Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Well-Designed Mobile Payments Key to App Success


Great design is often highly subjective and can be maddening for executive decision makers. Steve Jobs’ well-known response to his engineers trying to find a solution he would accept was: “I’ll know it when I see it.” Design, and the delightful products and experiences that result, is an art informed by science. And, like other arts, it requires taste to recognize and restraint to implement.

For many years design was secondary for many business processes. Payments would certainly fall in this category. There was engineering in a payment process and there certainly was logic. But there wasn’t joy. There was rarely an engaging or even memorable experience. The purchase experience often didn’t match the overall brand aesthetic and messaging.

The car-buying process is a fine example. Porsche, BMW or even Ferrari are world leaders in design at all levels. But buying or leasing one of these luxury automobiles is a multi-hour nightmare of paperwork and fine print that leaves the purchase as an unbranded—and often dreadful—experience.

As payments moved online and now are heading to mobile, the experience of finalizing a sale—of actually accepting money from a customer—is an important frontier in design. Like every other area of industry that great design has entered, this is both a threat to established players and a huge opportunity. Mobile payments, in particular, present unique challenges.

The talent race will be fierce, but firms with the ability to create great mobile payment experiences will be well-positioned to thrive in a market that is being conditioned to expect more than a standard, secure payment process.
In mobile, brands must understand that the purchase process is central to successful app design. Apps are best designed with a limited feature set optimized for short sessions and immediate gratification. Because smartphones have become an indispensable tool of modern life that literally go everywhere with their owners, there is also a personal connection between the user and the brand that is impossible to duplicate with legacy technology.

This combination of short bursts of use with personal connection is common among all top-tier apps, from the stoplight photo-editing session of Instagram to the Angry Birds level that can be completed (or at least attempted) in a 10-floor elevator ride. Payment processes must be fast, engaging and personal to elevate a brand in this environment.
Leaders in the mobile payments space understand this reality. This month, for example, Square acquired80/20, a design firm in Manhattan. The resumes of the 80/20 co-founders include leadership roles at Apple and Adobe, but the acquisition also gives Square a solid foothold in an area rich with high-grade design talent. The talent race will be fierce, but firms with the ability to create great mobile payment experiences will be well-positioned to thrive in a market that is being conditioned to expect more than a standard, secure payment process.

What will the best mobile payment experiences look like in five years? Some of today’s leaders are pointing the way, and I’ll discuss what they’re doing right in my next post. But for many of us, the mantra that Jobs used still holds true. It is hard to define exactly what will make a mobile payment process great, but we certainly will know it when we see it.

* Republished with permission from Paybefore, as published October 2012.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joseph DeSetto is Paybefore’s emerging payments blogger and program manager of the Mobile Development Bachelor of Science degree at Full Sail University. He is the author of The Business of Designand previously served as chief technology officer for two mobile startups.

Paybefore™ is the leading provider of information to the prepaid industry. 



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Monday, October 15, 2012

Open Call: 2013 Paybefore Awards Nominations

Get the recognition you deserve by entering the 7th annual Paybefore Awards®. Programs and companies will be recognized in 20 categories, including Best Consumer Value, Outstanding Newcomer and Breakout Prepaid Company of the Year.

And, we’ll honor an individual(s) who has made the most significant impact on the prepaid industry with the prestigious Industry Achievement award.


Nominations Due: Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012.

>> Click here to download the Call for Nominations brochure and to learn about our new and revised categories, and how you can participate in selecting Best-in-Category honorees as Paybefore Awards' "Sixth Judge"!  
For 2013, there are three parts to the Nomination Submission Form. You must complete and return all three parts electronically to Paybefore no later than 5 p.m. Eastern on Wed., Nov. 21, 2012. Email Parts I, II and III to paybeforeawards@paybefore.com. Please send all three parts of your Nomination Submission Form in a single email; one email per Nomination, please. Questions? - Call Jen Spiller at +1 617.671.1157 or email jspiller@paybefore.com. 


Join the Paybefore Awards celebration at 2013 Prepaid Expo USA
REGISTER BY OCT. 26 2012 FOR THE BEST RATES & SAVE UP TO $800

Email: customerserviceiir@informausa.com 
Phone: 888.670.8200 or 941.951.7885

* Mention your Prepaid Expo Blog VIP code to SAVE 10% off the standard and onsite rate: XU2648BLOG10



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Friday, October 12, 2012

Disruption from Mobile Extends Beyond App Downloads


The smartphone market, as an outgrowth of the PC market with several of the same leading brands carried over—most notably Apple and perhaps soon, Microsoft—is big on specifications. Screen sizes, storage capacity and, since the App Store was unveiled a few years ago, the number of apps available for download on a given platform. In Apple’s digital marketplace alone, the original App Store, more than 650,000 apps are now available.

Thousands more are available for Android users—through both Google Play and Amazon, and Microsoft is slowly building its market with thousands of apps for Windows Mobile, as well. Add in the staggering number of actual downloads—more than a billion per month on Apple devices alone—and large numbers dominate the mobile conversation.

But lost in the numbers is the impact of the transition to mobile. Certain uses of these devices have a significant effect on some industries, especially retail and commerce. Looking at a few apps currently on the market is a glimpse of the seismic changes ahead as mobile apps simultaneously become increasingly advanced and ubiquitous.

