NRF-MRI-Blueprint v1.0.0 Full Version

Mobile Retailing Blueprint

A Comprehensive Guide for Navigating the Mobile
Landscape
Version 1.0.0
2010/05/21
A Joint White Paper sponsored by the
National Retail Federation
Verbatim reproduction and distribution of this document is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
This blueprint is the culmination of research by retailers, vendors, and standards organizations,
working together for the benefit of the retail industry. It would not have been possible without
the assistance of the following people:
Chairs
Richard Mader, Chairperson ARTS
Jonatan Evald Buus, Vice Chair Cellpoint Mobile
David Dorf, Vice Chair Oracle Retail
Cathy Medich, Vice Chair Smart Card Alliance
Administration
Richard Halter ARTS
Bart McGlothin Cisco Systems Inc
Contributors
Andrew Paradise Aisle Buyer
Jay Heavilon ARS eCommerce
James Schildknecht CellPoint Mobile
Kristian Gjerding CellPoint Mobile
Nuria Gema Fernandez Fernandez El Corte Ingles
Juan Jose Monge Fernandez El Corte Ingles
Francisca Vicente-Tamarin El Corte Ingles
Miguel Ligero El Corte Ingles
Paul Gay Epson
Mike Julson Escalate Retail
Brian Walker Forrester
Wendy Neuberger IBM
Sophie Vu Kony Solutions
Dana Warsona Motorola
George Throckmorton NACHA
Debbie Arnold NFC Forum
Dennis Stokely Safeway
Tim Hood SAP
Arish Ali Skava
Renee Schaffer Sonic Corp
Mickey Haynes The Home Depot
Rine le Comte To Increase
Dennis Blankenship Verizon Business
David Tran Verizon Business
Asif Batada Verizon Business
Mohammad Khan ViVOtech
Tom Zalewski ViVOtech
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page ii

All rights reserved. Verbatim reproduction and distribution of this document is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
Mary Scoggan Yum! Brands

Eric Dewey Yum! Brands
Thomas Powell Yum! Brands
Participants
Ed Johnson BJ Warehouse
John O’Dell Darden
Will Anguish Darden
Tom Reichert Family Dollar
Al Garton GS1
Rich Richardson GS1
Ed Gawronski Kohls
Nada Aried Limited Brands
Steve Miles Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Krystal Kolodziejak sasktellabs
Bill Klearman Sonic Corp.
Gaurav Pant TCS
George Shaughnessy Yum! Brands
Rajat Agarwal Wincor-Nixdorf
Pete Kinkead West Marine
Copyright © National Retail Federation 2010. All rights reserved.
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works
that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied,
published, and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the
above copyright notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative works.
However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the
copyright notice or references to the NRF, ARTS, or its committees, except as needed for the
purpose of developing ARTS standards using procedures approved by the NRF, or as required to
translate the document into languages other than English.
The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be revoked by the National
Retail Federation or its successors or assigns.
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page iii

This blueprint was developed with assistance from the following organizations:
The Association for Retail Technology Standards

(ARTS) of the National Retail Federation is a retailer-
driven membership organization dedicated to creating
an open environment in which both retailers and
technology vendors work together to create
international retail technology standards.
GS1 is a leading global organization dedicated to the

design and implementation of global standards and
solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of
supply and demand chains globally and across
sectors.
NACHA supports the growth of the ACH Network by

managing its development, administration, and
governance. NACHA brings together payments system
stakeholder organizations to encourage the efficient
utilization of the ACH Network and develop new ways
to use the Network to benefit its diverse set of
participants.
NRF's mission is to advance and protect the interests

of the retail industry and to help retailers achieve
excellence in all areas of their business. As the world's
largest retail trade association and the voice of retail
worldwide, the NRF’s global membership includes
retailers of all sizes, formats, and channels of
distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry
partners from the United States and more than 45
other countries.
The NFC Forum was formed to advance the use of

Near Field Communication technology by developing
specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices
and services, and educating the market about NFC
technology.
The Retail Advertising Marketing Association (RAMA),

a division of the National Retail Federation, provides
unique networking opportunities, industry research,
and educational programming for retail advertising and
marketing professionals. NRF members are able to
take advantage of the added value of participating in
RAMA as a benefit of membership with NRF.
The Retail Solutions Providers Association is the only

association dedicated to the retail technology industry.
Members include resellers, distributors, hardware
manufacturers, software developers, consultants, and
service providers who bring retail technology solutions
to the marketplace.
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page iv

Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation,

is a member-driven trade association whose exclusive
focus is to provide a forum for retail executives to share
information, lessons learned, new perspectives,
insights, and intelligence about on-line and
multichannel retailing.
The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-

industry association working to stimulate the
understanding, adoption, use, and widespread
application of smart card technology.
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page v

CONTENTS
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 CONSUMER OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT ................................................................................... 3
1.3 HOW THIS DOCUMENT CAN HELP.................................................................................................................... 3
2. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 WHAT IS MOBILE RETAILING? ......................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 MOBILE DEVICES DEFINED .............................................................................................................................. 6
2.3 MOBILE APPLICATION TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................... 8
2.3.1 Browser-Based Applications.................................................................................................................. 8
2.3.2 Message-Based Applications ................................................................................................................. 9
2.3.3 Downloaded and Native Applications ................................................................................................. 10
2.3.4 Thin-Client Architecture ...................................................................................................................... 10
2.4 MOBILE RETAIL AND SOCIAL MEDIA ............................................................................................................. 11
2.5 MOBILE RETAIL APPLICATION CATEGORIES .................................................................................................. 12
2.5.1 Mobile Marketing Applications ........................................................................................................... 13
2.5.2 Mobile Commerce Applications........................................................................................................... 13
2.5.3 Mobile Operations Applications .......................................................................................................... 13
2.5.4 Mobile Application Providers .............................................................................................................. 13
2.5.5 Day-in-the-Life Examples .................................................................................................................... 14
2.5.6 Mobile Market Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 15
2.5.7 Mobile Retailing Ecosystem................................................................................................................. 20
3. MOBILE MARKETING ................................................................................................................................. 22
3.1 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING..................................................................................................................... 22
3.1.1 Brand Marketing .................................................................................................................................. 22
3.1.2 Digital Signage .................................................................................................................................... 22
3.1.3 Augmented Reality ............................................................................................................................... 23
3.1.4 Example Applications .......................................................................................................................... 23
3.1.5 Technology and Standards Employed .................................................................................................. 24
3.1.6 Benefits and ROI .................................................................................................................................. 25
3.1.7 Implementation Considerations ........................................................................................................... 25
3.2 CUSTOMER SERVICE ...................................................................................................................................... 26
3.2.1 Store Locations/Hours ......................................................................................................................... 27
3.2.2 Example Applications .......................................................................................................................... 28
3.2.3 Wish Lists, Shopping Lists, Gift Registries .......................................................................................... 30
3.3 SHOPPING TOOLS ........................................................................................................................................... 35
3.3.1 Case Studies ......................................................................................................................................... 36
3.3.3 Benefits and ROI .................................................................................................................................. 37
3.4 PRODUCT INFORMATION ................................................................................................................................ 38
3.4.1 Transaction Process ............................................................................................................................ 39
3.4.2 Product Information from Friends....................................................................................................... 41
3.4.4 Product Comparisons .......................................................................................................................... 42
3.4.6 Case Studies ......................................................................................................................................... 43
3.4.8 Benefits and ROI .................................................................................................................................. 44
3.5 LOYALTY PROGRAMS .................................................................................................................................... 45
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page vi
3.5.2 Case Studies ......................................................................................................................................... 49

