The future of mobile payments is still somewhat uncertain, despite the growing popularity of mobile commerce. In 2015, there may be many changes seen in the mobile payments space, especially as new services become available and more people become comfortable with the idea of paying for goods and services from their phones. Security may become a major issue in 2015 as organizations specializing in mobile commerce begin to take steps to ensure that consumer information is safe from exploitation. Much of the conversation regarding mobile payments is likely to revolve around Apple Pay this year. According to a recent report from Forrester …

E-commerce is gaining momentum in China, especially as more people acquire smartphones and tablets. A growing number of Chinese consumers are beginning to rely on their mobile devices to accomplish all of their shopping. This is particularly the case among those with busy schedules and those with new families. The growing popularity of mobile commerce has also introduced new trends to the Chinese commerce space, one of which involves Chinese consumers purchasing everyday products from foreign countries. China is home to more than 450 million smartphone users, the largest mobile population in the world. This has created an environment in which mobile commerce can …

For every dollar spent in the App Store, Apple gets 30 cents. It’s a simple fact, but one worth remembering today, as Apple announces record sales figures for the App Store. The company says that billings rose 50 percent in 2014 with developers taking more than $10 billion in revenue from apps and in-app purchases throughout the year. Only eight days into 2015, and the App Store has broken two more records: the single biggest day ever on New Year’s Day, and its best week ever — with nearly half a billion dollars spent in the first seven days of January. This means …

Messaging is no longer just about messaging. Last year saw the West wake up to the potential of messaging apps — largely thanks to Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp — and 2015 is the year that U.S. apps will become platforms. Few places is that trend illustrated best than Japan, where top chat app Line has just launched its own taxi service. Line Taxi is built into the existing Line app, just like its recently introduced payments service, and its launch pits the company against dominant player Uber and British rival Hailo. The Line service is starting off slowly. 

ChannelAdvisor has released its latest report concerning the performance of online marketplaces during the holiday season. Companies like Amazon and eBay have performed well during the 2014 holiday season, particularly because of their focus on mobile commerce. According to the report from ChannelAdvisor, online marketplaces say a 16.2% increase in digital sales during the holidays. Much of this growth came from mobile shopping, as consumers opted to use their smartphones and tablets to purchase products rather than visit physical stores. Amazon saw a 26% increase in sales among same-store merchants. These merchants fall into the category of those that have been selling …

As mobile receipts-based promotions begin to mature, early adopters are taking the strategy to the next level by integrating with their loyalty initiatives and using it to measure the return on investment for different media channels. Walmart’s receipts push continues to draw the attention of big brands interested in leveraging the convenience of mobile and the retailer’s large customer to drive engagement and collect important shopper data.  These promotions as well as others from Sunoco and Healthy Choice all leverage the Snipp Interactive platform, with a number of these marketers repeat customers for Snipp, suggesting that mobile-based receipt promotions are proving …

Some of the largest ecommerce brands are seeing 25 percent of ecommerce video plays coming from mobile devices, up from 19 percent a year ago, a new analysis by Liveclicker shows. The company surveyed retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, Online Shoes and Under Armour who are using its VideoCommerce platform and found that mobile’s role is growing in how consumers are leveraging video during the path to purchase. Mobile video plays an even bigger role in certain verticals such as personal care and jewelry.

While the rise of geo-conquesting, navigational applications and an increase in sophisticated data have made campaigns from brands such as Toys “R” Us, adidas and Jack in the Box stand out in the mobile space, the number of ill-conceived location-based messages that have alienated consumers should give marketers pause about the risks of overdoing location targeting. The issue becomes more prominent as marketers go beyond driving in-store traffic and instead use branded apps, search and integrations into third-party navigational apps such as Waze to lure interested consumers. Misfiring campaigns stemming from overuse of location-based tactics suggests a big challenge for marketers in …

With ever-evolving traveler demands, has the industry created something to improve the passenger experience by leaps and bounds? For passengers who constantly have a smartphone within an arm’s reach, the answer may be yes, thanks to the addition of beacon technologies at airports around the world. Beacons transmit a signal with a unique identifier using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to help devices that are BLE-enabled, such as smartphones, to receive a contextually relevant message when within range of a signal.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) has become the first major fast-casual burger chain to use a mobile app to take reservations at its 62 restaurants across the UK. Instituted in early November as a way to ease holiday crowding, the table-booking function is continuing. Customers who log into the GBK smartphone/tablet app can select a location, meal, time and number of people (although large parties may need to book by phone still). "We started it over Christmas & it worked rather well," the chain announced on its Facebook page.