Mobile commerce has become quite popular, but not everyone is sold on the idea of paying for things with their mobile device. The idea is quite simple: Mobile applications act as facilitators of mobile transactions, allowing people to make purchases while shopping online from their smartphones and tablets. Under the surface, mobile commerce is anything but simple, thanks to changing commerce standards and the ever present threat of exploitation coming from malicious groups that want to get their hands on consumer financial information.

VeriFone Mobile Money and Airtel Africa, part of the Bharti Airtel Group, announced that they had reached an agreement to offer VeriFone Mobile Money’s merchant enablement applications for mobile Tap n Pay across their 17 operating companies in Africa. “Airtel is excited to offer VeriFone Mobile Money’s applications to our teeming Airtel Mobile Money customers across Africa. Using their Airtel Money Wallet with VeriFone’s contactless / NFC point of sale terminals our customers will have a more convenient, fast and secure way to make multiple payment transactions utilizing Tap n Pay,” commented Chidi Okpala, Director & Head of Airtel Money - Africa, in a press release. …

Hyatt Hotels is integrating its mobile application with the Uber ride-service app to make it easier for guests to get from their current location to their Hyatt hotel. By using the Uber button located under the My Reservations section of the Hyatt app from the day of check-in until the end of their stay, guests can use available Uber transportation and receive information about the estimated price of the trip for each option.  The update shows how hotels are responding to guests’ demands for experiences that integrate mobile functionality and hotel service.

Redfin, an online real-estate broker, is letting mobile homebuyers tour its listed homes for sale by viewing a high-resolution three-dimensional view from any angle inside the home. Redfin’s 3D Walkthrough feature, co-developed with Matterport, maker of a camera for creating 3D images of rooms, helps homebuyers decide which homes to tour in person. 

The United Kingdom may be more prepared to handle mobile payments than other countries in Europe. A new survey from Idealo shows that UK retailers have become cavalier with their support of mobile commerce. These retailers have seen new trends emerge throughout the UK, and many of these trends are having an impact on the behavior of mobile consumers. With new mobile payment services being introduced, more consumers are showing that they are willing to shop for and purchase products with their mobile devices. While retailers are becoming more mobile-centric, there are concerns over the security of mobile payments. The survey from …

Approaching mobile initiatives such as application development and mobile-influenced commerce in a holistic manner that involves multiple teams within an organization yields the best results, marketers said in various presentations at eTail East 2014 in Philadelphia last week. Whether brands are focusing their mobile strategies toward modernizing the in-store experience or toward strictly ecommerce efforts through online and mobile devices, they are individually channeling their own goals to benefit from mobile technology and dedicated mobile teams. 

Clothing and accessories retailer Banana Republic is conducting via social media a marketing campaign seeking to drive foot traffic by offering goodies such as products from Skinnygirl Cocktails and Benefit Cosmetics to attendees of a special in-store event. Calling the event Girls Night Out, Banana Republic is working with other brands that share a similar audience to host a grand occasion sure to bring shoppers into its stores.

Many hotel brands are leveraging tablets in useful ways to enhance the guest experience. From digital lecterns to immersive apps that compel repeated interaction, tablets have broad application for hotel brands, which tend to be more user-friendly than smaller devices. Also, mobile booking is changing how many brands bring consumers to their properties in the first place.

When a company called Estimote released its first product last year, it was about the size of of a kiwi fruit that had been cut in half. Its diminutive wireless Bluetooth beacons were (and still are) designed to replace things like signs and information placards by sending that to the screen of your smartphone. At the same time, the beacons would help retail shops, museums, and restaurants keep track of where visitors were going. But there were a few things holding the initial version back. There's an accelerometer to track motion, but people would just stick the beacons on walls or pillars …

Wells Fargo on Wednesday announced the launch of its first accelerator program, which will provide funding and mentorship to young companies aiming to pioneer new financial services technology. The bank will guide three startups in its inaugural class, offering them mentorship in an attempt to prepare them to one day serve as vendors. Each company receives between $50,000 and $500,000 for participating in the program, but unlike other existing accelerator programs, Wells Fargo’s program allows startups to remain non-exclusive. Wells Fargo Vice Presidents Braden More, Bipin Sahni and Steve Ellis sat down with TechCrunch earlier this week to discuss the new program, which they said is focused more on innovation and …