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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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.

REGISTER BY OCT. 26 2012 FOR THE BEST RATES & SAVE UP TO $800

* 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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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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Groupon Joins the Crowd in Mobile Payments

Groupon, the popular deal-of-the-day website, recently announced that it will now join the already crowded waters of mobile payments. With the launch of Groupon Payments, merchants are now able to accept credit and debit cards by swiping through a card reader attached to a smart device.



In an almost mirror proposal to its leading competitor, Square, Groupon touts that their service will guarantee the lowest rates possible, or match the lowest available. The new rates systems are structured in three tiers:

 • Swiped transactions — MasterCard, Visa and Discover (1.8 percent plus 15 cents) and American Express (3 percent plus 15 cents)

• Keyed-in transactions — MasterCard, Visa and Discover (2.3 percent plus 15 cents) and American Express (3.5 percent plus 15 cents)

• Non-Groupon merchants can also sign up for the service, however, they will be charged slightly more (2.2 percent plus 15 cents for MasterCard, Visa and Discover) Square offers 2.75% on all transactions or a flat $250 per month fee for businesses that generate less than $250,000 a year in revenue.

The new Groupon Payments Service also introduces a Merchant App. The app allows the merchant to accept daily deals, update business reports in real time, and also to scan and redeem Groupons which could attract those who already participate in offering Groupons to customers. The app will primarily be operated by the merchant until the customer will need to designate a tip and sign a digital receipt with their finger as they would any ordinary credit card device.

After the transaction is complete, the customer will receive an email with an electronic receipt. Payments through Groupon will have a quick turnaround. Merchants will be able to view transactions online immediately, and will be receive cash in their bank accounts from transactions of the day overnight.

 
As far as physical card swipers, Groupon has developed two methods to attach the reader to smart phones; a card reader dongle attachment, and a sturdy phone case. The card reader dongle attachment in appearance is like any of the ubiquitous card readers that are offered by Square and other services. The phone case reader is just that, a phone case that is attached to the smart phone in a sturdy non-intrusive package. The dongle is free when merchants sign up for Groupon Payments, the phone case on the other hand is available for $100.

In an interview with AllThingsD, Mihir Shah, Groupon’s VP of Mobile and Merchant Products, noted that he doesn’t think that Groupon Payments will compete with Square, rather it is targeting existing “Groupon merchants, who are running a brick-and-mortar restaurant business, like a restaurant or spa, and have already been accepting credit cards for a long time, and have high volumes,” he said. “The thing that comes up again and again is credit card processing, and we think they are paying too much.”

Though Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) stock price has dipped in recent months they aim to diversify their revenue streams by entering the already crowded waters of alternative mobile payments market. As the mobile payments space grows, services will attempt to one-up each other in order to become more appealing to, the real benefactors of their efforts, merchants and customers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phil Ng is a Social Media Analyst at IIR USA with a specialized focus on technology and technology culture. He may be reached at PNg@iirusa.com.

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How Restaurant Technology Innovation is Driving Revenue

A MenuPad, a new application used for ordering
 meals and wine and even paying the check. 
(Source: bizjournals.com)

The ecosystem of the restaurant experience is ever evolving. As technology advances, and customer habits grow increasingly impatient, diners are continuously seeking methods to streamline the interactions they may encounter as they search for their next meal. Businesses on the low tech side of the spectrum have begun to reevaluate the restaurant  recommendation revolution to drive revenue. 

While the main source of traffic to new restaurants are derived through word of mouth or favorable mention from friends and family, diners are now embracing a modernized approach when they consider to experiment with a new restaurant experience.

In the information age, knowledge and research are vital in making informed decisions. For many smartphone wielders, Yelp is no stranger and has become an essential tool. In Q2 2012, Yelp received traffic of 78 million unique visits, while users contribute 30 million reviews. Of these reviews 23% consist of restaurants.

The research phase continues with a wide array of websites and apps that have painstakingly collected, organized, and made available large catalogs of menus from surrounding restaurants. MenuPages collect and update thousands of menus (monthly) from nearly 30,000 restaurants in eight major markets. The interface is clean and simple while provides filters such as neighborhoods, price ranges, take out and list of other features. MenuPages also features the option to order directly through Seamless, the largest online food ordering company.

