Yapital, a payments processor based in Germany, has released the results of a new survey conducted on its behalf by TNS Infratest. The survey has gauged the interest that German consumers have in mobile payments. Many consumers have been relying more heavily on their smartphones recently, using these devices to conduct their daily lives more efficiently. As smartphone adoption continues to grow, people are becoming more interested in the concept of mobile commerce. According to the survey some 31% of German consumers said that they needed to have their smartphones with them at all times. These people noted that they …

Broadband internet connectivity, considered a luxury some 10 years ago across India, is spreading fast, this time through mobile phones, and is set to overhaul the country's digital economy. Cheaper smartphones and a ballooning telecommunications industry have together pushed India to the cusp of digital revolution. Today, India has 243 million internet users - more than the United States and second only to China. As more Indians start using the internet on phones, they are gaining access to products and services that were otherwise tough to find or access. The internet has revolutionized travel, education, retail, and agriculture across the …

With smartphones and tablets increasingly used by people when they carry out safe shopping online, it is important for retailers to consider the kind of experience they are offering customers who choose to use portable platforms to make purchases. And a new study from EPiServer has found that John Lewis is currently the best at delivering on the promise of m-commerce, according to Warc. One thousand consumers who regularly engage in m-commerce were questioned to find out which companies are living up to expectations and which were not getting it right. The study found that John Lewis was performing even …

IDG Global Solutions has released a new report focused on the safety aspects of mobile commerce. The report notes that many people are willing to use their smartphones and tablets to shop online, but safety concerns keep them from doing so. High profile cyber attacks on retailers often discourage people from participating in mobile commerce, as they believe that their financial information is constantly at risk of exploitation. Poorly optimized mobile shopping platforms are also keeping people away from mobile shopping as well. The report notes that many people are visiting mobile websites from their smartphones and tablets, but retail …

The social media giant, Facebook has partnered with payment service PayPal to enable payments to be made on any Facebook mobile app that is accepted into its FbStart program. There has been much talk around Facebook integrating mobile payment processing into its offering and FbStart appears to be a strong platform for it to use. FbStart provides start ups with free tools and support. Successful applicants now have access to PayPal's Braintree platform, enabling payment processing for up to $50k, for free.

Recently, few people spotted buy now buttons in tweets from the shopping app Fancy. Some of them even tried to click them. The buttons could only be seen on Twitter's mobile app, and were not working when Re/code (who broke the news) tested them out. "Tapping on them didn't do anything," the report notes. "But Re/code did speak to someone who said that tapping on the button earlier on Monday did lead to a checkout page opening up within the Twitter app. Re/code could not replicate that experience." Apparently the news source that reported it first is known for authentic …

According to a new report from Roy Morgan Research, the number of people participating in mobile commerce in Australia has grown by 448% over the past three years. There are many factors contributing to this growth, including the growing adoption of smartphones and tablets and the increasing interest that retailers are showing in the mobile field. An estimated six in ten Australians currently own smartphones and many of these people are using their mobile devices to shop for and purchase products online. The appeal of mobile commerce has to do with its convenience. Shopping applications allow mobile consumers to shop …

Applebee's has teamed up with Pabst Blue Ribbon to create the Tap Room mobile SMS program, an opt-in offer service that rewards patronage and links with a user's social network to reinforce the chain's positioning as a neighborhood-bar. Through restaurant-specific codes, Applebee's guests can register for the Tap Room using their smartphones by simply texting a code. SMS programs are a great way to enhance the fast-casual experience by creating direct response campaigns and will allow the brand to develop more personalized relationships with its customers.

Rakuten, one of Japan's largest e-commerce organizations, has launched a new global investment fund that will focus on the development of startups in Israel, the United States, and in the Asian Pacific region. The new fund will be based in Singapore, but will be managed by Rakuten Ventures and has more than $100 million at its disposal. The fund will seek to invest in startups that have ambitious goals in the mobile space, particularly those interested in mobile commerce. Rakuten has not yet announced which companies it is seeking to invest in but may do so in the near future. …

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed new legislation into law that legalizes the use of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. These currencies had been banned in the state for some time, but this prohibition was overturned by those that believed a ban on digital currencies was outdated. The growing popularity of mobile commerce played a role in attracting support to the legislation, highlighting the fact that the way people are shopping for and purchasing products is beginning to change significantly. Digital currencies have some degree of controversy surrounding them currently. Currencies like Bitcoin are largely unregulated, which makes them quite …