BeaconStream, a proximity-based mobile marketing and advertising platform based on Apple’s iBeacon technology, will start piloting beacons in malls in Bengaluru and Chennai. iBeacon is Apple trademarked technology for an indoor positioning system that runs on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), also known as Bluetooth Smart. The technology enables an iOS device or other hardware to send push notifications to iOS devices in close proximity. They can also be used by the Android operating system. “After Apple introduced the technology, many vendors started manufacturing these devices. We are one of them, and we design the beacon and hold the intellectual property …

Competition among large companies participating in the mobile commerce field is heating up. Apple has delivered a strong blow to its competitors by entering into the field with its own mobile payments service, called Apple Pay. The service has a veritable armada of retailers supporting it and has also helped many consumers participate in mobile commerce. The service has also had an unintended effect, as Apple competitors have reported that they have seen a dramatic increase in mobile payments made through their own services since Apple Pay was launched. Apple Pay may soon have a very powerful competitor that aims to establish …

Mobile payments by U.S. citizens would reach $90 billion by 2017, as per a research by Forrester. Startups, banks, credit card companies and tech giants are battling it out to make a mark in mobile payments. As per AngelList, there are 1,475 digital payments related startups. There are some major payment systems that have been making impact in this space. Here are 5 such companies: The Dunkin’ Donuts mobile payments app has been downloaded over 10 million times since it was launched in August 2012. 

Compared to other banks, Barclays is often way out ahead when it comes to embracing new technology. After becoming the first financial institution to let customers transfer money using only their mobile number, the company also let some business users swap PINs, passwords and authentication codes for fingerprint scanners. For its latest tech trial, Barclays wants to make things easier for customers coming into its branches, so it today announced that it's become the latest UK company to trial Beacon technology. From tomorrow, Barclays Sheffield will trial its own Beacon service called Barclays Access, which will notify staff when a customer with an …

Salvation Army is leveraging social media and a text-to-give option on mobile devices to drive more holiday donations for its annual Red Kettle Campaign that raises financial support for the international charitable company’s various local causes. The 124th annual campaign, which was launched this year by the Dallas Cowboys at the Thanksgiving Day football game, is placing a heavy focus on mobile users in an effort to reach a wider audience of potential contributors and streamline the giving process as much as possible.

Karo Syrup and Fisher Nuts are teaming up for the third consecutive year for a strategic marketing partnership with plans to leverage QR codes to raise brand awareness and entice holiday shoppers. The two brands are joining forces to help drive more holiday sales and promote their products in-store during a season with heavy consumer traffic.

Beacons are low-energy Bluetooth devices that push location messages to smartphones. While the technology is still quite new today, it's set to become one of the key enablers to connect the Internet of Things (IoT). CBR looks at five retail projects in the UK using beacon technology. House of Fraser etailer rolled out beacon-equipped mannequins at its click-and-collect store in Aberdeen in August. The beacons were installed directly into each mannequin to transmit information programmed by the retailers via a secure web-portal.

This holiday season, Zappos is harnessing shoppers’ love affair with their smartphones to make it easy to shop anywhere and anytime via customer service-driven services such as Ask Zappos and curated collections. For these services, Zappos team members help mobile shoppers find items of interest to combine the best of personal customer service with the convenience of mobile.

At Let’s Talk Payments, we have been keeping track of prominent investments in the payments industry. Here are some exclusive insights that we have come across: 1.) In 2013 & 2014 combined, finance/lending companies attracted $567 Mn in funds, the largest compared to other categories. Payments rails companies raised  $416 Mn while Mobile Wallet companies raised $286 Mn.

The sidewalks of Oxford and Regent Streets in London’s premiere retail district are usually empty in the early morning hours. But Friday, there were hotspots of activity in front of the likes of department store John Lewis and electronics company Carphone Warehouse as Londoners waited for Black Friday savings to begin. “It's such a success in America and even online now, so we decided to go for that as well,” said Sergio Pereria, a manager at electronic chain Maplin's store in Kensington, another premiere shopping area.