Technology startup Blesh is offering beacons and a content-management systems (CMS) software development kit (SDK) to be used as part of a public project being undertaken with Google, known as the Physical Web (PW). Blesh is selling the beacons bundled with the SDK to give individuals a head-start on developing mobile apps and wearable or Internet of Things (IoT) technology for the PW technology that Google plans to integrate in its Android- and Chrome-based phones. When they finally become commercially available, PW-enabled devices will have the ability to read the beacons without requiring an app. Google declined to comment for this story, indicating that it …

A Swedish marketing experiment involving soup could show the optimal way to employ iBeacons: “physical retargeting.” Glimr, a mobile data management startup that frequently works with publishers, recently launched an iBeacon-based project involving soup for Sweden’s largest newspaper, Aftonbladet. “All the use cases we’ve seen so far [for iBeacons] use a push approach,” Glimr CEO and cofounder Robert Hedberg pointed out to VentureBeat. An example: pushing a discount coupon for a video game to your smartphone, when an iBeacon in a physical store flags that you’re standing there in the game section.

Trust is eroding among mobile device users when it comes to making purchases or app downloads. A survey of 15,000 mobile users in 15 countries found that their trust level is degraded because they believe that payment systems aren't secure or they don't trust a service or online merchant. Mobile users are also worried about having to share too much personal information when downloading an app.

Mobile transactions platform FreeCharge today said it has raised USD 80 million (about Rs 494 crore) from Valiant Capital Management, Tybourne Capital Management as well as the already invested firms. The Series-C funding will bring new investors Valiant Capital Management and Tybourne Capital Management on board, FreeCharge said in a statement. The round also saw participation from existing investors n the company, Sequoia Capital, RuNet and Sofina, it added. FreeCharge is a mobile commerce platform where users can pay their mobile, DTH and utility payments across most major operators.

Statistics found in the latest report from China Internet Network Information Center(CNNIC) suggests exponential growth for the country’s mobile market. In 2014, China’s smartphone internet users rose by 11.4 percent. But according to TechCrunch, these numbers may not be entirely accurate due to missing data on dual SIM cards. Nevertheless, the official report is still impressive. Based on the country’s general population, analysts expect the figures to go even higher in the next 3-4 years. China’s mobile banking sector influence correlates with CNNIC’s announcement, growing over 69.2 percent last year. Nearly half of the country’s 304 million payments consumers use a …

Mobile promotional activity around Valentine’s Day is reaching new heights this year, with savvy retailers such as Walmart aiming for a bigger piece of the upcoming holiday’s sales by leveraging smartphones to deliver utility, inspiration and context. One of the takeaways from the 2014 holiday shopping period was that the best mobile promotions do not simply repeat content from other channels but engage mobile shoppers with experiences that are relevant to them.

Like several other professional sports teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers will now be sending out location-aware notifications to iPhone users at its games using Apple’s Bluetooth beacon iBeacon tech. The team will send out the usual reminders, video content, and promos available to those at the game. The team announced today that the notifications (pictured above) will be sent to fans through the official Cleveland Cavaliers app. YinzCam, Inc develops the app and is using Gimbal Bluetooth beacon hardware at the Cav’s Quicken Loans Arena to get the job done.

 A mixed economic backdrop is expected to drive modest retail sales growth in the 3% to 4% range in 2015, compared to 5.5% average growth in 2010-2012 and 5.8% in 2002-2006, according to GE Capital. Low- and mid-income households will be particularly constrained by stagnant earnings despite improvements in employment status and the housing market as well as lower gas prices. According to GE Capital, the key trends in retail include the following: Channel shift to continue: Consumers’ focus on value and convenience will continue to shift discretionary spending away from traditional retail channels in favor of e-commerce and discount venues.

Paym, a mobile payments service in the United Kingdom, has announced that its users have made more than $39 million in transactions since the service was launched in April o last year. Consumers can use Paym to make purchases or transfer money to their friends and family. The service has experienced strong growth over the past several months, becoming one of the more popular mobile payments services that is currently available in the United Kingdom. According to Paym, the service now boasts of nearly 2 million users. The service has won strong support because it is compatible with a wide range of …

A new report by Forrester finds that online spending in China will reach one trillion dollars by 2019. The growth will be fueled by mobile apps and improving logistics networks, which have helped e-commerce companies reach new customers in smaller cities. This is good news for Alibaba, which saw its shares fall after its latest earnings reporttriggered concerns about the impact of its investment in mobile on its revenue growth. Forrester’s report also says that despite JD.com’s efforts to grow, which include partnerships with Tencent, one of China’s largest Internet companies, Alibaba’s Tmall and Taobao will continue to dominate the market. China became the …