New Zealand Mobile Ops to Launch "Payforit"

New Zealand’s mobile network operators have agreed to introduce a mobile payment service called "Payforit." The Payforit "Trusted Mobile Payments Framework” apparently is based on a similar service, also called Payforit, that has been operating in Britain since 2006, and is expected to support micro-payments, primarily.

The New Zealand service, like its British counterpart, will be managed by accredited payment intermediaries but will not require linkage to a banking account or a credit card. It is likely that the service will aim to attract content providers, since micro-payments for content consumed on the phone are a logical proposition.

Accredited payment intermediaries for the U.K. Payforit service might provide an indication of what sorts of entities might support the New Zealand Payforit.

Accredited Payment Intermediary	Contact	Accredited on
2ergo
Bango.net
Dialogue Communications
Ericsson IPX
24GMedia
mBlox
Mobile Interactive Group
Sybase365
Open Market
Netsize
Tanla Mobile
Oxygen8 Communications
Win
Zong

New Zealand mobile operators launch mobile payment service

Google Considers Yahoo bid

Google has talked to at least two private equity firms about potentially helping them finance a deal to buy Yahoo Inc.'s core business, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Though it is obvious why Google would want access to Yahoo's display advertising business, any such deal would immediately trigger antitrust review.

In 2008 the Federal Trade Commission nixed even a search advertising partnership between the companies. Perhaps Google thinks it could strike a deal to spin off the Yahoo search business, which is the likely source of antitrust concern, and just keep the portal operations.

Google, Private Equity Firms Mull Bid For Yahoo

New Apple TV Coming?

Rumored Apple television Would have to "think different."

Apple might be working on a television, the Steve Jobs biography apparently indicates.

“He very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant,” author Walter Isaacson writes.

Such an effort would likely have to integrate content sources, create some sort of navigation system and then dispense with awkward and cryptic remote controls.

You'd probably want to use a standard-issue iPhone or iPad, for example. But if Apple follows the example of earlier disruptions, the Apple effort would include a significant content delivery mechanism. It was iTunes that made the iPod, the App Store that made the iPhone, Apps that made the iPad.

And since the whole point of TV is to "watch stuff," any new Apple initiative would have to include a content store of some sort, not simply integration of various input sources.

Jobs's final plan: an ‘integrated’ Apple TV

Wireless Revenue Slowdown?

Both AT&T and Verizon's postpaid average revenue per user growth in the third quarter was slightly lower than consensus estimates.

These trends are prompting analysts to ask whether wireless service, traditionally the telecom industry's most dynamic sector, is headed for a slump. A delay in launching the iPhone 4S probably was a factor.

Nomura Securities analyst Mike McCormack says he is "concerned about the outlook for the economics of the wireless business." McCormack notes that Verizon's wireless service revenues grew 6.1 percent in the third quarter, compared to 6.6 percent in the second quarter.

"We remain concerned about consistent industry deceleration in total service revenue," he added.

Macquarie Capital analyst Kevin Smithen also speculates about whether "some adverse macroeconomic effects [are] beginning to creep through to the carriers."

Wireless Revenue Slowdown?

Groupon Revenue, Income Improve Dramatically

Groupon's postponed initial public offering seems to be a possibility again, and these numbers therefore are significant.

It sometimes is hard to remember that big questions were also raised about whether Facebook or Twitter would find a revenue model, as well.

Good numbers for Groupon

Sprint Changes Tethering Plans

Sprint is pulling the plug on its unlimited data plans for Wi-Fi tethered access, starting November 2011. Unlimited usage will remain in effect for smart phone usage, though. 


If you subscribe to 3G/4G Mobile broadband service or have a Mobile Hotspot Add-on for your phone, you may have received a notification from Sprint that the data allowances for these services are changing. Please see below for details on the data allowances that will begin with your next bill following notification. Visit sprint.com/termsandconditions for other important information.


If you have a mobile broadband device such as a tablet, netbook, notebook, USB card, connection card or Mobile Hotspot device, effective beginning with your next bill following notification, your on-network monthly data allowance will no longer include unlimited 4G.