While the majority of restaurants accept walk-ins, operating the back of house becomes much less of a wild card if patrons develop the habit of making reservations before they dine. Digital reservation services, such as OpenTable, have streamlined the process to book your table for available time slots. A one-two combination partnership with Yelp, OpenTable is the reigning champion in the digital reservation service for restaurants. Having grown their customer base to over 13,000 restaurants in 50 states and multiple countries, it is hard to imagine there would be an emerging challenger. 

SeatMe, a San Francisco startup, has begun to step up to the plate and take a bite of that market share. SeatMe allows management of reservations, guests, and staff floor plans straight from a tablet or smart device. SeatMe’s guestbook also tracks unique schedules, performances, and tastes with nice design, easy usability, and good integration. SeatMe does not provide a stark distinction from OpenTable, but there are a host of differences as an alternative to look out for.

The inaction of waiting in line to be seated has even taken a turn for the tech as select restaurants have adopted a waiting list management system. NoWait is a Pittsburgh based startup that has developed an iPad app where customers may leave a name and number with the front of house, or host, and opt into receiving a text message when their table is ready. Customers can also check their status in line through a provided link via text message where they can access, “What’s My Place”, in the line. Acceptance of the NoWait system ideally organizes hosting duties in a manner where customers can inquire where there their position is in line without inundating the host or hostess with line status updates.

Once seated, the item selection has also stepped in to the technology retrofit. Restaurants are opting to do away with physical paper menus with tablet and smart device interfaces. Plate replaces a paper wine list or entire menu with a software format displayed on tablets. These “smart menus” are fully customizable to restaurants that have adopted the Plate platform, and can display notes, photos, and even pairings of particular wines to food items. Plate reports that with a few extra minutes playing with the menu can increase a diner’s order by 10-15%. 

For restaurants with a budget and cannot afford to distribute upwards of 10 tablets at any given time, SecondMenu offers a similar experience. Instead SecondMenu presents a restaurant's menu through the diner’s own smartphone. The SecondMenu web app is not activated via native apps which must be downloaded from an app store; rather it is through visiting secondmenu.com/restaurantsname or more easily in the form of a QR code.

Alternative payment methods have also managed to make its mark in efforts to accelerate the checkout process. With increasing support for NFC, or Near Field Communication, customers can simply tap their smart devices or use an app to pay using Google Wallet, PayPal, LevelUp, Square, or a slew of emerging payment services. Experimentation with BitCoin has also been recorded, in such with a restaurant in Berlin. Room 77, located in Berlin, serves Southwestern American fare, from burgers to burritos. The decors of the restaurant are reflections of a Texan steakhouse that we are all familiar with. 

One differentiation that Room 77 has over any other restaurant in Germany is that it is the only restaurant in Germany that accepts BitCoin. “When someone pays with by Bitcoin, either through a computer or smart phone, the Bitcoin is sent encrypted to ensure it can't be hacked. There are no transaction fees, and you can exchange a Bitcoin for real currency.”

There are a wide array of tools and new technology to incorporate in order to excite customers, while also differentiating your restaurant from conventional competitors. Adopting new methods to streamline management, or keep customers engaged, can improve the overall dining experience for patrons as well as the staff.

About the Author

Phil Ng is a Social Media Analyst at IIR USA with a specialized focus on technology and technology culture. He may be reached at PNg@iirusa.com.

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The Future of Alternative Payments

Research was conducted to figure out where exactly card-based e-commerce and alternative payments were going around the world. Whether it was trying to figure out if (when?) alternative payments will eclipse card-based e-commerce or whether new innovations would decrease or increase, the results of the study painted an interesting picture for the future. 

The research was conducted by Bain Capital and Advent projects that e-commerce transactions will grow at an annualized rate of14 percent from 2010 to 2015 rising from USD $942 billion. In addition to this, there is something that is somewhat staggering: Alternative payments are actually behind card based e-commerce. But not to worry about such numbers, alternative payments are expected to pass card based e-commerce by 2015. 

BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 05: A patient pays a quarterly consultion fee while handing over her Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (AOK) health insurance card on September 5, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. ( Getty Images)

The US and UK have the highest amount of e-commerce penetration rates at 77 and 60 percent respectively. In Netherlands, e-commerce growth is underpinned by an electric payment called iDEAL. iDEAL allows people to make bank transfers without entering their credit or debit information online. WorldPay estimates that there are as many as 230 alternative payments providers. 

Some believe that there can be an AP provider which can challenge the established e-commerce players. They also predict that there will be growth a 50 percent a year annually in China and Poland. Among the developed nations, Japan is expected to have a growth of 20 percent. And with the growth of other nations, prepaid may take off in ways that would turn society into more a plastic card carrying world than it ever was before. 

About the Author

Adam Wells studies English at Pace University.

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Cashless Food Trucks

Have you ever wished that whenever you get something to eat at a stand or a truck on the side of the road, you wouldn't need cash to pay for your purchase? Wouldn’t you love to just use your debit or credit cards to pay for that two-dollar frank or fifteen-dollar lobster roll? 

Well, gourmet food trucks are now allowing the use of debit and credit cards. They are now equipped with tablets and smartphones for credit card payments and email receipts to paying customers. 

Red Hook Lobster Pound truck (Photo: mediageek)

Global transaction will increase from $241 billion in 2011 to $1 trillion in 2015. Gourmet trucks used to be a cash only operation but with the prices and the times changing, it was only a matter of time for the use of credit cards. 

Gourmet trucks are using Square and with that attachment, the business can then accept the payment. The other fact that works with the usage of credit cards is that the business can adjust the state taxes accordingly. 

Red Hook Lobster Pound Truck is one of the trucks that are utilizing this aspect of card transactions. This allows the trucks to travel through each state and adjust the taxes. 

But one of the problems with accepting electronic payments is the wireless connection. The hope for trucks to combat the connectivity disadvantage is that carriers continue to improve 4G LTE networks. Even though NFC seems to have a bright future in the way people receive payments, there are downsides to it. A merchant must acquire NFC readers and consumers have to buy NFC-enabled phones. 

The efficiency of mobile payments is still improving but there is something there. Businesses can integrate their mobile-payment transactions with QuickBooks, which unifies bookkeeping. Of all the innovations that are moving from cash to plastic cards, who would've thought the last item that would be on the list would be a food truck?

The food truck concept is already a great convenience for someone who does not want to pay a whole lot of money (unless you want lobster rolls) and keep on going. But now that some truck owners are going to use modern devices so that you can now use your cards it is even better. 

About the Author

Adam Wells studies English at Pace University.

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Read the 2nd PEERS Issue: Mobile Review

Last month, we introduced you to the Prepaid Expo Executive Report Series (PEERS) here. PEERS is a series of summary briefs for prepaid business executives focused on key developments and topical hot spots driving prepaid industry change.

The second issue is now available. Please sign up here for full access.


Issue Two: Mobile Review

The Mobile Review Issue covers key developments, information and exclusive analysis from experts on the prepaid industry mobile frontlines.

PLUS a Special Feature Interview with Visa's Head of Consumer Prepaid Products, Hyung Choi!

In This Issue: 

 

• Plastic’s Last Stand: Tipping Point 2015/16

• Merchants Move Adoption Needle

• Providers Wage Wallet War

• Do We Need a New Network?

• Mobile Wallets, Huge Hurdles 

• Emerging Markets: What Can We Learn? 

• And much more!

 

Read PEERS Issue Two:  Mobile Review

* Stay tuned for our next issue: Prepaid's Social Media Equation 

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Finance, Payments & Prepaid on Pinterest: What I found

I've become a fan of Pinterest, the latest social network phenomenon, after writing about its corporate innovation potential here. One of the trends that I am always exploring is how social media can be harnessed by the finance industry, both externally for marketing and consumer education/awareness and externally to learn how consumers feel, think or use products and gather insights.

