School-related fundraisers, auctions and group events are getting easier thanks to the new partnership that makes it possible for members to be able to accept credit and debit card payments for a variety of K-8 sponsored events including fundraisers, auctions, group dues or any other event, directly from their smartphones and tablets.

Harper Reed, the chief technology officer behind the 2012 Obama reelection campaign, is working on a new mobile commerce app. Speaking at the NEXT13 startup conference in Berlin, Reed bemoaned the current state of mobile payments - pointing out, among other things, how anachronistic the shopping cart icon and metaphor have become - and outlined his goals in trying to improve matters.

A new legislation in the U.S. is causing eBay some concern, and may even put a damper on the company's interests in mobile commerce to some degree.It is not unusual to see businesses get involved in U.S. politics for one reason or another, but eBay is one of the companies that has avoided this involvement in the past. Donahoe has sent out emails to eBay's 40 million users, asking for support in opposing this legislation.

An online-to-offline rewards program that motivates members to make offline purchases - has launched a mobile app for iOS devices. The mobile app lets members manage and track their account on-the-go and even link the credit or debit card of their choice and begin earning rewards by purchasing offline at more than 50,000 restaurant, retailer and travel provider locations nationwide.

Dutch mobile commerce revenues rose in the second half of 2012 to EUR 310 million and the number of Dutch people making purchases from their mobile lifted to 1.7 million. Mobile buyers placed a total of 5.5 million orders (products and/or services) via their device.

A global trade association has released a new report that highlights the attitude that consumers have regarding privacy and how their personal information may be being used in the mobile space. Data has helped the mobile world becomes more defined, providing developers with ways to create new, more intuitive mobile applications. Usually, these applications can either be purchased or attained for free, but a growing number of applications, especially those involving mobile payments, are beginning to exchange services for the acquisition of personal information.

Dunkin' Donuts is turning to its email database to drive downloads of the company's mobile payments application and educating consumers about the pros of paying with their smartphones. Last week, the coffee giant ran a campaign to its email database that centered around its mobile app. The email also included mobile incentives to help drive downloads.

A Cars.com executive says that as the company sees a significant portion of traffic coming from mobile, it is important to use the medium for connectivity. During the "Cars.com: The Value Equation of Mobile" conference session, the executive spoke about the mobile strategy behind Cars.com. The session also presented some trends that the company is seeing with its mobile users.

Pointing to the quick growth of mobile use for shopping, 29 percent of retailers now see more than 20 percent of their traffic coming from mobile devices, up from just 3 percent who could make this claim a year ago, according to a new report. In terms of revenue, 27 percent see more than 10 percent of their revenue coming from mobile, up from 5 percent a year ago, while 22 percent see between 5 percent and 9.9 percent of their revenue coming from mobile, up from 18 percent a year ago.

Microsoft and Pizza Hut have partnered up to launch a pioneer app for Xbox Live that will allow users to order from the chain's menu directly through their Xbox 360. The Pizza Hut for Xbox app makes the chain's entire menu accessible to users, who can then build their own customized pizzas and place orders via Kinect motion controls, voice commands or the controller. Users can link their Xbox and PizzaHut.com accounts and save their order settings to streamline future purchases, as well as view and take advantage of deals at local stores.