By 2020, the majority of U.S. consumers will use smartphones to pay for goods and services, concluded a new study from Pew and Elon University. The survey is unusual in that it queried tech stakeholders and leaders about the subject, as opposed to a random sample of the general population. Executives from such companies as Microsoft and Google were included in the mix, as well as professors and other thought leaders.

read more from this topic.....

Riding the wave of technology change these days is a bit like surfing. The ocean and waves often change much faster than our ability to stay out in front of the transformation. Now another current is approaching the wireless world as mobile commerce curls to challenge conventional e-commerce.

read more from this topic.....

Amazon is testing a service that will let tablet users purchase items through mobile applications. It is expected to enhance the Kindle Fire tablet’s de facto role as a shopping conduit for its users. It already is second nature for users to download books and movies from Amazon’s content library. With an in-app purchase mechanism, items can be bought via downloadable software.

read more from this topic.....

PayPal has introduced PayPal Here, a mobile payment product that is meant to continue its push into retailing’s brick-and-mortar world, no matter the size of the retailer. The global mobile payment system will allow small businesses to accept almost any form of payment, PayPal said. Businesses can accept payments by swiping cards with a fully encrypted thumb-sized card reader.

read more from this topic.....

Although it seems there is an app for everything nowadays, new research indicates mobile shopping is one area in which consumers prefer retailers’ websites over dedicated smartphone apps. Although the recent Nielsen report found users generally spend more time with mobile apps rather than sites, the process can turn off some consumers, according to John Burbank, president of strategic initiatives at Nielsen.

read more from this topic.....