Why Pinterest Makes Cents Sense

As an avid user (and also a analyst/marketer) one of my favorite finds on Pinterest are infographics - lot of data condensed into an aesthetically pleasing one-pager - and Pinterest has them aplenty. Originally, this post was going to be about Pinners Prepaid Should Follow on Pinterest but after a deep dive, I think it might be best to show you the goodies I found on Pinterest and then explain why they matter:

Found:

1. Intuit's The Marketplace in Your Hands Infographic: Mobile Payments

2. The Mobile Payment Landscape in 60 Seconds Infographic

3. Pinned Articles: How Digital Money Spurs Digital Innovation

4. The Payment Revolution is Coming MindMap

5. The Value of Stored Value Cards Infographic

6. NCR Mobile Milestones Infographic

Follow These Pinners/Pinboards:


1. Mobile Experiences Board:

2. Payments Board #1:

3. Payments Boards #2:

5. Credit Card Statistics Board:

Use Pinterest as a Search Engine

1. Search Terms: "Mobile Commerce"

Last One

What Your Wallet Says About You - Now & Tomorrow Infographic

Evolving Technology and Disruptive Innovation 

Adapt or Die. Whenever I talk to clients about social media, I often refer to this principle but it has implications beyond marketing. The pace of technology innovations today is happening at unparalleled speed and affecting every single sector and will transform it. This is our new market reality. The marketplace is changing, and so are the needs of the Prepaid consumer.

Pinterest along with other popular social networks are often underrated by the finance industry or seen as the play things of the idle with little ROI. I see a lot of potential uses for them as tools for which to analyze and research trends, consumer data and the shifting landscape, its players, and filter news. I hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as I do.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” 

― Marcel Proust

About the Author

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and Managing Editor of the Prepaid Expo Blog. She has worked in media positions at Hachette Book Group, Aol, and Thomson Reuters and has an anthropology and brand-building background. She is also published poet and maintains a literary blog. She will be live blogging during Prepaid Expo 2013, taking place March 4-6, 2013, in Orlando, Florida and hopes to meet you there. She may be reached at vrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.

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Cashless Squares Up At Starbucks

(Photo: BetaNews.com)

A typical encounter at the cash register consists of either fumbling with cash and change, or pulling out your credit card, swipe it, wait for an authorization, followed by a signing of a console or receipt. An alternative payment method has been emerging in small, and micro, businesses. 

These alternative payment methods will be more apparent in coming months as a big deal has been struck by caffeine distribution giant, Starbucks, and mobile payment startup, Square.

In early August, Starbucks has struck a deal and will be investing $25 million to outfit a network of 7000 participating stores with the mobile payment system, Square. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, notes that, “the smartphone is the primary device in our lives.” This deal will provide Starbucks with a significant discount on credit card processing fees. Traditional credit card processing methods required businesses to pay the credit card company 2.5-5% plus equipment rental and usage charges. Square on the other hand charges a flat 2.75% with free equipment, in the form of a dongle that attaches via headphone jack on any smartphone or tablet.

In 2009, Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, took a leap in to innovating the mobile payment space. With a simple philosophy, “everyone should be able to accept credit cards. It should be easy and free to get set up, it should use simple technology people already own, and, most importantly, it should instantly adapt to any size business”.

Square consists of four major components: a card reader, Pay With Square app, Square Register, and a Square Card Reader. The card reader is a plastic device which plugs into the audio jack of an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android based mobile phones. This allows any smartphone to be used as a credit card swiping machine. Pay With Square is an app which allows customers check in a Square enabled business and set up tabs and pay with their names. It also enables them to receive electronic receipts. The Square Register is available for the iPad and transforms it into a credit card management system. Square Card Reader is another app available free of cost for iOS and Android, and is the actual interface that is utilized by the business to manage payments made via the card reader or Pay With Square app.

Previously focused around aiding small and micro businesses, with this $25 million investment from Starbucks, Square has raked in $200 million in new funding, positioning Square with a $3.25 billion valuation. As of March, Square has processed $4 billion a year in mobile payments transactions in this year alone through its 1 million registered merchants. 

With well-established companies, such as PayPal, Google Wallet, Intuit, LevelUp, and dozens others, fighting to gain market share in the space of mobile payments, the addition to the 7000 stores that have been added through the Starbucks deal, Square has taken a huge lead ahead of their growing field of competition.

