Online retailer Otto Versand is to test the use of NFC product labels which let customers retrieve information such as manuals and explanatory videos as well as reorder parts. Otto Product Wizard Stickers will be tested with buyers of coffee machines in a few weeks, Heise reports. The pilot will continue for “several months”... More
Retail
Pebble Time watches get contactless payment straps
Wearable payments provider FitPay and connected watch maker Connectedevice have developed a smartstrap for the Pebble Time range of smartwatches that lets wearers make NFC payments... More
BBVA reports more than 1m downloads of HCE mobile wallet app
More than one million consumers have downloaded BBVA’s host card emulation (HCE) mobile wallet since it launched in June 2014... More
Gemalto assesses the mobile payments landscape
A 24-page white paper designed to give banks, processors, OEMs, retailers and other issuers a clear overview of the evolving world of mobile payments is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre. More
Noor Bank offers wearable payments in Dubai
UAE’s Noor Bank and Yvolv, a joint venture between Alibaba and Dubai holding company Meraas, have introduced Yvo, a mobile app that allows users to make in-store payments using mobile phones and wristbands... More
Worldpay employees trial finger vein biometrics for payments in stores
Employees of UK-based payment processor Worldpay are taking part in a three week proof-of-concept trial to evaluate the use of finger vein technology (FVT) to authenticate payments at the point-of-sale without the need for a card. More
Fashion retailer TopShop launches range of contactless payment accessories
UK fashion retailer TopShop has launched a range of accessories equipped with Barclaycard’s bPay technology that enable shoppers to make tap and go payments at any contactless terminal... More
SimplyTapp white paper spells out the ABCs of HCE
A white paper that explains how host card emulation (HCE) functions and examines its implications for the future of the payments industry is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre. More
Shopkick installs BLE beacons to reward Vanity customers
Users of mobile marketing app Shopkick can now earn rewards via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons every time they walk into one of fashion retailer Vanity’s 150 US stores. “Shopkick will install two shopBeacon devices in every Vanity store,” Shopkick says... More
Vodafone installs NFC touchpoints in 84 UK stores
Vodafone customers can now tap their phone against NFC touchpoints in 84 UK stores to access the Vodafone Start mobile hub... More
College students make payments with selfies
Students at Southwestern College in Kansas can now pay for their food and drink and earn loyalty points and rewards using their face, with no need to pull out their wallet or mobile device at the point-of-sale. More
Samsung Pay to add P2P payments?
Korean startup Hankook NFC has reportedly applied for a patent for a hardware module that would allow consumers to use Samsung Pay to transfer money between devices and pay with a credit card... More
Australian street to go cashless?
Retailers on a street in Sydney are reportedly banning payments with notes and coins in favour of contactless... More
Sacramento Kings fans get mobile ordering and payments
Fans of US basketball team the Sacramento Kings will soon be able to use NFC mobile payment services and place orders from their device for concession pickup and direct-to-seat delivery at the Sleep Train Arena and Golden 1 Center... More
Kohl’s and Walgreens add loyalty to Apple Pay
US retailers Kohl’s and Walgreens have become the first to integrate their loyalty programs with Apple Pay, allowing Kohl’s Charge Card and Walgreens’ Balance Reward customers to earn and redeem points using their iPhones... More
SwissWallet to go live for online payments
A joint venture between credit card companies Aduno Group and Swisscard and software provider Netcetera is to launch the SwissWallet payments platform in Switzerland... More
‘Contactless’ shortlisted for UK word of the year
‘Contactless’ has made the shortlist for the 2015 Collins Word of the Year but missed out on the top spot to the word ‘Binge-watch’... More
Hiku integrates voice-enabled shopping device with online grocery services
US startup Hiku Labs has signed up retail giant Walmart and online grocery service Peapod for a service that lets shoppers scan or speak items onto a mobile shopping list via a US$49 device that includes a barcode scanner and built-in microphone... More
Suretap adds Points loyalty cards to NFC mobile wallet
Canadian mobile wallet provider Suretap has added a loyalty section powered by the Points loyalty network to its NFC mobile wallet, enabling users to earn and use rewards offered by more than 100 global reward programs via their mobile phone... More
Shenzhen Tong launches NFC transport and payment service in China
ZTE Nubia Z9 and Z9 Max owners across the Chinese city of Shenzhen can now use a service launched by transportation operator Shenzhen Tong to make NFC mobile payments for public transportation and for purchases in retail stores... More