3.5.4 Benefits and ROI .................................................................................................................................. 51
3.6 PROMOTIONS AND COUPONS .......................................................................................................................... 53
3.6.1 Approaches to Mobile Offers ............................................................................................................... 54
3.6.2 Case Studies ......................................................................................................................................... 55
3.6.4 Benefits and ROI .................................................................................................................................. 56
4. MOBILE COMMERCE.................................................................................................................................. 59
4.1 MOBILE BROWSER-BASED M-COMMERCE ...................................................................................................... 59
4.2 M-COMMERCE APPLICATIONS ........................................................................................................................ 61
4.2.1 Advantages........................................................................................................................................... 61
4.2.2 Disadvantages...................................................................................................................................... 62
4.2.3 Future Considerations ......................................................................................................................... 64
4.3 CASE STUDIES ................................................................................................................................................ 64
4.3.1 Mobile Ticketing .................................................................................................................................. 64
4.3.2 Other m-commerce Applications ......................................................................................................... 66
4.3.4 Benefits and ROI .................................................................................................................................. 72
4.4 IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................................................. 72
4.5 OTHER KEY CONSIDERATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 74
4.5.1 Easy Payment Solutions ....................................................................................................................... 74
4.5.2 Integrated Order Management and Customer Care ............................................................................ 75
4.6 THE VIRTUAL STORE ..................................................................................................................................... 75
4.7 PARENTAL APPROVAL.................................................................................................................................... 76
5. MOBILE PAYMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 77
5.1 MOBILE REMOTE PAYMENT ........................................................................................................................... 79
5.1.1 How Mobile Remote Payment Works .................................................................................................. 80
5.1.2 Use Case .............................................................................................................................................. 83
5.1.3 Mobile Remote Payment Pilots and Commercial Initiatives ............................................................... 85
5.1.4 Implementation Strategies ................................................................................................................... 87
5.2 MOBILE CONTACTLESS PAYMENT ................................................................................................................. 91
5.2.1 Payment Options and Enhancements................................................................................................... 92
5.2.2 Retailer Advantages ............................................................................................................................. 95
5.2.3 Mobile Payments Ecosystem ................................................................................................................ 95
5.2.4 Use Cases for Mobile Contactless Payment ........................................................................................ 97
5.2.5 Mobile Contactless Payments Pilots and Commercial Initiatives ....................................................... 98
5.2.6 Implementation Strategies ................................................................................................................. 102
5.2.7 Phased Approach for Implementing Mobile Contactless Payments .................................................. 105
5.2.8 Roadblocks to Mobile Contactless Payment ...................................................................................... 105
5.3 ACH PAYMENT ENABLED BY MOBILE DEVICES .......................................................................................... 108
5.3.1 Use Case for ACH Mobile Payment Enrollment—POS ..................................................................... 108
5.4 OTHER MOBILE PAYMENT PILOTS AND COMMERCIAL INITIATIVES ............................................................. 109
5.5 MOBILE PAYMENTS ROI .............................................................................................................................. 110
5.5.1 ROI Considerations ........................................................................................................................... 111
5.5.2 Benefits of Mobile Payment ............................................................................................................... 111
5.5.3 ROI Model ......................................................................................................................................... 113
6. MOBILE OPERATIONS .............................................................................................................................. 126
6.1 MOBILE POINT OF SALE ............................................................................................................................... 126
6.1.1 Mobile POS Examples ....................................................................................................................... 128
6.1.2 Technology and Standards Employed ................................................................................................ 130
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page vii
6.1.3 Benefits and ROI ................................................................................................................................ 130

6.1.4 Implementation Considerations ......................................................................................................... 131
6.2 WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT........................................................................................................................ 131
6.2.1 Workforce Management Examples .................................................................................................... 132
6.2.3 Benefits and ROI ................................................................................................................................ 134
6.3 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION........................................................................................................................ 135
6.3.1 Internal Communication Examples.................................................................................................... 135
6.3.3 Benefits and ROI ................................................................................................................................ 136
6.4 MOBILE APPROVALS .................................................................................................................................... 137
6.4.2 Benefits and ROI ................................................................................................................................ 138
7. INTEGRATED IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY ................................................................................. 141
7.1 DEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................................ 142
7.1.1 Browser-Based Applications.............................................................................................................. 142
7.1.2 Downloaded Applications .................................................................................................................. 144
7.1.3 Mobile Payment ................................................................................................................................. 146
7.1.4 Other Application Types .................................................................................................................... 147
7.2 APPROACH TO MOBILIZATION/PATH TO MOBILE ......................................................................................... 147
7.2.1 Mobile Governance ........................................................................................................................... 148
7.2.2 Achieving Control of the Mobile Channel ......................................................................................... 149
7.2.3 Privacy, Authentication, and Security................................................................................................ 150
8. MOBILE STANDARDS ................................................................................................................................ 153
8.1 TECHNOLOGY DETAILS ................................................................................................................................ 155
8.1.1 Wi-Fi and ZigBee ............................................................................................................................... 156
8.1.2 Near Field Communication ............................................................................................................... 157
8.2 CONTACTLESS SMART CARD STANDARDS ................................................................................................... 157
8.3 ASSOCIATION OF RETAIL TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS .................................................................................. 158
8.3.1 Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Blueprint................................................................................. 158
8.3.2 Cloud Computing Blueprint ............................................................................................................... 159
8.3.3 ARTS Data Model .............................................................................................................................. 159
8.3.4 ARTS UnifiedPOS .............................................................................................................................. 160
8.3.5 ARTS XML ......................................................................................................................................... 160
8.4 GS1.............................................................................................................................................................. 161
9. TERMS AND ACRONYMS ......................................................................................................................... 162
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page viii

