mPOS Tracker: August 2014 Report Asks If SMBs Will Turn Back to Banks for mPOS

The August 2014 PYMNTS.com mPOS Tracker™ highlights the news that broke about Amazon becoming the 123rd player to enter the very crowded mPOS space. But while this giant player could become a powerful new entrant, SMBs are starting to show a change of heart towards the banks for things like mPOS services. Is this the start of a trend or a sign that SMBs have too many choices and just want a trusted resource to help them choose?

BOSTON--()--PYMNTS.com has released the August 2014 issue of the mPOS Tracker, a PYMNTS Special Report sponsored by ROAM. In the report, PYMNTS ranks the players it tracks, scoring them based on numbers and types of devices used, geographies where solutions are implemented, the number of payment types accepted, and more.

This month’s report begins by exploring the news that broke around Amazon and how it will sell its own branded dongle at Staples. This makes Amazon the 123rd player to enter the mPOS space. The new entrance will present a huge opportunity for mPOS merchants at Amazon – consumers won’t need a card to interact with them.

The report also prompts us to ask the question: Will SMBs forgive banks and turn back to banks for financial services, including mPOS? SMBs were basically ignored by banks during the financial crisis, but that has started to change, says MPD CEO Karen Webster. We still don’t know how SMBs will react to the sales pitches of bankers who previously weren’t there to back them.

According to ROAM’s VP of Marketing Scott Holt, some of the lies about mPOS solutions indicate that they are not secure and don’t offer key functionalities that consumers want and need. mPOS solutions will also likely see a boost as we approach the September back-to-school rush, as well as the holiday season. mPOS enables portable and pop-up commerce, especially during these key times of the year.

Those who scored the highest this month were those whose platforms enable a variety of capabilities and functionalities – they have the greatest ability to support many retailers and fully monetize the mPOS ecosystem. Those players are: PayPal Here, Kalixa pro, GoPago, Ayden Shuttle, Vexilor from Givex, Payleven, and ROAM. Five new players joined the mPOS pyramid this month: ARBA, Snappay, SureSwipe, Wirecard, and Xüdle. We also provided updates to nine players: iZettle, Miura, Payleven, Powa POS, Revel, ShopKeep, Square, Sr. Pago and Swish.

Key takeaways for August 2014 include:

1) Differentiation is key in a crowded market. New entrants, Amazon or anyone else, has to isolate the reasons why SMBs would want to choose them over a more established player with known features and functions.

2) So is distribution … Being where SMBs (or wannabe SMBs) is key to keeping costs in check and getting distribution. Retail outlets are key for getting mPOS dongles in the hands of SMBs. That’s what also makes banks so appealing, to banks. They need to earn the trust of the SMBs for it to be a winner.

3) mPOS enables both portable and popup commerce … Whether it’s in store to enable a better customer service experience or as a temporary retail opportunity for merchants of any kind, mPOS takes the hassle of experimenting with new retail revenue streams

The MPOS Tracker™, produced by PYMNTs.com and sponsored by ROAM, organizes the ecosystem into two broad categories: those merchant-facing organizations who supply devices to merchants directly and those who “power” those players and supply them with the mPOS hardware, software, tools and services. Updates related to the player profiles and capabilities are welcome and should be directed to: mobilepos@pymnts.com.

Download the full August 2014 report here.

About PYMNTS.com
PYMNTS.com is reinventing the way in which companies in payments share relevant information about the initiatives that shape the future of payments and commerce and make news.

This powerful B2B platform is the #1 site for the payments and broader commerce ecosystem by traffic and the premier source of information about “what’s next” in payments. C-suite and VP level executives turn to it daily for these insights, making the PYMNTS.com audience the most valuable in the industry. It provides an interactive platform for companies to demonstrate thought leadership, popularize products and, most importantly, capture the mindshare of global decision-makers. PYMNTS.com …. where the best minds and best content meet on the web to learn “What’s Next” in Payments and Commerce.

About ROAM
ROAM™, an Ingenico company, helps merchants get to market quickly with secure, cost effective and powerful mobile point of sale solutions, regardless of the technology environment. ROAM’s “powered by” mCommerce platform provides the hardware peripherals, applications, tools and services enabling companies worldwide to realize the benefits of using mobile to reinvent their interactions with their customers and to create new business efficiencies. Founded in 2005, ROAM is a pioneer in the mobile POS space, having produced and distributed the industry’s first secure mobile card reader and today powers mobile point of sale solutions for many of the leading companies in this market, globally. For more information, visit www.roamdata.com.

Contacts

Media Contact
For PYMNTS.com
Jacqueline Murphy, 312-470-6520
jmurphy@marketplatforms.com

Contacts

Media Contact
For PYMNTS.com
Jacqueline Murphy, 312-470-6520
jmurphy@marketplatforms.com