There are no changes to your monthly recurring charges, on-network overage rates, off-network overage rate, or off-network data allowance. For information on how much 3G and 4G data you currently use, visit sprint.com/mysprint. Find out what you can do with 3GB, 5GB or 10GB of data here.

Mobile broadband plan changes

Retailers Still Not Convinced About Mobile Paymentss

Retailers are an essential partner for developing mobile payments and mobile wallet services, but retailers understandably are leery of supporting the new services until the value is made clearer.


While it is clear that end users, mobile service providers, processing networks, mobile device manufacturers, marketing and advertising networks could benefit, it still is generally unclear what the quantifiable benefits are for retailers, who face a need to invest significantly in payment terminal systems.


That suggests a major conclusion about what it will take to drive retailer interest. It long has been the case that if consumers massively indicate a preference for specific payment modes, that retailers will embrace those preferences to avoid losing business to other outlets. So if the direct value proposition for retailers remains murky, then the ecosystem will have to entice large numbers of consumers to prefer and then demand support for the new features.

In the mid-2000s, Visa, MasterCard and American Express all introduced contactless payment cards that consumers could tap against a payment terminal to complete a transaction. Years later, the number of merchant locations that accept such transactions number 140,000 out of an estimated 11 million overall locations.


Today, the card brands are working toward putting tap-and-pay capabilities, along with offers and coupons, into smartphones. But retailers would face expensive upgrades to their payment systems without assurances sales will follow. A compatible payment terminal might cost between $400 and $500, experts say.

Retailers remain hesitant to move on mobile payments

Is PayPal Card Friend or Foe?

Value in mobile ecosystem

In a complicated ecosystem such as retail payments, no legacy contestant can be completely sure that other new participants in the broader ecosystem are complementary or disruptive.

PayPal, already a payment system for e-commerce transactions, has made no secret lately of its ambitions to move into the world of brick-and-mortar commerce. 


And PayPal might worry card issuers more than Google for a couple of reasons. First, Google clearly wants to build a business around advertising. PayPal wants to grow a transaction fee business, even as it works with traditional card issuers. 


Traditional payments typically involve a merchant, acquirer, issuer, and a consumer in the visible parts of the business. But essential roles also are played by the payment network provider as well. 


The roles of merchants and consumers are obvious. "Acquirers" are responsible for aggregating merchants  and enabling merchants to process payments. 


"Issuers" create payment devices for consumers to use (credit and debit cards, for example) and process the transfer of funds from consumer accounts to merchants. 


In the case of credit and debit cards and other electronic forms of payment, a payment network provider, such as Visa or MasterCard, resides between acquirers and issuers to facilitate the transfer of information and funds. 


The mobile payments business adds other potential participants as well, such as handset suppliers, mobile service providers and application providers that create "wallet" systems. That also means other functions such as daily deals services, loyalty program services, local advertising and other functions likely will be part of the ecosystem as well. 


You might argue that PayPal, up this point, has acted as a payment network of sorts, even though it works with existing clearing networks and card issuers. What does not seem completely clear is what it might mean now that PayPal has decided its "wallet" functions will take the form of a plastic card.  

The PayPal Card is a magnetic-striped plastic card that will become available to its base of 100 million active users some time in the first half of 2012.

The unembossed card, which account holders will have to apply for, will carry the PayPal logo on its face, but will bear no other identifying information—no name, no account number. 

Transactions on the card will be protected by a PIN. PayPal will also introduce at the same time a companion payment product it calls “Empty Hands,” a system that will let account holders pay the point of sale by entering a phone number and a PIN.

The card is intended to let users access the funding sources they have stored in their accounts, or digital wallets. These can include credit and debit cards, but also loyalty points, prepaid and gift cards, and demand-deposit accounts. 

Although it looks like a familiar payment card, its magnetic stripe stores encrypted data that lets consumers access a variety of accounts through PayPal. The card will not carry the customer's name or an account number but only the PayPal logo.


