為何移動(dòng)支付短期內(nèi)難成氣候
????本文是“迎《財(cái)富》頭腦風(fēng)暴技術(shù)大會(huì)”(the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference)系列文章的第二篇?!敦?cái)富》雜志(Fortune)的頭腦風(fēng)暴技術(shù)大會(huì)將于7月19日至21日于美國科羅拉多州的阿斯彭(Aspen)召開。屆時(shí)許多科技界最優(yōu)秀的思想者將云集一堂。本系列報(bào)道將著重檢驗(yàn)去年出席該大會(huì)的企業(yè)的進(jìn)步情況,并提醒大家今年的大會(huì)有哪些值得期待之處。 |
????This is the second in a series of articles leading up to the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, which will be held from July 19-21 in Aspen, Colorado. Fortune Brainstorm Tech will round up many of the best and brightest thinkers in technology. Our coverage in this series will examine the progress of companies that presented last year and give an idea of what to expect this year. |
????谷歌(Google)、手機(jī)支付商Square、財(cái)捷(Intuit)等企業(yè)都在開發(fā)移動(dòng)支付平臺(tái)上投入了大量心力,據(jù)傳蘋果(Apple)也已加入了戰(zhàn)團(tuán)。移動(dòng)支付技術(shù)的長期潛力已變得越來越明晰。不過現(xiàn)在仍然很難預(yù)測這個(gè)襁褓中的產(chǎn)業(yè)究竟將如何演化下去。 ????這幾家公司的服務(wù)都是立足將移動(dòng)設(shè)備當(dāng)成一個(gè)信用交易平臺(tái)來使用,只是方法各有不同。谷歌錢包(Google Wallet)功能使安卓系統(tǒng)的智能手機(jī)只需在可兼容的讀卡器前面輕輕一刷,便可完成支付。而Square以及財(cái)捷的GoPayment服務(wù)則需將一個(gè)小型信用卡讀卡器插入手機(jī)的耳機(jī)插孔。尤其Square的移動(dòng)支付服務(wù)更是蒸蒸日上。這家由杰克?多爾西創(chuàng)辦的初創(chuàng)公司只有兩年半的歷史,上周該公司在10億美元估值的基礎(chǔ)上,又募集了1億美元的資金,使它再度成為新聞?lì)^條的主角。 ????移動(dòng)支付發(fā)展到這一步,我們更容易發(fā)現(xiàn)此類服務(wù)的一些更深遠(yuǎn)、更直接的好處。有了Square和GoPayment,任何商家都可以接受數(shù)字化支付,而無需花費(fèi)數(shù)百美元去購置傳統(tǒng)的信用卡交易機(jī)。而且谷歌錢包等服務(wù)也意味著你也許再也不必帶信用卡出門了。另外,長遠(yuǎn)看來,移動(dòng)支付的發(fā)展還可能帶來一些極為誘人的可能。 (1)實(shí)時(shí)反饋 ????一般來說,商家可能最多要等上兩個(gè)星期的時(shí)間,才能獲得反饋,知道老式的紙質(zhì)優(yōu)惠券在顧客中的使用情況如何。有了近場通訊技術(shù)(Near Field Communications),商家可以立即收到來自顧客的智能手機(jī)的反饋,而且這些反饋更加豐富和詳盡。印孚瑟斯公司(Infosys)銀行與資本市場集團(tuán)的負(fù)責(zé)人拉斯?斯卡里表示,商家和營銷人員可以以小時(shí)為單位對(duì)手頭上的優(yōu)惠券消費(fèi)數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行解析,檢驗(yàn)不同時(shí)間段優(yōu)惠券的總體使用率,從而便于商家抽空調(diào)整優(yōu)惠券的折扣率。 (2) 利用GPS功能 ????假如消費(fèi)者可以隨心所欲地更改手機(jī)的隱私設(shè)置,那么智能手機(jī)的GPS將使手機(jī)的地點(diǎn)敏感型功能發(fā)展到一個(gè)新的高度。 ????谷歌商業(yè)部副總裁斯蒂芬尼?蒂樂紐斯于今年早些時(shí)候指出,近場通訊技術(shù)可能使我們的日常生活變得更加輕松。比如說如果你在GAP牌服飾的門店里看上了一條牛仔褲,但是你的尺碼恰好賣光了,那么你只要刷一下你的智能手機(jī),商家就會(huì)將符合你尺寸的牛仔褲寄給你。 ????斯卡里給出了一個(gè)更加具體的例子。當(dāng)一個(gè)購物者步入一家超市時(shí),他的手機(jī)會(huì)收到一條根據(jù)他過去在本超市的購物史而編制的購物清單。就在他一邊沿著貨架間的通道走,一邊尋找諸如速凍匹薩之類的商品時(shí),他的手機(jī)里就會(huì)收到這些商品的優(yōu)惠券。其他超市為了吸引這名消費(fèi)者前去購物,甚至有可能修改他們的優(yōu)惠券,向消費(fèi)者提供更大的折扣。如果用戶輸入社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)賬號(hào),他們還會(huì)獲得更多的信息,比如朋友們最近買過什么,以及他們都推薦了哪些品牌等。 (3)更便捷的銀行體驗(yàn) ????谷歌錢包等移動(dòng)支付服務(wù)可能無法取代商業(yè)銀行的業(yè)務(wù)模式,但卻可以改變顧客與商業(yè)銀行的互動(dòng)方式。 ????現(xiàn)在谷歌錢包淘汰信用卡的勢頭已經(jīng)初現(xiàn)端倪。斯卡里指出,移動(dòng)支付服務(wù)的下一個(gè)合理的發(fā)展方向,應(yīng)該是要能夠支付各種賬單,成為銀行與顧客之間的橋梁,并且提供一個(gè)簡單明了的用戶界面,使銀行與顧客之間能夠進(jìn)行無縫互動(dòng)。 ????聽起來有些不切實(shí)際?或許吧。不過考慮到這些公司都擅長提供輕松的用戶體驗(yàn),因此上述的種種情形還是可能的。斯卡里表示:“谷歌、Square以及理財(cái)網(wǎng)站Mint等公司更加著眼于真實(shí)的零售環(huán)境,他們正在全面入侵30歲以下消費(fèi)群體的各個(gè)重要的細(xì)分市場?!?/p> ????Square的首席運(yùn)營官基思?拉布伊斯也支持這一論斷——至少他對(duì)自己的公司很有信心。拉布伊斯宣稱,Square的市值有95%的勝算會(huì)在未來的某一天超過eBay的貝寶(PayPal),其文化意義也有50%的可能性會(huì)超過貝寶。 ????“我們并非僅局限于電子商務(wù),”他說:“我們使真實(shí)世界的電子支付成為可能,這是一個(gè)更大也更有價(jià)值的市場?!?/p> ????譯者:樸成奎 |
