Each week the MEF team curates mobile stories from around the world. Essential news you may have missed, the latest market insight & data nuggets, the Global Mobile News Round-up offers an instant international mobile content and commerce snapshot.
Global News Stories
PayPal Reports Record-Breaking Number Of Black Friday Shoppers And Sales On Mobile
TechCrunch
The move to offer online shoppers earlier access to Black Friday deals – beginning as early as Thanksgiving Day this year – resulted in record-breaking numbers of consumers shopping on mobile, reports PayPal. Based on its online commerce data, the company reports having seen a 47% increase in PayPal global mobile payment volume on Thanksgiving compared with Thanksgiving 2013, and a 62% increase for Black Friday 2014 over last year. Meanwhile, the company also saw a 43% increase in the number of customers shopping through PayPal mobile this Thanksgiving, and a 51% increase across the same metric on Black Friday.
Cyber Monday Mobile Revenue Up 76 Per Cent on 2013
MMM
Mobile shopping revenues in the US were 76 per cent higher on ‘Cyber Monday’ this year than the same day in 2013. This actually outpaced page views – up 51 per cent – as the average order value grew
That’s according to a report from eCommerce firm Skava, based on 250m page views on the sites and apps of its clients, including Gap, Staples and Toys R Us.
Indian central bank rules out retail channels for mobile money
Developing Telecoms
Under new guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s mobile operators will be banned from implementing mobile payments services into their established retail networks. Analysts have noted that these new guidelines could damage the business case for mobile banking. The additional revenue that such services would generate for operators would be offset by being unable to deploy mobile banking via their existing retail outlets. Investing in new distribution channels would likely prove too much of a financial deterrent for most operators. Existing mobile money offerings from market leaders Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India have seen their success limited in comparison to equivalent services in Africa, largely due to regulation.
Here Are The Most Common Apps On People’s Home Screens
Business Insider
We recently wrote about a new app called Homescreen, which lets you share with others what’s on your iPhone’s home screen. Betaworks, the company behind Homescreen and several other popular services like Instapaper and Chartbeat, created a designated page to show off the “top apps” used by Homescreen members.
Read More… (Chart)
Skype Co-Founder Backs Wire, A New Communications App Launching Today On iOS, Android And Mac
TechCrunch
Skype co-founder Janus Friis is backing a new communications app called Wire, out now for iOS, Android and Mac OS X. The app itself is the reimagining of how a communications tool like Skype should operate had it been built today. Much of that, in Wire’s case, means under-the-hood improvements that users don’t necessarily see, such as advancements in media processing, audio technology, file compression and delivery, and more.
Wire pairs this more solid infrastructure with an uncluttered, simple design that will likely be the initial attraction for mainstream users.
Half of UK Ad Spend will be Digital in 2015
Mobile Marketing
In 2015, the UK will become the first country where over half of all ad spending goes towards digital media, new research has predicted.
The figures come from a study by global media investment management operation GroupM, which estimated that next year would see digital ad spend increase 12.7 per cent to £8.06bn, or 51 per cent of total UK ad spending for the year.
Here’s How Mobile Payments Will Change, According To The Company That Powers A Lot Of Them
Business Insider
Braintree, the company eBay bought for $800 million last year, is one of the leaders in the mobile payment and commerce space. It’s the creator of the popular mobile payment app Venmo, and its payment technology powers popular apps like Uber, Airbnb, and OpenTable. Earlier this week, Braintree had an office opening party in downtown San Francisco. We had a chance to catch up with its general manager of mobile Aunkur Arya, and hear his thoughts on where mobile commerce is headed and what trends we need to keep an eye on in the mobile payments industry.
Miami International Airport Unveils Beacon Navigation App
MMM
Miami International Airport has launched an official app aimed at improving travellers’ experience and enabling them to easily navigate the airport using Bluetooth beacon technology.
The MIA Airport Official app provides users with real-time flight tracking data, information on the airport’s 51 passenger airlines and guides to airport parking, ground transportation and dining and shopping facilities.
Games could become the largest ad platform for brands, EA exec says
Venture Beat
Mobile games are sucking a lot of advertising money out of other media, according to a panel of advertising experts at major game publishers. This is happening so much that Dave Madden, senior vice president of global media solutions at Electronic Arts’ mobile games division, believes that mobile gaming will be the “single largest advertising platform in the world.”
Madden is a natural optimist about mobile games and the growing amount of brand advertising in them, based on the discussion at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) this week in San Francisco. He likened advertising in games today to the advertising on ESPN when it was a fledgling cable television channel.
MTN now lets people send money between Ivory Coast and Benin
Memeburn
The MTN Group has revealed the launch of a mobile money cross-border payment service between Ivory Coast and Benin, positioning itself in the middle of the mobile money industry that has grown massively in Africa. The service, it says, has been introduced to enable the cheaper and easier movement of money in the West African region, potentially cutting miles that people have to walk to banks.
This service is not the first of its kind that MTN has initiated between two countries. Back in April, the mobile giant introduced a similar service between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. The success of that cross-border mobile money service is behind the company’s decision to initiated the service between Ivory Coast and Benin.
Global News Round-up – These articles are not written by MEF and do not represent any views of individuals, members or the organisation.
