Brazilian mobile operator Claro has unveiled plans to launch a new mobile payments service throughout the country. The launch of this service is being slated for summer and Claro has partnered with Bradesco, a prominent financial institution, and Giescke & Devrient, makers of SIM cards, in order to make the service come to life. Mobile commerce has been gaining momentum in Brazil recently as more consumers gain access to smartphones and tablets. Through Calro's service, consumers with smartphones will be able to make mobile payments while shopping online and at physical stores. The service will first be made available in …

Ecommerce giant Amazon is embarking on a major new effort to enable the sale of stuff in the real world. "We are building products and services which will delight billions of customers as they buy and sell things in the real world (as opposed to online)," the company said in a recent job posting for its new Amazon Local Commerce business. The operation is headed by Charlie Kindel, whose new title at Amazon is "Director, Consumer Products - Amazon Local Commerce." Kindel previously headed Microsoft's Windows Phone developer program and aided in the launch of Microsoft's overhauled operating system for …

Consumers are increasingly shopping online and on their mobile phones, drawn by the ease of locating things they want to buy and cheap or free fast delivery from major e-commerce sites like Amazon. But for most brick-and-mortar stores, the shopping experience hasn't really changed. That's why the new app Downtown was launched, to provide a way for local small businesses and chain locations to participate in mobile commerce. By doing so, they'll be able to sell and deliver items to nearby residents even faster than the big e-commerce chains.

Two of the most hotly debated issues surrounding the future of m-commerce are these: 1) How quickly will it grow when consumers finally begin to accept the idea of a mobile wallet? and 2) When, exactly, are they going to start accepting it? There are myriad answers to those questions, including when security fears can be allayed, and when mobile payments offer more value than using a credit card. Some companies are making progress. Starbucks' mobile payments business has been growing at a nice clip, and there is even talk of the retailer white-labeling its platform for other businesses.

Yapital, a payment processor based in Germany, has plans to become a competitor to PayPal in Europe. The company specializes in cashless payments and has seen a great deal of promise in the emerging mobile commerce sector in Europe. More consumers are using their smartphones to purchase products online, which has lead to the emergence of a multitude of mobile applications that aim to make mobile payments more convenient. Yapital believes it can establish a strong presence in the mobile commerce sector, leveraging the momentum it has already managed to establish with European retailers. Over the past few months, retailers …

Will hype alone be able to carry the mobile-payments market? A Shelton, Conn.-based company apparently believes so. It also believes the phone is unnecessary to bring "mobile" eWallet payments to the masses. NXT-ID, a biometrics-authentication company, on April 1 announced the first corporate launch and press conference of its "next generation" smart wallet, Wocket - a full two months ahead of the actual marketing event, which take place May 28 in New York. Use of the wallet, which operates separately from a smartphone, uses dynamic pairing, a patent-pending method where two devices dynamically generate pseudorandom pairing codes recognized by other …

McDonald's, Starbucks, Burger King, Subway and Wendy's have all kicked their mobile payment strategies into gear this year, but their different approaches point to how this space is still evolving. Over the past six months, mobile payments have become a more competitive, differentiated feature for QSRs in building long-term loyalty and speeding up the checkout experience in-store. While payments are a big push for many of these brands, the need to also integrate incentivizes and rewards into these apps is a growing area, too.

McCormick & Co.'s Zatarain's claims to be the first consumer packaged goods brand leveraging beacon technology to engage directly with shoppers while they are inside a retail location. The in-app beacon campaign enables shoppers to receive grocery list reminders and loyalty points from the food and spice brand on their mobile phones. The effort is launching in southern California retail locations, with plans to expand nationally. "Our 'Mobile to Mortar' platform creates a 'mobile concierge' for shoppers improving their in-store experience with America's favorite shopping apps," said Todd Dipaola, CEO and co-founder of inMarket, Venice, CA.

Clear Channel, a company that currently has nearly 700,000 signs and billboards positioned in different spots around the globe is planning to add 75,000 QR codes to advertisements in areas that feature "heavy footfall and long dwell-time". The QR codes on the billboards will also have added SMS capabilities that make it possible to text people who are close by or to use near field communication (NFC) technology for the contactless transmission of information to devices that are located in close proximity. This converts the posters into a form of mobile marketing with considerable potential.

McDonald's drive toward mobile payments integration continues to roll out internationally as Thai customers who order delivery service will now be able to pay by credit card using a mobile device. McThai, which operates McDonald's in Thailand, predicts that through this innovative expansion, delivery service will see a 30 percent uptick, while cashless payments are expected to increase by 10 percent to 20 percent. "Regardless of location and culture, all customers favor a more elegant purchasing process," he said. "McDonald's has adopted a brilliant digital strategy and traveled quite far around the world," mobile payments expert Bill Aurnhammer told Mobile …