, says Andy Schmidt, research director for commercial banking and payments at TowerGroup.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

New Jersey Transit Embraces Google Wallet


NJ Transit  is the first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet, Google’s recently released contactless payment system.  Using Google Wallet, NJ TRANSIT rail and bus customers have the option to use their smart phones to tap and pay for transportation tickets at select locations.

Now, NJ TRANSIT customers can use Google Wallet to purchase transportation tickets at New York Penn Station ticket vending machines and ticket windows, Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station (AirTrain), on bus route nos. 6, 43, 80, 81, 87, and 120, and on some buses on the 126 line.

Currently, Google Wallet is available on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G phone and supports Citi MasterCard credit cards and a Google Prepaid Card.

New Jersey Transit Takes Google Wallet

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Google Wallet Users Make First Purchases

Customers make their first purchases with Google Wallet in San Francisco and New York.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

OfficeMax goes live with Google Wallet at 100 stores

OfficeMaxCustomers can now use near field communications mobile phones to make payments, redeem coupons and receive rewards using Google "SingleTap" terminals installed at more than one hundred of the company's stores in the United States. Office Max operates about 1,000 retail stores.

The new terminals are available in stores throughout the greater New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC regions.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Google Wallet Launches

Right now, Google Wallet only works with Citi-Mastercards and the Google Prepaid Card. Visa and Google announced a worldwide agreement to support the Visa payWave app, but it will still be up to the financial institutions and banks to add support.



Google Wallet

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Google Launches Wallet on Sprint

Google has released the first version of the Google Wallet app to Sprint. That means the Google Wallet app will be pushed to all Sprint Nexus S 4G phones through an over-the-air update. The app will be shown as“Wallet.”

Monday, September 19, 2011

Google Wallet Launching September 19, 2011

google wallet youtubeGoogle Wallet, Google's mobile payment and daily deals service, will officially launch Sept. 19, 2011, TechCrunch says. Google Wallet lets you load your credit cards to its app and tap your NFC-enabled phone to a special reader to make purchases.

It also ties in Google Offers, Google's semi-new Groupon clone. That means whenever you buy a Google Offer from a local vendor, Google Wallet automatically factors in your discount when you make the purchase.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Google Wallet to Launch Sept. 19, 201?

Will Google Wallet launch this month, perhaps even on Sept. 19, 2011?

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Google Wallet

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