Figures
FIGURE 1: AVAILABLE RETAIL CHANNELS ..................................................................................................................... 2
FIGURE 2: MOBILE RETAILING CLASSIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................... 3
FIGURE 3: THE RETAIL STORE OF THE FUTURE .............................................................................................................. 6
FIGURE 4: U.S. DEVICE TYPE AND OPERATING SYSTEM MIXES ..................................................................................... 7
FIGURE 5: TWO AMERICAN AIRLINES WEB SITES: NON-MOBILE (LEFT) AND OPTIMIZED FOR MOBILE (RIGHT) ........... 9
FIGURE 6: THIN CLIENT ARCHITECTURE ...................................................................................................................... 11
FIGURE 7: WORLDWIDE SMARTPHONE MARKET SHARE .............................................................................................. 16
FIGURE 8: MARKET SHARES OF SMARTPHONE OPERATING SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE AND IN NORTH AMERICA ............. 17
FIGURE 9: RETAILER INTEREST IN DIFFERENT M-COMMERCE CAPABILITIES ................................................................ 18
FIGURE 10: GARTNER APRIL 2009 PROJECTIONS OF MOBILE PAYMENT TECHNOLOGIES ............................................. 20
FIGURE 11: MOBILE RETAILING ECOSYSTEM ............................................................................................................... 21
FIGURE 12: 2-D BAR CODE ON A BILLBOARD .............................................................................................................. 23
FIGURE 14: PROCESS FLOW FOR A DEVICE WITH GEOLOCATION OR GPS CAPABILITIES .............................................. 28
FIGURE 15: WISH LISTS, SHOPPING LISTS, GIFT REGISTRIES ....................................................................................... 31
FIGURE 16: LIST CREATION TRANSACTION PROCESS ................................................................................................... 31
FIGURE 17: LIST CONSUMPTION TRANSACTION PROCESS ............................................................................................ 32
FIGURE 19: REVIEW PRODUCT INFORMATION AT E-COMMERCE SITE TRANSACTION PROCESS .................................... 39
FIGURE 20: REVIEW PRODUCT INFORMATION WITH RETAILER’S APPLICATION TRANSACTION PROCESS..................... 40
FIGURE 21: RETRIEVE ITEM INFORMATION FROM A PICTURE TRANSACTION PROCESS ................................................ 40
FIGURE 22: READ FRIEND'S RATINGS TRANSACTION PROCESS .................................................................................... 41
FIGURE 23: POST TO MY FRIEND'S SITE TRANSACTION PROCESS ................................................................................. 42
FIGURE 24: PRODUCT COMPARISON TRANSACTION PROCESS ...................................................................................... 42
FIGURE 25: EXAMPLE LOYALTY PROGRAM PROCESS FLOW ........................................................................................ 47
FIGURE 26: MOTOROLA MOBILE LOYALTY SYSTEM ................................................................................................... 48
FIGURE 27: NFC CHIP OPTIONS ................................................................................................................................... 54
FIGURE 28: BEST-PRACTICE MOBILE WEB HIGH-LEVEL ARCHITECTURE .................................................................... 60
FIGURE 29: TYPICAL MOBILE WEB HIGH-LEVEL ARCHITECTURE................................................................................ 61
FIGURE 30: MOBILE APPLICATIONS HIGH-LEVEL ARCHITECTURE ............................................................................... 64
FIGURE 31: PURCHASING A DSB TICKET BY USING AN IPHONE APPLICATION ............................................................ 65
FIGURE 32: SIMPLIFIED ARCHITECTURE FOR DSB TICKETING APPLICATION ............................................................... 66
FIGURE 33: MOBILE REMOTE AND MOBILE CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS ........................................................................ 77
FIGURE 34: CURRENT MOBILE PAYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ........................................................................................... 78
FIGURE 35: MOBILE REMOTE PAYMENT STORED VALUE PAYMENT FLOW .................................................................. 80
FIGURE 36: SMS TRANSACTION PROCESS .................................................................................................................... 84
FIGURE 37: INTEGRATION OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS USING DIFFERENT SUBCHANNELS WITH THE RETAILER'S BACK
OFFICE ..................................................................................................................................................... 88
FIGURE 38: MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HANDLES ESB OPERATIONS .................................................................. 89
FIGURE 39: MOBILE INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGING MNO CONNECTIVITY .................................................................. 90
FIGURE 40: MOBILE PHONE WITH WALLET SOFTWARE ............................................................................................... 92
FIGURE 41: EXAMPLE OF NFC-ENABLED MOBILE PHONE PROVISIONED WITH WALLET AND SECURE ELEMENT ........ 94
FIGURE 42: NFC PHONE WALLET USED IN BART/JACK IN THE BOX PILOT PROGRAM ............................................... 95
FIGURE 43: MOBILE CONTACTLESS TRANSACTIONS: PROVISIONING AND PURCHASE .................................................. 96
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page ix

FIGURE 44: NFC COMPATIBLE CONTACTLESS STICKER ............................................................................................. 106

FIGURE 45: USING AN NFC MICROSD CARD ............................................................................................................. 107
FIGURE 46: ACH MOBILE PAYMENT ENROLLMENT PROCESS .................................................................................... 109
FIGURE 47: ROI MODEL SECTIONS............................................................................................................................ 113
FIGURE 48: BENEFIT FACTORS ................................................................................................................................... 114
FIGURE 49: RETAILER’S ANNUAL POS REVENUE ...................................................................................................... 116
FIGURE 50: RETAILER’S PAYMENT PROCESSING COSTS ............................................................................................ 118
FIGURE 51: RETAILER’S ANNUAL TRANSACTION PROCESSING COSTS ...................................................................... 119
FIGURE 52: RETAILER’S TOTAL BENEFITS ................................................................................................................. 120
FIGURE 53: FIVE BENEFIT FACTORS SECTIONS IN THE ROI MODEL .......................................................................... 122
FIGURE 54: COST FACTORS SECTION OF THE ROI MODEL......................................................................................... 125
FIGURE 58: WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT MODEL ...................................................................................................... 132
FIGURE 60: SIMPLIFIED MOBILE APPROVAL FLOW .................................................................................................... 139
FIGURE 61: IPHONE AND SONY ERICSSON K790I DISPLAY AREAS ............................................................................ 144
FIGURE 62. OVERVIEW OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS BUILT ON A CENTRALIZED MOBILE PLATFORM.......................... 150
FIGURE 63: CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE WITH ASSOCIATED STANDARDS ....................... 153
FIGURE 66: WI-FI AND ZIGBEE ACCESS POINTS......................................................................................................... 156
FIGURE 68: ARTS STANDARDS .................................................................................................................................. 158
FIGURE 69: SOA PLATFORM AND SERVICES ON A CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE............................................................. 159
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page x

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Mobile phones have come a long way since their introduction over 30 years ago. Phones
are smaller, weigh less, and do more, carrying data as well as voice. Phones not only
make telephone calls, they send e-mail and text messages, take and send photographs,
play games, and access and browse the Internet. And mobile phones are everywhere. By
the end of 2009, mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide numbered approximately 4.6
billion. 1 Neither age, nationality, nor economic status represents a barrier to owning and
using a mobile phone. The first phones may have been novelties, but mobile phones now
are a necessity, especially for the under-35 demographic.
Mobile phones are changing the way retailers conduct business. Because they are always
with us—and always on—they connect retailers to current and potential customers
regardless of location or time of day. In 2015, shoppers around the world are expected to
use their mobile phones to purchase goods and services worth close to $120 billion. That
amount represents about 8 percent of the total e-commerce market. 2 In addition, payment
for goods or services and money transfers initiated from a mobile phone will reach almost
$630 billion by 2014, up from $170 billion this year. 3 There is no doubt that mobile
technology for retail is a hot topic worldwide.
1.1 Consumer Opportunities

