WillCall Blog

A man walks into his local coffee house. Checks the list of international blends on the menu. Taps on his smartphone. Orders his morning coffee. Thanks the barista and takes a seat. No money is exchanged. No card is swiped. This my friends, may be the future of shopping as we know it.

Big things are a foot in the mobile commerce space. M-Commerce as it’s commonly known amongst industry pundits has become an increasingly hot topic in the early stages of the year, with Google announcing it’s plans to make Google Wallet available on all smart phones, including iPhones and Blackberries. PayPal also reported that it handled $4 billion in mobile payments in 2011 and hoped to expand to $7 billion in 2012.

But more importantly, the smaller guys are also gaining momentum. Square is reportedly handling $11 million in sales per day, empowering small businesses across the country. And bringing us our ‘cashless’ coffee from some of our favorite cafes. 

What we do need to clarify is the true meaning of Mobile Commerce. Is it merely using your phone to make a purchase via an e-commerce site? Is it making a mobile payment using your smartphone ‘as the conduit’? Or is it an in-store purchase where you can transact via the store’s POS system, ala the aforementioned coffee purchase?  For the purposes of the discussion it is all of the above.    

Mike Cassidy, from Silicon Valley Mercury News sees the future of Mobile Commerce in the hands of these types of companies - start-ups and Silicon Valley entrepeneurs. 

And I see a significant role for Silicon Valley, which has the brainpower to supply the smartphones, shopping apps, algorithms, databases and geolocation technology that will change the way we buy things. 

We’ve all used Square, Card Case and Google Wallet to transact in the last few months. The ease, speed and convenience were all major factors in deciding to transact this way. A post-Christmas study also found that customers found mobile payments quite convenient. 

Convenience rather than savings mattered most for mobile shoppers.

But what are some of the concerns of the broader public when it comes to transacting via their mobile device? 

Internet Retailing reports that one of the main impediments to people making payments via their smartphones is privacy. 

As Smartphones and mobile connected devices continue to become more widespread, increasingly complex and diverse attitudes towards privacy will cause chaos in the industry. “

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in relation to projected growth and awareness. On the plus side, there are several companies offering PCI compliant solutions for new apps in the mobile transaction space, Braintree being one of them.

As was the case in the early days of e-commerce, people will be reluctant to share important information via their mobile device until awareness about safety and security becomes more widespread. 

We’re excited about the endless possibilities that mobile commerce will bring this year, particularly for WillCall users. We promise a safe and secure purchasing process that is both quick and convenient. 

*Here’s an infographic to help illustrate the world of mobile payments. 

Posted by: Lauren Kish