While the mobile wallet Apple is expected to launch next week could have many of the crucial elements already in place, its potentially significant impact is not likely to be felt until next year.  Apple’s long-rumored mobile payments offering could be revealed at an event the company is holding on Sept. 9. Recent reports suggest that the announcement will include key partnerships with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, banks and retailers, positioning Apple’s wallet to quickly pose competition to PayPal, Google Wallet and other mobile wallets. 

Shopping on mobile phones and tablets has overtaken desktop retail traffic for the first time, in a landmark shift in consumer habits. Mobile commerce accounts for 52% of traffic to retail websites, while 36% of UK online sales are made on mobile devices, which grows to 40% for fashion websites, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking Report

In honor of the recent anniversary of rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley's death, Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, has introduced a new interactive multimedia iPad tour that taps iBeacon technology to enhance visitors' experiences. The move puts Graceland at the forefront of a select group of businesses that are embracing this new technology as part of their marketing strategy. Throughout the tour, the iPads use beacons to deliver immediate location-based content, including audio recordings, videos, and photos, enabling guests to dive deeper into the story of Presley's life. Meanwhile, Graceland is also offering a separate iPad youth tour, which features …

Alipay, the online payment service by Alibaba, recently announced collaboration with Huawei to bring mobile payments using fingerprints as verification. The new biometric enabled payment service would firstly be launched on Huawei’s upcoming smartphone Ascend Mate 7 which is embedded with the fingerprint sensor and would be debuting at IFA 2014 later this week. Alipay had also started the fingerprint authentication service on Samsung Galaxy S5. A simple swipe on the biometric sensor would enable the user to make payments and conduct transactions using Alipay accounts. 

Custom-furnishings retailer Smart Furniture said it has seen a 20 percent increase in its conversion rates on smartphones and tablets since launching a responsively designed Web site on Aug. 6. The company found ways to streamline its desktop site so that page load times would not be compromised on mobile devices with the conversion.

Mobile now plays an integral role in every stage of the purchasing process for cars, according to a report by L2. According to Nielsen, 63 percent of consumers also want in-car connectivity so that their mobile experience is never interrupted as they go about their day. Automakers that dismiss the power of mobile to guide purchases will no doubt suffer in the long term. “Automakers have longstanding investments [in smartphone and search] that effectively subsidize the digital efforts of affiliated dealerships,” said Colin Gilbert, research director of the report, New York.

Ecommerce boutique retailer Rue La La is expecting big things from its mobile application during the 2014 holiday season after seeing more than 50 percent of its sales through a mobile device during the 2013 holiday season. Following last year, the app has received several upgrades in attempt to respond to customer feedback that Rue La La has collected. As Rue members become more comfortable spending via their mobile devices, the brand is prepped and ready for a hopeful and profitable season.

Indian online marketplace Flipkart is phasing out its payment gateway business Payzippy, a little over a year after it launched it, MediaNama had learnt from reliable sources. In response to a query from MediaNama, Flipkart informed us that it has made a strategic investment in mobile payment company Ngpay (Jigrahak Mobility Solutions Pvt Ltd), and it is phasing out Payzippy. Payzippy’s website lists clients such as babyoye, Bluestone.com, Makemytrip, Travelyaari, Caratlane.com, Yepme, Zansaar, Lenskart and Yepme, and the company has said that nothing will change for customers, since the technology developed by the Payzippy team will continue to power payments for Flipkart.

Although it’s easy to make online purchases or order food on your phone for delivery, the way you pay for a meal when you’re inside a restaurant has relatively stayed the same. But with its iOS app that launched today, Downtown allows you to make in-store orders and purchases directly from your iPhone. Then using iBeacon technology, the Downtown app lets the restaurant know exactly what table you’re sitting at so they can deliver your food directly to you.

Macy’s Inc. has begun offering customers a digital wallet application called My Wallet. Available via mobile Web browser or the Macy’s mobile app, My Wallet automatically gives customers access to any credit cards already stored on their Macys.com account, according to the retailer’s MyWallet Web page. It also lets them add up to 10 new credit cards, including third-party cards, although it does not allow gift cards to be stored. My Wallet also automatically adds and stores Macy’s Star Pass rewards certificates earned by members of the Macy’s loyalty program.