Android and iOS Payment Solutions in the Mobile Space

For business owners and customers alike, mobility is becoming very important. If your business does not have a web presence, or a way for people to interact with your company via their mobile devices, there is a good chance that you are missing out on business.

People want to be able to do things right at the moment, and their mobile phones allow them to do this. They can make purchases, or connect with companies, with just a touch of a button right in the palm of their hands. This is why it is so important for every business to focus on mobile payment solutions.

Google Wallet
photo credit: Dowloadsource.fr / Flickr

What mobile payment options do you have?

For most people, there are two main options when it comes to a mobile device – Android or Apple. The same can be said for mobile payment solutions, as each operating system offers its own options.

ApplePay

On the Apple iOS system, there is ApplePay. ApplePay is a new program developed by Apple that allows people to make purchases with their mobile devices. It essentially holds your credit and debit card information, allowing you to simply swipe your device near the register to complete the purchase. It is a safe and secure payment method that allows people to make purchases quickly without having their wallet nearby.

ApplePay has been expanding since its release a few years ago, and now it can be found in major chain stores such as Home Depot. More and more stores are adding it all the time, making it easier than ever for Apple customers to make purchases while on the go.

Softcard

If you have an Android device, you cannot use ApplePay. Instead, you will most likely want to use Softcard. Softcard is a mobile payment service that was developed in conjunction by three of the largest mobile companies in the US. It worked so well that Google abandoned their own mobile payment system – GoogleWallet – and purchased the rights to Softcard so that they could merge it with GoogleWallet.

GoogleWallet stores all of your credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards and gift cards in one convenient place. Then you can use the NFC technology of your device to make payments while on the go.

Samsung Pay

Another strong alternative comes from Samsung. The company announced that they will launch their own mobile payment service, called Samsung Pay, most likely in September 2015.

The mobile payment service will be launched as a feature in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones, and will be available in the U.S. and South Korea.

The bottom line…

As a business owner, you will want to make sure that your customers are able to make a purchase in the form that they prefer. As a customer, you want making a purchase to be as easy as possible. Mobile payment solutions are the answer for both groups.

While not every store has these mobile payment solutions yet, the trend certainly seems to be heading that way. Before long you are going to want to make sure that your company offers this service so that you don’t miss out on any potential sales.