Demand for internet data in New Zealand doubled in the year ending June 2012 and competition between telecommunications companies heated up over the 12-month period, the Commerce Commission said today. Revenue in the mobile retail market was $2.38 billion in the year ending June 30 2012, up from $2.14 the year before. The report said that total telecommunications revenue in the retail market was $5.22 billion, up from $5.03 billion the year before.

USA Technologies, Inc. kicked off what it believes to be the largest mobile payment and loyalty program for the U.S. vending industry this week at the NAMA OneShow in Las Vegas. Themobile payment and loyalty program will integrate USAT's installed base of over 100,000 NFC-enabled cashless payment terminals with Isis mobile commerce technology, for rewards acceptance and redemption.

An Israeli m-commerce start-up has closed another funding round of $2 million, raising a total of $3.5 million. The company says it will use the latest round of funding to add new product functionality, increase traction with retailers, solidify new partnerships, and build its presence in the rapidly expanding global payments market.

As companies such as foursquare, Facebook and Yelp increasingly roll out more comprehensive location-based offerings, Groupon is striking back by adding a universal search feature to its iPhone and Android applications. The new search feature is being rolled out to Groupon's mobile apps to help consumers sort through the company's growing inventory of deals.

An an online flower subscription service that lets businesses and individuals order regular deliveries of fresh flowers, has launched an iPhone app, where it will also sell gifts. Gifts including chocolates, cupcakes, candles and macaroons will be sold exclusively through the mobile channel, which soon will also include an Android app and a mobile commerce website.

Walmart Stores's U.K. Asda grocery business's use of technology to expand its online, delivery and pick-up services for groceries could be the "secret sauce" that helps the world's largest retailer develop its online grocery presence in the U.S., an analyst said. Asda offers online grocery services covering 98 percent of the U.K. population. It also has an Asda direct non-food site, a George.com e-commerce site with delivery to Europe, a strong mobile commerce site that accounts for 16 percent of online sales, a "Click and Collect" program that allows customers to order food online and pick up in two hours, …

Don't look for Apple to roll out mobile payment services anytime soon: The segment is still not ready for primetime, according to comments made Tuesday by the computing giant's CEO. Speaking to analysts after Apple announced its fiscal 2013 second quarter results, the CEO said he saw mobile payments as just getting started.

As companies in the Middle East have begun a broadening of the infrastructure for mobile payments, the demand for using this alternative form of transaction is also on the rise in that region. This trend has kept the area well in line with the evolution that commerce is taking on a global scale.

The market for smartphones in India is approaching a tipping point, with penetration hitting 10% due to falling prices for entry-level handsets. The market is expanding fast, but a tipping point is still about a year away, according to the chief marketing officer at a mobile services operator.

In a move to provide restaurants more resources to enhance the user experience and collect more comprehensive customer data, the nation's largest mobile-based commerce platform for the restaurant industry is launching an on-premise, self-checkout and mobile payment application.