Retailers have a unique opportunity right now to define how they want to interact with
the mobile consumer. Mobile is not only considered the fourth retail channel (Figure 1),
it tends to be an enabler for the other three channels as well. Consumers are already using
phones and other mobile devices to not only pay for purchases, but also to interact with
retailers in a variety of other ways. Mobile retail represents both a new way to shop and
a new payment paradigm.
Consumers with a mobile phone can locate the nearest Starbuck’s, browse the available
coffees, build a drink to be picked up on arrival, and pay using a Starbuck’s card on the
phone. Whole Foods Markets customers puzzled by the use of an ingredient can use their
phones to find and display recipes using that ingredient and even restrict their choices to
cater to special food allergies or requirements, such as gluten or lactose intolerance.
Shoppers headed for Target can search a friend’s gift registry for the perfect gift, locate
the nearest store that has that specific item in stock (right down to the department and
aisle location of the item within that store), and check the gift off the registry list—all on
a mobile phone. Phones can store and display loyalty, reward, and club membership
cards (which most retailers scan directly from the screen) and match a health condition
with the correct over-the-counter medication.
1
Richard Heeks, "ICT4D 2.0: The Next Phase of Applying ICT for International Development," IEEE
Computer 41 (6): 26–33. doi:10.1109/MC.2008.192
2
http://www.abiresearch.com/press/1605-Shopping+by+Mobile+Will+Grow+to+%24119+Billion+in+2015
3
Juniper Research, "Mobile Payments Markets: Strategies & Forecasts 2010-2014.”
Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 1
All rights reserved. Verbatim reproduction and distribution of this document is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is
preserved.
Brick and mortar

Store Store within a store
Cross Channel
Franchise
Catalog
Mail order
Call center
e-commerce
Web Affiliates
Social commerce
Native applications
Mobile Mobile Web sites
NFC hardware
Figure 1: Available Retail Channels

Using phones or other mobile devices for payment is advantageous for both consumers
and retailers. Payment by phone can be combined with additional services to increase
sales, speed up transaction times, and strengthen customer loyalties. Sales can close
more quickly when shoppers looking at a product can access product information and
reviews (for example, using their phones to read a bar code) and then pay for the product
on the spot. Consumers using mobile phones as a payment method enjoy the convenience
and security of not having to carry cash or a card. In Denmark, consumers can reserve
seats on a train, purchase their tickets, and use those tickets to board the train while
carrying nothing but their phones. When consumers pay by phone, payment information
that adheres to ARTS standards can be integrated into the retailer’s back-office systems,
coordinating all-important inventory, customer relationship, enterprise resource planning,
and financial data.
The mobile phone market has moved from pure calling devices to so-called smartphones
(capable of processing data as well as voice), providing consumers with more computing
power in their purses and pockets than ever before. And just on the horizon are devices
enabled for Near Field Communication (NFC), which are capable of short-range wireless
interaction. Such phones allow retailers to implement mobile contactless payment and
take advantage of attendant opportunities for new payment options. In the Asia
Pacific/Japan region, mobile contactless payments are accepted in most taxis and trains
and some stores. San Francisco Bay Area residents with NFC-enabled phones
participating in a recent pilot program paid for a ride on the rapid transit system or a meal
at Jack in the Box® using their phones—no purse or wallet required. Phones can be
equipped with a mobile wallet, allowing consumers to carry payment and loyalty cards
electronically. Consumers benefit—their cards are not only secure, they are easily
cancelled and replaced if lost: one call does it all. Retailers benefit—mobile wallets can
help solve the critical problem of wallet share and represent opportunities for new
incentives for customers to purchase, new ways for customers to purchase, and new ways
for customers to pay.
preserved.
To achieve universal consumer acceptance, mobile processing must be standardized

around the world. What works in the United States must also work in Asia, the Pacific
Rim, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. There is only one way to ensure that
processing is the same everywhere, and that is by creating and adopting global standards.
Fortunately, numerous organizations are already working to develop and promote these
necessary standards. One product of this effort is this document.
1.2 Opportunities Within the Retail Establishment

The emergence of the mobile channel will affect the entire retail organization—
distribution, operations, merchandising, marketing, human resources, and customer
service. The mobile retailing landscape includes opportunities for associates as well as
consumers (Figure 2).
Mobile Retailing
Consumer Employee
Mobile Mobile Mobile

Marketing Commerce Operations
Figure 2: Mobile Retailing Classifications

For example, making the point-of-sale mobile allows customers to avoid lines and retain
receipts electronically, while retailers save on labor and materials costs, and sales
associates can locate and assist customers anywhere in the store. Sales associates can
also use mobile devices to clock in and out and request time away from the floor.
Integration with workforce management capabilities, including appropriate labor
forecasting, labor scheduling, and labor management and budgeting systems can optimize
both daily internal operations and corporate-driven tasks at a store.
The retail supply chain will also benefit from the use of mobile technology, particularly
when the manufacturers of specialized mobile devices incorporate new features into
mobile phones such as better bar codes and RFID readers. Both data and voice can then
be transmitted effectively to receive and pick merchandise and track merchandise
movement from warehouses to stores and within stores.
1.3 How This Document Can Help

The Mobile Retailing Blueprint is the first phase of the NRF Mobile Retail Initiative.
The mission of the Mobile Retail Initiative is to be a catalyst for mobile-inspired
innovation that enhances the retail shopping experience and improves internal business
processes. This retailer-led initiative will guide and direct the industry in the

preserved.
dissemination of mobile-related best practices and the development of standards and

documentation for the purpose of maximizing benefits and minimizing implementation
expense, ongoing costs, and fees.
The first phase of this effort involves retailers, vendors, analysts, and standards
organizations. This blueprint captures the experience of retailers and vendors who have
experimented with mobile applications, leverages their experience, and tailors it to retail.
The blueprint was created by members of GS1, NACHA, the NFC Forum, the NRF and
its ARTS, Shop.org, and RAMA divisions; RSPA, and the Smart Card Alliance to help
retailers understand the current mobile retailing landscape, recognize what types of
applications are on the horizon, and determine how best to embrace this trend.
Retailers should use this blueprint as a reference to understand what is possible using
mobile phones. The blueprint can help readers answer the following questions:
• How can mobile retailing improve my business?
• What capabilities do mobile phones currently offer?
• What types of mobile applications help consumers shop?
• What are the choices for mobile payment?
• What types of mobile applications help associates be more efficient?
• What technologies and standards apply in the mobile field?
• What implementation options should be considered?
The reader will hopefully walk away with a better understanding of how mobile phones
can and do affect retailing and more ideas about how this trend can help the reader’s
particular business.
Section 2, “Introduction,” introduces the topic of mobile retailing in more depth. Section
3, “Mobile Marketing,” and Section 4, “Mobile Commerce,” describe some of the
customer-oriented applications to which mobile retailing lends itself and explore options
for implementing different applications. Section 5, “Mobile Payment,” explains the
different mobile payment methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and the
implications of adopting one method rather than another. Section 6, “Mobile
Operations,” applies the concepts of mobile retailing to internal retail operations and
illustrates how adopting a mobile approach can improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Section 7, “Integrated Implementation Strategy,” focuses on implementation, detailing
some of the challenges that implementation can entail. Section 8, “Mobile Standards,”
describes the technology standards that underlie a successful implementation effort.
Section 9 defines the terms and acronyms used both in this blueprint and in discussions of
mobile retail in general.

preserved.
2. INTRODUCTION
2.1 What is Mobile Retailing?