????As companies like Google (GOOG), Square, Intuit (INTU) and, reportedly, Apple (AAPL) place their bets on some form of mobile payments, the technology's long-term potential becomes clear. What's harder to envision is exactly how this nascent industry will evolve. ????Each company's service manages to transform mobile devices into a credit-transaction device, although their approaches vary. Google Wallet lets Android smartphones make payments simply by swiping or tapping them in front of compatible readers. Meanwhile, Square and Intuit's GoPayment services rely on credit-card readers that plug into audio jacks. Square in particular is thriving: Jack Dorsey's two-and-a-half-year-old startup made headlines again this week when it raised $100 million at a $1 billion valuation. ????At this point, it's easier to glean the broader, more immediate benefits of such services. With Square and GoPayment, any merchant can handle digital payments without having to shell out hundreds of dollars for a traditional credit card transaction machine. And services like Google Wallet may mean you never have to carry around plastic again. Beyond that, however, there are longer-term possibilities for mobile payments that are especially tantalizing: 1.) Real-time feedback. ????It can take up to two weeks for merchants to receive feedback as to how well a plain-old paper coupon performed with customers. With Near Field Communications (NFC), feedback from smartphones could be instantaneous, richer and more detailed. Lars Skari, who heads Infosys' banking and capital markets group, said merchants and marketers can parse through available data on coupon purchases hour-by-hour, examining overall coupon adoption rates over time. That information would allow them to adjust coupon discounts on the fly. 2.) Tapping the GPS ????Assuming consumers can opt in and tweak privacy settings to their hearts' desire, the smartphone's GPS could add a new level of location-sensitive features. ????Earlier this year, Stephanie Tilenius, Google's VP of Commerce, suggested that NFC could make every day life easier: If you find some jeans in a Gap (GAP) store but they're out of your size, a scan of your smartphone can make sure a pair will be sent to you. ????Skari offers a more detailed example. When a shopper walks into the supermarket, his smartphone could receive a customized shopping list based on his shopping history there. As he walks down an aisle looking for say, frozen pizza, he'll receive coupons for them. Other supermarkets could try to entice him through their doors by modifying their coupons and offering deeper discounts. If users plug in their social accounts, they get even more information, such as what their friends recently purchased or which brands they recommend. 3.) An easier banking experience ????Services like Google Wallet likely won't upend the business models of commercial banks, but could alter the way customers interact with them. ????Already, Google Wallet promises to make plastic obsolete. Skari suggests the next logical step would be for such services to handle billing payments as well, acting as an intermediary between banks and customers and providing a simple, clean user interface that lets them interact seamlessly. ????Sound far fetched? Maybe, but given that these companies all excel in providing painless user experiences, it's a possibility. "Companies like your Google, Mint, Square and others are coming from more of a true retail environment," says Skari. "They're starting to make inroads into that very important customer segment" of consumers under 30. ????Square COO Keith Rabois supports that assertion -- as least with regards to his company -- claiming that the startup has a 95% chance of one day becoming more valuable than eBay's (EBAY) PayPal and a 50% chance of becoming more culturally relevant. ????"We are not limited to just e-commerce," he said. "We enable real world payments, which is a much bigger market and is more valuable." |