Commerce Weekly: Mobile commerce is on the rise globally

Survey shows consumers want mobile commerce, EU notes possible monopoly troubles, and commuters get app tickets.

Here are a few of the stories that caught my eye in the commerce space this week.

Survey shows global rise in consumer desire for mobile commerce

TNS Global’s recent Mobile Life Survey, which surveyed the mobile habits of 48,000 people in 58 countries, shows that global interest in mobile commerce is on the rise. The screenshot of the survey’s interactive results map below illustrates levels of interest for different commerce features — in this case mobile wallets:.

Mobile Life Survey screenshot
A screenshot of the TNS Global Mobile Life Survey results map. See the interactive version.

In a post for stuff.co.nz, William Mace took a deeper look at the survey results concerning the mobile commerce status in New Zealand. The results showed a bright future for mobile commerce, especially in the feature areas of mobile wallet and mobile banking. Mace reports:

“TNS New Zealand director David Thomas said New Zealanders surveyed liked the convenience of ‘mobile wallets’ — essentially using a smartphone to pay for goods and services — and placed the greatest trust in banks to provide such a service.”

Thomas explained to Mace that technology and infrastructure are speed bumps to mobile wallets, much like here in the U.S. He said, “Mobile wallets generally require smartphones and generally a near-field communication chip in your phone which is still relatively unusual. The technology has driven mobile banking to come first but we can see with the developments of people like PayMark, Telecom and Vodafone are talking about we can see that the infrastructure for mobile wallets will come soon.”

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EU investigates possible mobile wallet monopoly

Mobile wallet news wasn’t all positive across the globe this week. In the U.K., where mobile retail is up 254% from last year and up 300% year over year for the first quarter of 2012, the European Union might become an additional speed bump to mobile wallets.

According to a report at Internet Retailer, the EU is looking into three U.K. telecommunications companies — Telefónica, Vodafone and Everything Everywhere — that announced a mobile wallet plan last June called Project Oscar. Plans were submitted in March. A press release from the EU explained that the problem lies in the potential monopoly:

“The Commission’s initial investigation revealed that the joint venture and its three parent companies may have the technical and commercial ability and incentive to block future competitors from offering their own mobile wallet services to customers in the UK, or to degrade the quality of these competing mobile wallets so that they become less attractive.”

According to the release, the commission has until the end of August to make a final decision.

Boston rail commuters get a paper ticket alternative

Consumers can buy a cup of coffee with an app (even in the drive-thru!) or a hammer with a phone number, and several companies offer local smartphone payment options for breakfast, lunch or dinner. By this fall, commuters in the Boston area can add “buying commuter rail tickets with an app” to that list. According to a post at Boston.com, the MBTA signed an agreement Friday that will allow “[c]ustomers with an iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry who download the free app [to] buy one-way, round trip, 10-ride, and monthly tickets and passes using debit or credit cards.” The app will have a scannable QR code. The post describes how it will work:

“Riders will activate their pass when the conductor approaches, and it will generate a one-time image lasting long enough to be checked on the trip but not reused on another ride … Though the mobile tickets will contain QR codes, the T will not initially equip all conductors with hand-held scanners, using them only for spot checks. Instead, digital watermarks, such as changing colors and animation, will help deter fraud while allowing passes to be verified at a glance.”

The post pointed out that similar mobile payment options are common in England, “but the T would be the first major US commuter rail to offer passengers an alternative to paper.” MBTA officials also told Boston.com they will use the new app to gather more accurate ridership data.

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