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Retailers To Mobile Payment Players: What’s In It For Us?

Written by Frank Hayes
October 10th, 2012

We were hoping this week to find out when Isis will finally launch its mobile payment trials in Salt Lake City and Austin. No such luck: “Imminently” is all Isis Chief Commerce Officer Ed Busby would say at a presentation in New York on Wednesday (Oct. 10). But Busby did pass along a comment that crystallizes the problem chains have with the mobile-operator consortium, as well as with Google Wallet and PayPal: “I have a friend over at Banana Republic. He always tells me, ‘Ed, why is it everybody is knocking on my door all the time saying they can give my gross margin away faster than everybody else?'”

That’s how chains see Isis and its rivals? No wonder retailers aren’t pushing mobile payments at POS. Coupons and promotions (which the mobile payments guys love) eat margins. Mobile payments aren’t offering much-hoped-for interchange relief, either. That suggests mobile payments players need to start scrambling. Should they help enable loyalty first and ride payments on loyalty’s coattails? Or make it easier to use phones as in-store customer trackers? Or promise to give chains more and better CRM data? We don’t know. But without something serious in it for retailers to encourage a serious retailer push, there won’t be any mobile payments—Isis or not.

Posted in CRM, In-Store, IT Strategy/Industry, Mobile/Wireless/Contactless, Payment Systems
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2 Comments | Read Retailers To Mobile Payment Players: What’s In It For Us?

  1. Trip Says:
    October 12th, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    If explained properly, there are all kinds of perks from mobile payment acceptance. From remarketing purposes to better cash management, I don’t see how merchants would not be sold on that alone.

  2. Ann Grackin Says:
    October 15th, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    Yes, but how many of these separate systems does a retailer have to join–right now there are several competing programs from Google, PayPal, Isis, MCX, the retailers own program (aka Starbucks) as well as directly from the credit companies. Consumers don’t want to download too many apps , re-entering too much security data to too many sites. The idea is fantastic–since the mobile carriers already have the customer online, why not weigh in and get a few pennies on the transaction? But much needs to be thought about. How do these all fit with out mobile programs and how to make that all pretty seamless, should be thought about. See it. Buy it.

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