Mobile Commerce Minute

Today is Apple Pay day for the United States. The long-awaited launch of Apple's foray into mobile payments is here and we explore why Apple's incarnation is different from the early incumbents and why their approach may be the reason they succeed to gain traction. We also answer the age-old question: What needs to come first for mobile payment adoption: The customer or the employee.

That's right, the average participant in mobile payments will spend almost $800 from their phone next year - up from $397 this year - according to a recent eMarketer Report entitled  “US Mobile Payments 2014: Updated Forecast and Key Trends Driving Growth.” Chuck walks us though the key findings in under 2 minutes here.

 

Does that sound high or low to you?

Hard to believe that we are already talking about holiday sales but that's what is on the minds of retailers across North America right now. We've aggregated a number of studies looking at the impact that mobile will have on retail sales this coming quarter and Chuck summarizes it all in under 2 minutes.

Who would have thought that mobile payment adopters think it is more risky than the casual or non-users. This based on a recent study by global management consulting firm, Kurt Salmon. The study examines the impact that ApplePay will have on the general population when it comes to mobile payments and Chuck highlights the things that matter in this episode.

As Chuck travels around the world he seeks out the places that have started implementing the technology we talk about here on the show. This time Chuck was in San Diego and swung by the Marriott - one of 3 across the United States that have implemented beacons throughout the property. Here is Chuck's experience as he wandered around, getting beaconed and blown away.

Without adding to the hype around beacons this shopping season, beacons are going to be HUGE for retailers in the coming months. With a number of high-profile tests and deployments underway, this coming Christmas shopping season will be the ultimate test of beacons for retailers, consumers and cash registers across the globe. Chuck highlights a recent report by eMarketer and their view on this emerging beacon world.

It seemed a likely marriage - that between travel and mobile - but it has taken an incredible amount of time to get the user experience right. Chuck, an avid traveler, gives us the lay of the land when it comes to his experiences while roaming the United States. The verdict? The industry has started to emerge as a leader in mobile and here's why.

We head back to Regent Street 100 days after their rollout of beacons to 130 retailers on the most famous shopping street on the planet. Chuck summarizes his conversation with Autograph.me CEO Henry Lawson on the impact those little beacons have had for retailers in the Queen's mall.

In February of 2014, Sears introduced curbside pickup of online purchases and every single person who hates shopping rejoiced. They have now expanded that service to include returns and exchanges. Chuck explains how this all works.

Grabbing the attention of a consumer is THE challenge for marketers using mobile these days and beacons are in the middle of this notification revolution. They seem to be the answer to all marketing prayers and, according to a recent inMarket study, they work VERY well. Chuck summarizes the results in this episode but beware, there is a dark side to this bright light that could bring an end to your beacon initiative - and customer loyalty - if it is abused.