Mobile Commerce Insider Week in Review

As popular as mobile commerce is becoming, I think that there will always be a need for the solid feel of those brick and mortar stores. Perhaps if a mobile app were to have a built-in barcode scanner this would be something that could an impact. There is a company that feels that way.

Manatee Works has unveiled its Mobile Barcode SDK. It was built for companies that want a barcode scanner that integrates seamlessly with their existing mobile app. The Barcode SDK is capable of reading 12 different types of scans including PDF417, QR Code, Data Matrix and about eight of the standard barcodes.

The product provides accuracy due to the fact that while most decoders only work well with high-resolution barcode images, Manatee Works decoders are tuned to read the densest barcode images even in low light, extreme angles, varying brightness and contrast levels, and inverted surfaces.

According to some blog reports, the rollout of Apple’s (News - Alert) iBeacon technology is one of the most closely watched trends in mobile marketing and retail circles this year. There is the potential promise for stores and brands that it will boost sales by delivering offers and information to customers on their mobile devices when they enter a retail location or while shopping in specific departments.

Indoor spaces often block cell signals and make it nearly impossible to locate devices via GPS. A solution to this is a Beacon. Beacons are a low-cost hardware that are small enough to attach to a wall or countertop that use battery friendly, low-energy Bluetooth connections to transmit messages or prompts directly to a smartphone or tablet.

It is not just brick and mortar stores that can take advantage of iBeacon, it appears that MBL Ballparks are finding that they can use the technology for their advertising needs as well. This process is being referred to as Mobile to Mortar.

When you look at companies such as Tesla, you can quickly see that electronic vehicles (EV) have made incredible strides over the past few years. The cars are virtually silent making you wonder if the engine is even turned on.

One problem has always been that there just aren’t enough charging stations, or that they are not located where you are going. One company is taking up that challenge. CarCharging is a national provider of EV charging services and what will help you is its new app.

Not only will it help you to locate the closest available charging station, it is designed to give you, the driver of that new electric car the ability to pay for those charging services through your mobile device. This should make getting around in your EV as well as paying to charge up a lot more convenient and simple.

LiveDeal has chosen the restaurant industry as the ideal place to launch its instant, real-time deal engine. Since its creation, it LiveDeal has been perfecting its model one piece at a time. The company recently entered into a strategic partnership with  Menu1.com.

Some see this as another such example which should lead to explosive restaurant participation nationwide. Another strategy that LiveDeal has been working with is that unlike others in the industry who are hiring, training and paying large sales teams, this company has essentially outsourced its way into a staff that fully understands the restaurant industry.

Plug n Pay is a chip-based mobile business or sales solution which offers an affordable, yet a guaranteed means for businesses of any sizes, to manage their electronic payment using smart phones and tablets.

This seems to work with Takaful IKHLAS, a Malaysian organization that has adopted the Takaful name but also its philosophy. Takaful means “guaranteeing each other” or "joint guarantee" in Arabic. According to a statement by the CEO, the belief is that with this technology, transactions can be done anytime and anywhere. 

The first phase of introducing the Plug n Pay device started with Takaful IKHLAS agency heads in the Klang Valley on March 29th. This will be followed by agency heads from other regions who would be equipped with the device to facilitate their business transactions.

These are just a few of the stories that we worked on this week. Believe me when I say that I cannot even begin to scratch the surface of everything that has been going on just this week alone. You will have to take some time and sort through all the information that we have for you. It is something that I suggest you do on a regular basis.

The world of mobile commerce is growing and changes are constantly happening all over the globe. It is impossible to know everything that happens as mobile commerce continues to forge ahead and make major strides. It is impossible to mention everything that is happening and all that we’ve looked at just this week alone. The best way to stay current is to keep checking in with us. You can stay current by checking out the details to these stories and many more by going to Mobile Commerce Insider and keeping an eye what is going on in the mobile world of commerce.