Mobile phones are ubiquitous, outnumbering credit cards and bank accounts around the
world. People depend on their mobile phones, and they carry them everywhere,
including into stores. The capabilities of smartphones (phones that handle data as well as
voice signals) combined with the ease with which applications (special-purpose computer
software) that support retail functions can be downloaded to these phones creates an
opportunity to leverage mobile phones for shopping.
The e-commerce revolution did more than just open up an additional channel through
which retailers can sell products. It created new capabilities for analyzing shoppers’
behavior. It facilitated new ways to share product information and help customers make
purchase decisions, taking advantage of the on-line Internet connection to communicate
with the customer by name.
But as mobile phones became more sophisticated, they became capable not only of e-
commerce functionality but also of being able to identify customers automatically
through proper integration with mobile network operators (MNOs) such as Verizon,
AT&T, or Vodaphone. Many e-commerce features, such as detailed product information,
product comparisons, and customer reviews, can now be available in stores on a mobile
phone, with an additional benefit: immediate customer gratification. Customers take the
merchandise home with no shipping or handling costs. Furthermore, the e-commerce
features can be augmented with applications that enable mobile payments, targeted
promotions, interactive displays, and digital receipts.
Mobile retailing has thus become an important and valuable channel through which
retailers can reach consumers. Retailers who ignore mobile retailing risk being ignored
in return by current and future generations of shoppers.
Figure 3 illustrates what the retail store of the future could look like: mobile devices such
as media shopping cards, consumer phones, associate dashboards, and scales. Mobile
devices will play a large part in future commerce.

preserved.
Access Points Consumer Employee/Mgr

Media Phones Dashboards
Streaming Video Shopping Location Based
Carts RFI Services
D
RFID Shelf
Labels
Self assisted
ordering
In-store
back office
Shelf Edge
RFID Gondola
Displays XBOX 360
Labels
$399
Bottom of Basket
Detection
Holographics
In-store
kiosks
Electronic
Menu Boards
Bluetooth Interactive Self Serve
Wireless POS Cashless Biometric
Customer Contactless Readers
Peripheral Scales Displays Payments
Figure 3: The Retail Store of the Future
2.2 Mobile Devices Defined

While this blueprint focuses on mobile phones, the concepts are applicable to any mobile
device connected to the Internet, including, for example, portable music and video
players, handheld gaming devices, laptop and ultra-mobile personal computers, e-book
readers, and tablets. Consumers are more readily upgrading their smartphones, which
have advanced to the point of being handheld computers whose capabilities exceed those
of the computers carried on board the first space missions. Figure 4 shows the
breakdown between smartphones, feature phones (less flexible smartphones), and other
connected devices. It further distinguishes smartphones by their different operating
systems (software management systems), or OSs.

preserved.
Figure 4: U.S. Device Type and Operating System Mixes

The typical smartphone includes most of the features described Table 1. Various
combinations of these features can be leveraged to provide a richer experience for
shoppers.
Table 1: Smartphone Features
Feature Significance
Bluetooth wireless Used to connect mobile phones to other devices (such as a headset)
connectivity without a cable. Bluetooth allows shoppers to be “hands-free.”
Still or video camera Useful for taking pictures of products, receipts, and bar codes.
Compass Useful for directing a person to a store, or for recognizing in which direction
a person is facing. This feature is currently available only on the newest
mobile devices.
Two-way e-mail Useful for delivering receipts and coupons.

messaging
Interactive display A larger display than that available on a traditional mobile phone that
includes the ability to run a browser. Some phones include touch screens
or screen-addressable keys.
Internet access To be useful, a mobile device must be connected to the Internet either
though the cellular network or Wi-Fi.
Location recognition The ability to determine location using GPS satellites, cell tower
triangulation, or Wi-Fi reference.

preserved.
Feature Significance
Multimedia Messaging A message service, useful for sending and receiving rich content, such as
Service (MMS) pictures or audio.
Near Field A wireless peer-to-peer and reader/writer feature available in selected

Communication (NFC) countries. As a limited number of mobile phones in use have embedded
NFC chips, interim solutions that add NFC “stickers” to mobile devices are
possible. Nokia has recently announced that they will place NFC chips in
all phones manufacture in 2001. Useful for contactless payment and other
contactless communication.
Short Message Service A message service, useful for sending text. Most mobile phones can use
(SMS) SMS to send and receive short text messages. Certain mobile devices,
however, such as the iPod Touch or iPad, cannot communicate using
SMS.
2.3 Mobile Application Technology

Mobile applications can be implemented using four methods:
• Browser-based
• Message-based
• Downloaded to a device
• Preinstalled on the device (referred to as native applications)
2.3.1 Browser-Based Applications
A retailer often wants to provide information that is available on the retailer’s Web site to
mobile consumers or associates. Smartphones equipped with a browser can access these
applications; however, their small screen sizes and keyboards provide a less satisfactory
experience than when the application is accessed on a computer. In this case, people are
better served with a mobile-specific user interface that is optimized for the capabilities of
the typical smartphone.
For example, compare the American Airlines Web site that is displayed on a computer
(found at www.aa.com), shown on the left in Figure 5, with the mobile version, shown on
the right (found at www.aa.com/mobile).

preserved.
Figure 5: Two American Airlines Web Sites: Non-Mobile (left) and Optimized for
Mobile (right)
Support for two important technologies, HTML5 and WebKit, is currently emerging in
mobile browsers. These technologies allow retailers to create mobile shopping sites that
take full advantage of smartphone capabilities without being tied to a specific mobile OS.
Mobile Web site developers will be able to provide a rich, “application-like” user
experience on mobile Web sites. The technology is currently available in the Apple
iPhone OS, Google Android OS, and Palm WebOS devices, as well as in new RIM
BlackBerry devices and other smartphones.
2.3.2 Message-Based Applications
The second type of application, the message-based application, uses Short Message
Service (SMS) or Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) to exchange messages with the
user. While not nearly as easy to use as the other types of applications, message-based
applications work on the largest number of mobile phones. It is often more cumbersome
to have to start the browser on the phone and then access a URL than to send a simple
text message. Almost all mobile phones throughout the world support SMS for short
messages. Services like TextBuyIt, used by Amazon, can interact with consumers, who
can find and order products over the mobile phone.

