Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
• Mobile e-commerce grew 60% last year to reach $120 billion, with 70% of that total coming through browsers (50%) and apps (20%) accessed via smart phones, according to a new report from Javelin Strategy & Research.
• Routine usage of mobile devices to make payments remains flat with last year at 19% of consumers, with cash and cards remaining the most popular payment methods, according to a survey of 4,000 of consumers by Accenture.
• Intuit Inc. is leveraging Apple Pay’s new Web-based availability to allow users of it QuickBooks Online accounting program to offer Apple Pay as a payment option on invoices for customers using the Safari browser.
• USA Technologies Inc., which is nearing completion of a conversion of more than 1,000 Burch Food Service vending machines to card-based and contactless mobile payment, including Apple Pay and Android Pay, said Burch reported a 17% increase in dollar volume on the machines in the year ended in June.
• Cross-border payments company PayCommerce said it raised $22 million in Series B funding. It also named Max Narro, a former Worldpay, Fiserv, and First Data executive as chief executive.
• Pay By Group, whose technology allows mobile and desktop users to split the cost of any transaction with friends or family, announced a $3.4 million funding round led by SparkLabs Global Ventures. The startup, which mostly handles group payments for vacation rentals, says it differs from existing cost-splitting apps by allowing each person to pay his share directly, avoiding the need for a single person to front the cost and then collect from others.
• Payment gateway Shift4 Corp. announced it received EMV certification from processor Elavon, a unit of U.S. Bancorp.
• Point-of-sale terminal maker VeriFone Systems Inc. announced it and several other companies have developed a mobile API standard for mobile commerce at gas stations and convenience stores.
• Online fashion retailer Rue La La is offering local shopping in 219 countries and territories using the Borderfree Retail product from Pitney Bowes, which handles payments, deliveries, and other functions.