Keep in mind that The PayPal card might be viewed merely as an extension of wallet functions PayPal has had for a decade or more, experts say. For example, PayPal has had a MasterCard-branded credit and debit card for years. In that sense, PayPal already has been an issuer in its own right. 


But some in the banking industry will see a threat. "It is another step in PayPal's march to disintermediate" the traditional card companies, says Andy Schmidt, research director for commercial banking and payments at TowerGroup.

PayPal s New Card Is a Trojan Horse for the Consumer Wallet

Smart Phones Change Shopping Behavior

Marketing and commerce are changing because of growing adoption of smart phones and the ways people actually use smart phones when shopping.

About 63 percent of smart phone users have visited a retailer’s website from their mobile device, up from 53 percent in 2010, and 41 percent have done so while in the retail store, according to a study by Hipcricket. That has clear content implications.

While mobile retail sites have historically served as “brochures,” lightweight versions of retailers’ full websites that provide limited information such as store locations, directions and hours, today’s mobile-specific retail sites are now providing more significant benefits to consumers as they move along their path-to-purchase.

Fully 50 percent have checked a competitor’s mobile website while in another store.
The survey found that smart phone owners are visiting mobile retail sites to:

Research prices (46 percent);
Search for coupons and offers (36 percent);
Research products (28 percent); and
Purchase products (13 percent)

Some nine percent report that any of their favorite brands market to them using the mobile phone. At the same time, consumers continue to indicate a willingness to join mobile customer relationship management or loyalty programs for their favorite brands. Some 33 percent would be interested in joining such a program, but only 12 percent currently participate in one.
Mobile sites now a factor in retail shopping

Some 79 percent of U.S. smart phone owners relying on their phones to help with shopping, according to Google.

About 70 percent use their phones while shopping in-store and 74 percent of smartphone shoppers made a purchase as a result of using their smartphone.

Some 67 percent said they research on their smartphone and then buy in the store. Fully 95 percent of smart phone users have looked for local information, and as you might expect, such searches often are an immediate precursor to purchasing.  After looking for local information, 77 percent contacted a business, and 44 percent made a purchase. Reaching Today’s Mobile Shoppers

All of that suggests mobile websites will change. First, mobile websites will likely emphasize new types of content, especially local content related to products in stores close to where a users is "right now." Since comparison shopping also is more frequent, retailers will have to adjust by making sure content addresses product variety, "other products like this" and other issues aside from price and availability.

In many cases, such content will aim not only to engage prospects but move them along the sales funnel.

In August 2011, HiveFire surveyed nearly 400 marketing professionals about business-to- business  marketing, with a particular emphasis on content marketing. The top two objectives of content marketing programs are to engage customers and prospects (82 percent) and drive sales (55 percent), respondents indicated.

The survey also found that content marketing has an essential role in B2B strategies but half (50 percent) of content marketers dedicate less than 30 percent of their budgets to it. You might take that as an indication content marketing is affordable, that marketers are devoting a significant amount of resources to content marketing or that there is room for content marketing to become more important.

One caveat is that firms have different ways of accounting for items in a marketing budget. In some cases, personnel might also be “in the budget,” where in other cases only campaign or event costs are tabulated. In a budget containing trade show and conference expenses, advertising and promotion activities, 30 percent is not a “low” number, many would say.

Content marketing is changing the way B2B marketers work. In fact, it is now the most-used marketing strategy, Hivefire says. Report here.

95% of Marketers Increasing Social Media Investments

Marketers routinely use multiple social media platforms, about 4.6 on average, according to a study by Buddy Media and Booz & Company. Facebook and Twitter are the two platforms used most frequently.

Perhaps significantly, “softer” success drivers were cited, compared to budgets. About 94 percent of respondents said ability to react fast was important. Some 93 percent said a clear champion was key. Just 53 percent said a “dedicated budget” was a key success factor, while just half indicated that a “head of social media” company-wide was a key element for success.