preserved.
2.3.3 Downloaded and Native Applications

Mobile applications, typically referred to as apps, can also be either downloaded
applications or native applications. That is, a ready-to-run (compiled) application built
for a specific mobile device is either downloaded to the device or preloaded and present
when the device is purchased. These applications generally afford the user a better
experience, because they can take full advantage of the particular mobile device’s unique
capabilities. But since these applications are device-specific, a separate application is
required for every different type of device, thus increasing development costs
exponentially. In addition, a mechanism is required that can deliver new or upgraded
applications to devices.
Several vendors, such as Apple, RIM/Blackberry, and Google/Android have created
application stores, where users can find and download applications targeted specifically
to their phones. New companies are emerging that claim to provide “write once, run
anywhere” functionality for mobile phones. These companies allow the developer to
create an application once and then deploy it on mobile phones from different vendors.
Handsets with NFC chips also provide a secure and simple application solution. A
variety of applications can be downloaded to a secure element in the phone and accessed
easily. These phones interact with contactless terminals, other NFC devices, or RF tags,
sending and receiving data by tapping. NFC phones are currently available in Europe
through various vendors and are being used in pilot projects in the U.S. and Asia.
2.3.4 Thin-Client Architecture
One major challenge of mobile retail is how to support a multitude of mobile platforms,
screen sizes, input capabilities, and customers who do not have a data plan. One
implementation option that can address these issues is a client-server architecture that
relies on the phone as the client. In this so-called thin client architecture, a server has the
intelligence about the workflow required for the particular service (e.g., the first screen
shows a catalog, the second screen product detail, the third screen payment options), and
the client (the phone) needs only display-related capabilities and input handlers (Figure
6).

preserved.
Figure 6: Thin Client Architecture
2.4 Mobile Retail and Social Media

Social media marketing is becoming a standard in today’s cross-channel marketing mix,
providing retailers with a broad range of offerings that can be used to connect to and
interact with customers. Social media tools such as Facebook enable retailers to engage
customers and build communities of interest around their brands while delivering
targeted and personalized offers.
Retailers understand that customers need a reason to interact with their products and
brands. Social networks are the fastest growing engagement point between brands and
customers and will grow more quickly than any other form of interactive marketing.
Retailers are starting to see the benefits of building up groups of like demographics on
social networking sites, such as Facebook, and on mobile social networks, such as
Twitter, so that they can communicate more cost effectively with customers, as opposed
to using mass media to transport key messages and new promotions out to the market.
A social media strategy and a mobile strategy will be at the forefront of a successful retail
market strategy in the coming years. Successful retailers will learn how to adopt both
social media and mobile strategies to compete. A collection of social media, such as
Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, will be key to customer and prospect interaction.
In addition, social media are a natural fit for mobile, since mobile devices are at the
center of how people communicate. The number of active users of mobile social
networking sites is expected to rise, from 55 million in 2010 to nearly 730 million in
2013, so retailers must immediately begin to understand how mobile will fit into their
social media marketing strategy. More than 56 percent of customers follow a retailer’s

preserved.
online social media imprint, providing many retailers with a customer following that they
can begin to engage with mobile promotions and incentives.
Customers can opt into a retailer’s social media mobile rewards program directly,
through the on-line social media environment, through their mobile phones in a retailer’s
mobile Web environment, or by texting a unique keyword to a particular short code. The
objective is to present relevant messages that encourage customers to sign up for a
retailer’s mobile rewards club or program. For example, a prominently placed window
(mobile prompt) embedded on a retailer’s Facebook fan page could include a request to
join the retailer’s Mobile Rewards Club. Customers would not have to move to a new
mobile page but could enter core information, along with their mobile number, directly
into the window. Customers would then send the information and potentially receive in
return an immediate incentive, such as a mobile coupon or a link to multiple offers on the
retailer’s mobile Web page. A similar approach could use a retailer’s Twitter feed;
however, because not all customers have unlimited data plans, retailers might instead
embed a static link or banner prompting customers to opt into the program by sending a
unique alias to a dedicated short code. Both approaches should reward the customer with
an immediate incentive.
Retailers should integrate their social media mobile strategy with their customer
relationship management (CRM) database, to profile customers more accurately based on
interests and behaviors, and to help manage future two-way communication. Customers
are interacting in a number of socially focused channels. Retailers will be able to
understand better which on-line communities and social networks customers are
frequenting and through which they are choosing to engage with the mobile offering.
This approach to a social media mobile strategy will enable retailers to extend their
current CRM efforts, adding the ability to leverage their community building activities
using the social web and automate the conversation process. A retailer can then craft
appropriate messages through the different communication channels.
Both social media and mobile have unique communications attributes. Retailers must be
aware of these attributes to give customers consistent and coordinated information.
Retailers need a single view of each customer to maximize the results of a campaign.
Retailers who treat social media and mobile as separate and independent channels, as
opposed to coordinated channels, will fail to achieve respectable response rates and
weaken their customer relationships rather than building customer communities.
By recognizing these best practices, retailers will be better positioned to improve the
customer experience, providing a new touch point for customer acquisition and
strengthening loyalty building programs through mobile devices.
2.5 Mobile Retail Application Categories

Mobile retail applications can be grouped into three categories:
• Mobile marketing (described in Section 3)
• Mobile commerce (described in Section 4), which includes mobile payment
(described in Section 5)

preserved.
• Mobile operations (described in Section 6)

2.5.1 Mobile Marketing Applications
Mobile marketing applications (Section 3) focus on advertising, marketing, and
increasing brand awareness and loyalty. They also provide product information and
shopping tools that can be used to enhance the retail experience. Mobile retail marketing
applications can support the following areas:
• Brand marketing
• Customer service information
• Shopping tools
• Product information
• Loyalty programs
• Promotions and coupons
2.5.2 Mobile Commerce Applications
Mobile commerce applications (Section 4) include mobile payment applications (Section
5). Mobile commerce applications include traditional e-commerce applications accessed
from a mobile device. Mobile payment applications encompass all payments made using
the mobile device, including remote payments and contactless payments.
2.5.3 Mobile Operations Applications
Mobile operations applications (Section 6) are tools used by retailers and associates that
can lower costs and increase service for retailers. These applications focus on the
following functions:
• Mobile POS
• Workforce management
• Communications
• Approval workflow
Although retailers can choose to implement applications dedicated to implementing the
functions in a particular category only, it is more common for applications to support
functions in several categories. A low risk approach is to implement the easy
functionality first, then add more over time.
Each of these categories is further described in the referenced sections, including detailed
examples of real applications as well as future ones.
2.5.4 Mobile Application Providers
Once a retailer has settled on the desired functionality and a basic technology, the next
decision is whether to develop the mobile capabilities in house or outsource development.
Many companies specialize in developing mobile applications. Outsourcing is often the
most cost-effective solution, because it allows the retailer to avoid the costs of acquiring
the right skill sets, tools, and test environments.