The exposure provided through Starbucks to spotlight an seamless alternative payment method will greatly expand the emerging cashless zeitgeist. Expect to see more alternative payment methods at an ever growing number businesses, from your corner store to one of the thousands of Starbucks coffee shops.

About the Author


Phil Ng is a Social Media Analyst at IIR USA with a specialized focus on technology and technology culture. He may be reached at PNg@iirusa.com.

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The B2B Applications of Prepaid: Implications of Mobile Payments

In the video below, Carol Lee Mitchell of Global Prepaid at MasterCard sits down with Marilyn Bochicchio, CEO of Paybefore, earlier this year at Prepaid Expo USA 2012 to discuss Paybefore's mission.

Marilyn speaks about emerging and developed market trends She highlights the B2B applications of prepaid and the implications of mobile payments. She also shares her views about the existing regulatory environment in the US.

As the leading prepaid and emerging payments publishing company, Paybefore sponsors the Paybefore Awards®:

Now in its seventh  year, Paybefore Awards is the oldest and most prestigious awards to recognize excellence in the worldwide prepaid and stored value industry.

Three winners will be selected in approximately 20 categories, including Most Innovative Prepaid Solution and Breakout Prepaid Company of the Year. Best-in-Category and Industry Achievement winners will be announced at the Prepaid Expo USA, March 4-6, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. Applications will be available in mid-September, with nominations due Friday, November 16, 2012.

Editor's Note:  We encourage you to learn more and become involved with Prepaid Expo 2013, bringing together professionals from leading retailers, processors, financial institutions, service providers and marketers in the prepaid marketplace every year. Over 12,000 people have attended Prepaid Expo USA since 2007 to hear industry experts discuss what's next in the growing prepaid marketplace and where it fits in our new economy. Visit www.PrepaidExpoUSA.com to learn more.

* Thank you! Save 10% off the standard rate when you register for Prepaid Expo 2013, use Prepaid Expo Blog Reader VIP Code: XU2648BLOG10.

About the Author

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and Managing Editor of the Prepaid Expo Blog. She has worked in media positions at Hachette Book Group, Aol, and Thomson Reuters and has an anthropology and brand-building background. She is also published poet and maintains a literary blog. She will be live blogging during Prepaid Expo 2013, taking place March 4-6, 2013, in Orlando, Florida and hopes to meet you there. She may be reached at vrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.

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The Future of Prepaid List: 25 Books to Read Now

There is no doubt the nature and landscape of the Prepaid industry as a whole is changing. Below is a list of books we have compiled that could foster a discourse on what lays ahead for the entire prepaid marketplace. Enjoy!