Some 96 percent of respondents said they use social media for advertising and promotions, while 86 percent use it for public relations. About 75 percent use social media for customer service.

Fully 90 percent of respondents see social media as most useful at the top of the sales funnel, to drive branding. Just 46 percent saw social media as most useful for generating leads or sales.

And 95 percent of respondents plan to increase social media spending.







Booz & Co Buddy Media Campaigns to Capabilities Social Media and Marketing 2011

Smart Phones Now are Commerce Platforms

About 63 percent of smart phone users have visited a retailer’s website from their mobile device, up from 53 percent in 2010, and 41 percent have done so while in the retail store, according to a study by Hipcricket. That has clear content implications.

While mobile retail sites have historically served as “brochures,” lightweight versions of retailers’ full websites that provide limited information such as store locations, directions and hours, today’s mobile-specific retail sites are now providing more significant benefits to consumers as they move along their path-to-purchase.



Fully 50 percent have checked a competitor’s mobile website while in another store.

The survey found that smart phone owners are visiting mobile retail sites to:


Research prices (46 percent);
Search for coupons and offers (36 percent);
Research products (28 percent); and
Purchase products (13 percent)



Some nine percent report that any of their favorite brands market to them using the mobile phone. At the same time, consumers continue to indicate a willingness to join mobile customer relationship management or loyalty programs for their favorite brands. Some 33 percent would be interested in joining such a program, but only 12 percent currently participate in one.



Mobile sites now a factor in retail shopping

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ are Not the Same

People use social networks in different ways, which might have implications for the ways brands use social media venues.

On Twitter, users “follow” other users (which may include businesses) to obtain information, share updates, and also to be social. Users are open to following brands, so Twitter is great for sharing links to content.

The tone is informal, and users commonly connect with brands for customer support, new content, contests, and offers. Who users choose to “follow back” is fairly open, and users are generally comfortable connecting with more people even if they don't "know" them.

Facebook users either create personal accounts or interact as brands using  business pages, but users on. Facebook are commonly more strict about who they connect and become "friends" with on Facebook.

Usually, Facebook "friendship" is limited to who a person already knows or is friends with in real life. Posts and updates in the network can be longer-form, but the network appreciates less frequent and more valuable updates from businesses, particularly updates that offer exclusive offers and content.

LinkedIn is a network that mainly attracts and suits the needs of business professionals, making it a perhaps uniquely  great fit for B2B marketers. The network has more of a business networking and career focus, and the way users connect is much more formal.

Content shared and discussions that start are usually more industry and business-focused.

Google+  currently attracts an audience that is more “digitally savvy” and  technology focused. The Google+ audience also is mainly male. But Google+ is the newest major social network and its audience profile probably will change over time. So far, Google has chosen deliberately to restrict “business accounts,” but that will come.

One might argue that Twitter is purpose built for content sharing. Facebook, always a “must use” network, is probably better suited to pormotions and branding. LinkedIn is the best B2B venue. Google+ is probably the most-important “new” venue, but its character is not yet fully shaped. Of the major networks, it is the place content marketers need to watch, even if it is not yet as important a venue as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.  Social nets are used differently

New Twists In Facebook Timeline Drama | paidContent

So when will Facebook's new "Timeline" interface be rolled out to end users? A recent wall posting from a Facebook employee sugggests the company is aiming for an “end of the year” rollout.


The public release of Timeline appears to be as far off as it was when Mark Zuckerberg announced on September 22, 2011 that the feature would arrive “in coming weeks.”


Some people think the delay is part of a deliberate strategy by Facebook to introduce the feature gradually. Others think a legal dispute is the reason for the delay. Lawsuit might delay Facebook Timeline launch


The reluctance of Facebook users to embrace change is an issue.  “Any time a company with 800 million active customers makes a change, a certain predictable percentage of them will not be happy. 


Timeline  puts all of your activity in chronological order in a visually pleasing way. Almost like a personal webpage for Facebook, this timeline is designed to highlight large photos, status updates, and activity. 


New Twists for Facebook Timeline