preserved.
The more complex applications require integration to back-end systems (like e-

commerce), so one should not underestimate these costs. If possible, retailers should
design their systems using the principles of service-oriented architecture (SOA) so that
common functionality can be shared across channels. (For more information, see the
SOA Blueprint for Retail 4 ). Additional benefits come from moving the applications/SOA
services into the cloud, following the recommendations in Cloud Computing for Retail. 5
2.5.5 Day-in-the-Life Examples
To illustrate the potential for mobile technology in retailing, the following is a
hypothetical example of the day in the life of a consumer, Eric, who uses his NFC-
enabled mobile phone to pay at a restaurant and to redeem coupons at a shopping center.
Unless otherwise noted, all of the capabilities described are currently possible.
2.5.5.1 Restaurant Transaction
Restaurants in Eric’s office building accept payments at contactless point-of-sale (POS)
terminals, and contactless cards are widely used for payment. Eric has enabled several
credit and debit card applications in his mobile phone.
In the elevator going up to the restaurant, Eric sees a restaurant poster advertising next
week’s special event and “reads” it using his phone. A Web link on the poster gives him
more information and a discount coupon to use if he attends. Eric pays for his lunch at
the restaurant by touching his NFC-enabled phone to the POS terminal.
The phone provides Eric with additional financial services:
•He can choose the credit or debit card with which to pay, depending on whether
his lunch is a business or personal expense.
• He can link to a mobile banking site, to check the balance on a card before
making a payment or to view his use and purchase history.
• He can receive messages indicating that the balance on a card is low or indicating
that a credit card payment is due.
• Depending on the transaction amount, he can be prompted by his NFC-enabled
phone to authorize payment. Authorizations might range from no confirmation, in
the case of smaller amounts, to special authentication mechanisms, such as
biometrics, for large amounts. He may use a password to start the payment
application.
• If the restaurant has chosen to add NFC to its contactless reader, Eric can also
receive a receipt transmitted directly to his phone when he confirms the payment.
The receipt can be stored in the phone and accessed for expense tracking. Loyalty
points or a coupon for a future dinner discount can be added in the same way.
At some time in the future, it may also be possible for Eric, who sells cleaning products
in his spare time, to use his NFC-enabled mobile phone as a POS terminal to accept
4
Association for Retail Technology Standards, SOA Blueprint for Retail, version 1.2, http://www.nrf-arts.org
5
Association for Retail Technology Standards, Cloud Computing for Retail White Paper, http://www.nrf-
arts.org
preserved.
contactless payments from his customers’ NFC-enabled mobile phones or contactless

cards.
2.5.5.2 Retail Shopping Center Example 6
Eric’s NFC-enabled phone provides Eric with additional services in the retail
environment. Upon entering the shopping center, he touches his NFC-enabled phone to a
conveniently located kiosk and receives the following:
•Shopping center loyalty points for returning to the center
•Information linking the current coupons on his phone to stores within the center
offering those goods and possibly additional discounts
• Special offers customized to his profile
While walking through the center, Eric notices a “smart poster” offering him a discount
on a product that he has been considering. Eric touches his NFC-enabled phone to the
poster to retrieve the coupon.
Eric then enters a store to shops for an item he wants to buy. He sees a number of
competing products on the shelf but does not know which to choose. He uses his mobile
phone to read the products’ contactless tags (barcodes, quick response codes). The phone
reads the codes and links provided with the products and displays product information
and customer reviews on the retailer’s Web site. Eric also checks an independent Web
site that he regularly uses. Armed with this information, Eric selects a product. At check
out, he accomplishes the following by simply touching his phone to the POS terminal:
• Automatically redeems coupons matched to the item he is purchasing
• Makes the purchase
• Receives more special offers for future purchases, customized to his profile
Eric can check the history of purchases and remaining loyalty points on his phone
whenever he wants. He can share information and coupons with friends who have NFC-
enabled phones, where permitted by the coupon issuer, by touching his phone to theirs.
2.5.6 Mobile Market Statistics
In order to make the right decisions, it is helpful to understand the current mobile phone
market as well as how a retailer’s own customers use mobile phones. Understanding
long-term trends can help retailers avoid investing in technologies that will not survive
and can also illuminate the technologies emerging on the horizon. The following sections
provide statistics that are current as of this document’s publication date. These statistics
include:
• Mobile smartphone market share
• Current retail priorities
6
This example assumes that the growing popularity of NFC-enabled mobile phones provides an incentive
for retailers to enhance the functionality of their current contactless POS terminals with NFC, so that they
can send coupons, loyalty updates, and receipts to NFC-enabled mobile phones. It is also assumed that
retailers, advertisers, and consumer goods manufacturers offer a variety of mechanisms for consumers to
obtain special offers, such as by using their NFC-enabled phones to read and store such offers from
conveniently placed “smart posters.”
preserved.
• Mobile payments statistics

• Projected growth in mobile technologies
2.5.6.1 Mobile Smartphone Market Share
Figure 7 shows the smartphone market share for 2010. The most popular are those from
Nokia, RIM, and Apple, representing 74 percent of the global market. HTC, Motorola,
and all others account for the remaining 26 percent. The more impressive statistic is the
67 percent growth in smartphones over the past year.
Figure 7: Worldwide Smartphone Market Share

All smartphones must run a mobile operating system. Figure 8 shows the market share
occupied by the different operating systems available worldwide. On a global basis (the
pie chart) Symbian, the operating system from Nokia, is the clear market leader.
However, as the bar chart in Figure 8 shows, the penetration of Symbian in the North
American market is much smaller (4 percent as opposed to 47 percent).

preserved.
Figure 8: Market Shares of Smartphone Operating Systems Worldwide and in

North America 7
According to Canalys:
• The North American smartphone market will grow by 38 percent in 2010.
• Android device shipments in North America will surpass 12.3 million units in
2010.
• BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android devices will account for over 80 percent of the
smartphones shipped in North America this year.
• The Latin American market will also experience solid growth this year, up 30
percent over 2009.
Smartphone shipments in North America totaled 47.2 million units in 2009, an increase
of 27 percent over the volume seen in 2008, helped by a strong fourth quarter. This
healthy growth is forecast to accelerate to 38 percent in 2010, bringing total shipments in
the region to 65.1 million units.
2.5.6.2 Retail Priorities
RISNews teamed with eTail to survey 75 retailers in January 2010. The survey found
that different retailers focused on different aspects of mobile retailing, as represented in
Figure 9. Retailers should prioritize these aspects based on their own customers.
7
Share of 2009 smartphone shipments by operating system, by Canalys; North American smartphone
market share (2009 shipments, 2010 forecast), Canalys (http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-
releases/north-american-smart-phone-shipments-exceed-65-million-units-2010)