The Future of Prepaid List: 25 Books to Read Now

1. Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick, Steve Wozniak (Foreword), William L. Simon, 2011 [Go]
2. The SmartPhone Wallet: Understanding the Disruption Ahead by David W. Schropfer, 2010 [Go]
3. Insufficient Funds: Savings, Assets, Credit, and Banking Among Low-Income Households by Rebecca M. Blank, Michael S. Barr, 2011 [Go]
4. The Mobile Wave: How Mobile Intelligence Will Change Everything by Michael Saylor, 2012 [Go]
5. Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back by Andrew Zolli, 2012 [Go]
6. Social Business By Design: Transformative Social Media Strategies for the Connected Company by Dion Hinchcliffe, Peter Kim, Jeff Dachis, 2012, [Go]
7. BRICs and Beyond: Lessons on Emerging Markets by Stephanie Jones, 2012, [Go]
8. The Death of the Internet by Markus Jakobsson, 2012 [Go]
9. The Financial Services Marketing Handbook: Tactics and Techniques That Produce Results by Evelyn Ehrlich PhD, Duke Fanelli, 2012 [Go]
10. Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems by John Palfrey, 2012 [Go]
11. The Value Path: Embedding Innovation in Everyday Business When the Customer Makes the Rules by Peter G.W. Keen, Ronald O. Williams, 2012 [Go]
12. Auditing Social Media: A Governance and Risk Guide by Peter R. Scott, J. Mike Jacka, 2011 [Go]
13. Moving Illegal Proceeds: Challenges Exist in the Federal Government's Effort to Stem Cross-Border Currency Smuggling by United States Government Accountability Office, 2012 [Go]
14. Innovation Reinvented: Six Games that Drive Growth by Roger Miller, Marcel Côte, 2012 [Go]
15. The End of Money: Counterfeiters, Preachers, Techies, Dreamers--and the Coming Cashless Society by David Wolman, 2012 [Go]
16. The Remittance Market in India: Opportunities, Challenges, and Policy Options by Gabi G. Afram, 2012 [Go]
17. The End of Business As Usual: Rewire the Way You Work to Succeed in the Consumer Revolution by Brian Solis, 2011 [Go]
18. No Slack: The Financial Lives of Low-Income Americans by Michael S. Barr, 2012 [Go]
19. Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (And Other Social Networks) by Dave Kerpen, 2011 [Go]
20. Protecting Mobile Money against Financial Crimes: Global Policy Challenges and Solutions by Pierre-Laurent Chatain, Andrew Zerzan, Wameek Noor, Najah Dannaoui, Louis de Koker, 2011 [Go]
21. High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service: Inspire Timeless Loyalty in the Demanding New World of Social Commerce by Micah Solomon, 2012 [Go]
22. Migration and Remittances during the Global Financial Crisis and Beyond by Ibrahim Sirkeci, Jeffrey H. Cohen, Dilip Ratha, 2012 [Go]
23. The future of payment systems: A case study on digiPROOF, a fingerprint based payment solution by Markus Mayer, 2012, [Go]
24. Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground by Kevin Poulsen, 2012, [Go]
25. Outrageous Fortunes: The Twelve Surprising Trends That Will Reshape the Global Economy by Daniel Altman, 2012, [Go]

Which book would you add?

Editor's Note:  We encourage you to learn more and become involved with Prepaid Expo 2013, bringing together professionals from leading retailers, processors, financial institutions, service providers and marketers in the prepaid marketplace every year. Over 12,000 people have attended Prepaid Expo USA since 2007 to hear industry experts discuss what's next in the growing prepaid marketplace and where it fits in our new economy. Visit www.PrepaidExpoUSA.com to learn more.

* Thank you! Save 10% off the standard rate when you register for Prepaid Expo 2013, use Prepaid Expo Blog Reader VIP Code: XU2648BLOG10.

About the Author

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and Managing Editor of the Prepaid Expo Blog. She has worked in media positions at Hachette Book Group, Aol, and Thomson Reuters and has an anthropology and brand-building background. She is also published poet and maintains a literary blog. She will be live blogging during Prepaid Expo 2013, taking place March 4-6, 2013, in Orlando, Florida and hopes to meet you there. She may be reached at vrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.

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The Prepaid Marketplace in Brazil & Latin America

Yesterday, Anabel Perez, the CEO of NovoPayment wrote Digital Money, Mobile Wallets and Latin America at the Huffington Post.

Earlier this year, Marcio Franklin of MasterCard Brazil sat down with Sergio Marcondes, the CEO of Accentiv' Mimetica at Prepaid Expo USA 2012 to discuss prepaid in the Brazilian market. If you are keeping an eye on emerging markets, you may want to take a look at the video below.

Editor's Note:  We encourage you to learn more and become involved with Prepaid Expo 2013, bringing together professionals from leading retailers, processors, financial institutions, service providers and marketers in the prepaid marketplace every year. Over 12,000 people have attended Prepaid Expo USA since 2007 to hear industry experts discuss what's next in the growing prepaid marketplace and where it fits in our new economy. Visit www.PrepaidExpoUSA.com to learn more.

* Thank you! Save 10% off the standard rate when you register for Prepaid Expo 2013, use Prepaid Expo Blog Reader VIP Code: XU2648BLOG10.

About the Author

Valerie M. Russo is a Senior Social Media Strategist at IIR USA and Managing Editor of the Prepaid Expo Blog. She has worked in media positions at Hachette Book Group, Aol, and Thomson Reuters and has an anthropology and brand-building background. She is also published poet and maintains a literary blog. She will be live blogging during Prepaid Expo 2013, taking place March 4-6, 2013, in Orlando, Florida and hopes to meet you there. She may be reached at vrusso@iirusa.com. Follow her @Literanista.

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