In a reflection of just how important young, mobile-savvy consumers are for quick-service restaurants, Burger King is offering a free Android phone to support the national launch of its mobile coupon application. Consumers who visit the bk.com/android landing page can pick from a variety of Android phone models available from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless. To be eligible for the free phone, consumers must sign up for a new two-year activation or upgrade and enter the code FREEPHONE at check out.

The University of Mississippi, colloquially known as Ole Miss, is leveraging Apple’s iBeacon technology to enhance the fan experience during sports events and link to a rewards program. The system, which will be in operation when the Ole Miss football team plays its home opener Sept. 13, will be integrated into an updated mobile application which provides users with scores, schedules and personalized dashboard content

Walmart announced in a post on its corporate blog that its store-brand MasterCard holders can expect to receive a new chip-enabled card in the "next few weeks." The discounter said it is among the first retailers to implement chip technology as a more secure payment means for cardholders. It also noted in the post that Sam's CLub introduced a chip-enabled MasterCard in June. Both cards prompt customers not to swipe – but to insert and briefly leave the card in the payment terminal, so the card’s embedded chip can be accessed. Walmart installed EMV-capable terminals in stores about eight years …

Ofcom has now released a report that has identified eBay as the leading mobile commerce retailer in the United Kingdom in terms of its popularity among consumers throughout the country. This represents an increase of 4 percent in the proportion of people who are spending over that amount in monthly mobile commerce shopping. The report was produced by Ofcom Communications in their 2014 market report. According to that report, eBay had a reach over m-commerce that had hit the 34 percent mark, which was the most among all of the retailers that were observed during this research.

Nearly 86 percent of Australian mobile customers plan to engage in mobile commerce in the next 12 months, an increase of 11 percent over 2013. Around 34 percent of them believe that mobile has become a key factor impacting purchasing decisions, up from 27 percent in 2013, according to a report from InMobi. The report also shows that the rapid growth in smartphone adoption in Australia is creating a new wave of consumer behavior that is changing the mobile landscape. Report authors have identified three trends that drive this changing behaviour: users spending more time on their mobiles, the increased …

Financial organization software provider Quicken has found that users of its mobile application leverage the product for manual data entry, shifting a key function that previously had been performed on desktop. The latest versions of the Quicken apps for iOS and Android were issued last week in time for the release of Quicken 2015 for Mac. The mobile apps can sync with the desktop software via the cloud to allow users to track financial data on the fly.

General Motors’ effort to turn its cars into mobile hubs may give consumers easier access to applications and services that call for high-speed cellular or data connections. GM will equip more than 30 models with fourth-generation Wi-Fi [4G LTE] hot spots by year’s end, allowing consumers to connect up to seven mobile devices at once and to remain connected up to 50 feet away from the vehicle. The move shows how connected-car interest is driving automakers to introduce the new technology into more and more models.

Revenue from China's mobile e-commerce market reached $7.2 billion in the second quarter, up 103% from the year-earlier quarter and up 25% from Q1, according to iResearch Global. The revenue includes mobile shopping, the purchase of games, marketing and value-added services, the firm said.

Customers at Tesco-owned convenience stores will soon find their smartphones offering them bespoke discounts, in the first UK-wide rollout of Apple’s beacon technology. A national British commercial campaign using the US technology group’s in-store beacon system will be launched next week by magazine group IPC Media in 740 One Stop stores. Thousands of other outlets are expected to be involved over the next year.

India’s Central Bank, the the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), recently announced that all transactions involving domestic cards must follow rules that require additional verification. This stance could severely affect companies, such as taxi-booking startup Uber, that offer simple app-based transactions for their services. “Please refer to our circulars RBI/DPSS No. 1501 / 02.14.003 / 2008-2009 dated February 18, 2009, RBI/DPSS No.1503 / 02.14.003 /2010-2011 dated December 31, 2010 and RBI/DPSS No.223/02.14.003/2011-2012 dated August 04, 2011 wherein directives were issued making it mandatory for banks to put in place additional authentication / validation based on information not visible on the cards for all on-line card …