Following rumors and patent findings, Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) did officially announced new payment features for upcoming devices and software.
The update comes to Apple’s own mobile version of its safari browser. The update, which will be made available in iOS 8, will give users the ability to scan a credit card via the phone’s camera to enter payment details. While the update does not consist of Apple’s future speculated payment scheme, it does show that Apple is aware of the Mcommerce space and its position, when it comes to conversions of mobile shoppers.
The update will notice when a page needs credit or debit card details to be entered and give the option to “Scan Credit Card” when needed. The browser can also store credit details for suture use with its autocomplete functionality.
This past year saw mobile shopping and payments gain traction. When , Apple’s iDevices triumphed over its , mainly Google’s Android OS, in both tablets and smartphones. In Q4 2013 iPhones and iPads were responsible for 12.7% of sales transactions, Android powered devices on the other hand brought in only 2.6% of sales transactions. Apple also took first place with overall shopping cart amounts, averaging $115.42 per cart, while Android averaged less with $83.56.
One of the major setbacks of mobile payments, after security concerns, is usability. Small pocket sized touch screens have proven cumbersome to many when it comes to payment details. Mistakes and input errors are a common issue when purchasing through mobile devices. Payment firms have tried utilizing PIN based verification to eliminate the tedious process, but only supporting services can be used.
Apple’s solution covers the bases of all in browser payment solutions requesting payment card details. Similar solutions have been present on desktops with Chrome supporting payment detail storage. However, the support has yet to make the shift to mobile.
With the rumors of Apple’s future payment scheme and the addition of the card scanning feature, we expect to see Apple remain on top, for the time being, with its leading mobile conversion rates.
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