For example, every retailer’s worst nightmare came true when a startup app developer named Occipital released its iPhone app, RedLaser, in 2008. RedLaser, now part of eBay and available on multiple platforms, scans barcodes using the camera of a smartphone and queries competing retailers for price comparisons. The already slim margins of retailers shrink to nothing when customers stroll the aisles doing instant price comparisons that would have beeen impossible only a few years ago.

"Brands and their retail partners must adjust to the reality that in the new mobile world, no one truly shops alone." —Joe DeSetto

But miniaturized margins are only the beginning of retailers’ concerns. When you barcode scan toys this Christmas, one of the retailers most likely to appear is, of course, Amazon. To date, local retailers held one serious advantage over Amazon—immediate gratification. Even if Amazon could beat a local store on price, many customers won’t wait three to five days for the FedEx truck.

But what happens when you combine mobile scanning with same-day delivery? We may be about to find out. In several cities across the United States, Amazon is beginning to roll out this option as it builds large distribution centers within a few hours drive of millions of customers. The time is drawing near that customers in a retail location could scan a product, order from Amazon right on their phones with a credit card on file and still have the product a few hours after the day’s errands are finished.

While this bit of futurism won’t immediately spread to everyone and requires Amazon to build out even more infrastructure than it currently has in place, the secondary effect of customers shopping with mobile apps in tow has already taken hold. Mobile devices are great for research. As such, not just rewards and price comparisons are a tap away, but product reviews, how-to videos, the friend on Facebook with an opinion on everything, and other sources of hard facts and completely subjective impressions.

Brands and their retail partners must adjust to the reality that in the new mobile world, no one truly shops alone. The brand’s j-hook displays are no longer the only connection to the customer. Smart brands must now consider how mobile devices at every step of the customer interaction will significantly change behavior, as their customers will be looking to their phones as a source of information, opinion, prices and promotions. Thousands of apps are out there, but the truth is that users with only a few apps installed on their phones still disrupt industries in new and surprising ways.

* Republished with permission from Paybefore, as published September 2012.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joseph DeSetto is Paybefore’s emerging payments blogger and program manager of the Mobile Development Bachelor of Science degree at Full Sail University. He is the author of The Business of Design and previously served as chief technology officer for two mobile startups.

Paybefore™ is the leading provider of information to the prepaid industry. 



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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Mark Your Calendars for the Biggest Event in Payments: Prepaid Expo 2013

This is a unique moment for the world of payments, and the prepaid industry is poised for explosive growth and consumer ubiquity. With the influx of new competition in the ecosystem, what are you doing to maximize your firm’s opportunities? What is your outlook for the future? Now is the time to be proactive and win business. 


The 8th Annual Prepaid Expo, March 4-6, 2013 


Book your seat for the Prepaid Expo today to be a part of the largest industry event for prepaid and payments.

5 Reasons You Must to Attend Prepaid Expo 2013

1. 300% MORE Future-Forward Content
More than a day’s worth of content focused on the evolution of payments, including: which innovations will be fixtures or fads, how disruptors are charting new courses in commerce, GPR acceptance and what it will mean for prepaid adoption, and sessions devoted to mobile, NFC, EMV and apps.

2.  Regulatory Content to Mitigate Uncertainty: 
More than a day’s worth of insight from regulators, lobbyists and industry and consumer advocates alike, all to help you interpret the rules and regulations and understand how compliance will affect you.

3. 250+ Retailers in Attendance: 
Two days of content tailored for retailers’ unique needs to grow the gifting category, including in-store marketing and re-selling strategies, eye-catching design, digital gifting, loyalty programs and B2B growth strategies.

4. Senior-Level Decision Makers: 
With more than 50% of Prepaid Expo attendees in C-Level, Founder, President and VP-Level roles, Prepaid attendees meet who matters across the industry. Qualifying executives have access to our exclusive Executive Agenda, which provides executives with three full days of business meetings, executive idea exchanges, private sessions focused on strategy and EXCLUSIVE Q&As with our keynote speakers. Space is limited, so apply by clicking here.

5. Save Money, Miles and Time. 
The stored value community stops for 3 days to attend the Prepaid Expo. You’ll meet 1,700 like-minded peers, acquire new partners and strengthen existing relationships at the meeting place for prepaid and payments professionals.



* Mention your Prepaid Expo Blog VIP code to SAVE 10% off the standard and onsite rate: XU2648BLOG10

Online: www.prepaidexpousa.com
Email: customerserviceiir@informausa.com 
Phone: 888.670.8200 or 941.951.7885

The Prepaid Expo is THE BEST WAY to scope out the competitive landscape and network with industry peers at this critical time in payments. 

RSVP here and invite your colleagues: 
LinkedIn
Facebook

We look forward to seeing you in person next March!

Get Involved:




Are you looking for a creative way to reach top-level decision-makers? Why not consider sponsoring a luncheon, cocktail party or refreshment break, or an Exhibit Booth? For more information on sponsorship or exhibition opportunities, please contact Terri Sobol at +1 646-895-7473 or email tsobol@iirusa.com. 



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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

It’s going to be very difficult to compete as a pure prepaid-debit play, going forwards

Have you joined our discussions on Facebook yet?


Like us to join here, www.fb.com/Prepaidexpo and tell us your thoughts on the topic.



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