Brafton has reported that Google has its sights set on the mobile and local markets, and the company is now developing technology for Android users to make mobile payments. This is good for local merchants who can offer customers a simple swipe pay process or deliver targeted ads, and it could expedite the growth of overall m-commerce.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is partnering with MasterCard and Citigroup cardholders to allow them to swipe their smartphones at checkout counters. The companies believe these developments will transform phones into electronic wallets, with heightened security.
“[There is] a perception people can grab it from thin air, but it's actually a more sophisticated technology than credit cards with a magnetic stripe, making it more difficult to steal a consumer's payment information,” Nick Holland, a mobile-transactions analyst at Yankee Group, told the Journal.
The technology would give internet marketers the chance to buy highly targeted local ads from Google based on Android users' payment activities.
Plus, the technology might be good for internet marketers without local storefronts, as it could promote mobile buying behaviors and help pave the way for m-commerce. Brafton has reported that m-commerce is on the rise, with consumers increasingly turning to the mobile web to find product information and make purchases.