preserved.
Figure 9: Retailer Interest in Different m-commerce Capabilities 8

2.5.6.3 Mobile Payments Statistics
Mobile payments are defined as payments for goods or services that are initiated from a
mobile phone or similar device (such as a personal digital assistant). Analysts predict
significant growth in mobile transactions over the next 5 years:
• Insight Research Corporation estimates that 2.2 billion consumers will generate
$124 billion in financial transactions by 2014. 9
• A more conservative estimate still predicts huge growth: Mercator Advisory
Group estimates that payments from remote devices will grow from an estimated
$389 million in 2009 to $8.6 billion in 2014. 10
• Frost & Sullivan estimates that the mobile transactions market (non-NFC-based
mobile payments, mobile banking, remittance, and NFC-based mobile payments)
in Europe will grow to €4 billion–€5 billion by 2013. 11
• Arthur D. Little estimates that mobile payments could reach $250 billion in sales
volume by 2012. 12
8
Joe Skorupa, Shopping Mall in Hand, RIS News, March 2010.
9
"Insight Research Says Financial Applications on Cell Phones to Attract 2.2 Billion Users," eNewsChannels,
April 22, 2009, http://enewschannels.com/2009/04/22/enc6821_192943.php
10
“Mobile ACH Payments: Request for Comment,” NACHA, September 9, 2009
11
Money in Mobile —European Transactions, Frost & Sullivan, October 14, 2009.
preserved.
• Research and Markets (Dublin) predicts that "Global mobile payment transactions
are expected to reach $110.1 billion in 2013, at a 105 percent compound annual
growth rate." 13
• Gartner reports that worldwide adoption of mobile payments in 2009 grew by 70
percent, to 73 million people. Gartner forecasts that 190 million people will adopt
mobile payments worldwide by 2013 and estimates that 3 percent of the U.S.
population will be using mobile payments by 2012. 14
Analysts are also forecasting rapid adoption of NFC-based mobile contactless payments.
While adoption of such payments has centered in Asia and Europe, analysts predict
global growth as NFC-enabled phones are launched worldwide.
• According to Juniper Research, 15 one in every six mobile subscribers globally
will have an NFC-enabled device by 2014.
• Juniper Research is forecasting that the global gross value of NFC transactions
will exceed $110 billion by 2014. Of this total, global NFC-based mobile
payment transaction values are forecast to exceed $30 billion by 2012. 16
• Juniper Research predicts that 123 million NFC-enabled handsets, equivalent to
46 percent of today’s U.S. wireless subscribers, will come on line in North
America by 2013. 17
Driving these forecasts for growth in mobile payments is strong consumer interest.
• Yankee Group (United States) states that "most consumers, 84 percent, are
interested in mobile payments." 18
• Wired reports that a majority of respondents to a recent survey said they were
interested in using their phones to purchase items at a cash register just as they
would use a credit or debit card. 19
2.5.6.4 Mobile Payment Technology Projections
The mobile technologies most often used for payment include SMS, wireless application
protocol (WAP), unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), and NFC. Figure 10
shows Gartner's estimates for the growth of each technology. 20 Mobile payments as
defined by Gartner include transactions that use banking instruments such as cash, bank
12
"Mobile Payments Surging Ahead with Opportunities in Emerging Markets,” Arthur D. Little, April 2009,
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/37169.php
13
“What paying by cellphone will mean for the marketing world," Advertising Age, October 5, 2009,
http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-techniques/13170333-1.html
14
Gartner, "Wallet of the future? Your mobile phone,” CNN.com, August 13, 2009,
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/13/cell.phone.wallet/index.html
15
Juniper Research, "1 in 6 mobile subscribers to have NFC Mobile Phones by 2014, according to Juniper
Research," press release November 9, 2009,
http://juniperresearch.com/shop/viewpressrelease.php?pr=163
16
Juniper Research, "Transaction Complete! NFC Solutions," September 2009.
17
"What paying by cellphone will mean for the marketing world," Advertising Age, October 5, 2009,
http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-techniques/13170333-1.html
18
Ibid.
19
"2010: The Year of Mobile Banking & Payment," Wired, January 30, 2010,
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/01/mobile-banking-payment
20
Gartner, "Dataquest Insight: Mobile Payment 2006-2010," April 27, 2009, ID: G00168197
preserved.
accounts, or credit/debit cards, and non-mobile operator stored value accounts (such as
travel cards, gift cards, or PayPal). The forecast does not include transactions that use the
mobile operators' billing systems (such as the purchase of mobile content) or telebanking
by mobile to a service center that uses an interactive voice response (IVR) system. The
forecast does include IVR transactions when used in combination with other mobile
channels (such as SMS) to verify user information.
Mobile Payment Transactions by Technology (in Millions)
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
SMS WAP/Web USSD NFC
Figure 10: Gartner April 2009 Projections of Mobile Payment Technologies

Early industry trials indicate that all industry stakeholders are interested in mobile
payments. For consumers, such payments represent convenience. For merchants, they
open up opportunities for new payment types and for applications that leverage payment
(e.g., loyalty and rewards programs). For mobile operators, they provide the opportunity
to attract customers, improve customer retention, and increase average revenue per user.
For financial services providers, they provide a new payment channel and the opportunity
for differentiation and increased transactions. Mobile payments have also created
opportunities for new service providers to offer value-added services. In their May
edition, Digital Transactions describes 21 different alternative payment methods. 21
2.5.7 Mobile Retailing Ecosystem
As mentioned in the introduction to this section, mobile retail comprises three major
functional categories: mobile marketing, mobile commerce (including mobile payments),
and mobile operations. Mobile retail therefore represents a complex ecosystem that
includes a variety of devices, applications, and standards.
21
Digital Transactions: Trends in the Electronic Exchange of Value, Volume 7, No. 5, May 2010,
http://www.digitaltransactions.net/files/DigitalTransactionsMay10.pdf
preserved.
Each category in the ecosystem has unique requirements that must be accommodated by
an overall integrated architecture. The payment category requires secure interfaces to an
authorization system, regardless of whether payment is contactless or remote. Mobile
marketing must securely interface with a customer or loyalty system for targeted
marketing opportunities. Mobile operations must securely interface with a variety of
applications used in operating a store. The supporting applications in all three categories
can exist either on the phone or in a data center accessible over the Internet.
Figure 11 is an overview of the mobile ecosystem. This ecosystem is described in more
detail in Section 5.2.3.
Figure 11: Mobile Retailing Ecosystem

preserved.
3. MOBILE MARKETING
Mobile marketing represents a simple first step for retailers who want to embrace and
benefit from m-commerce. It can transform the way they interact with their customers.
Mobile marketing activities can be categorized as follows:
• Advertising and marketing
• Customer service
• Shopping tools
• Product information
• Loyalty programs
• Promotions and coupons
3.1 Advertising and Marketing

Not every mobile activity must fall within the traditional boundaries of retail. One of the
simplest activities can be drawn from the entertainment realm: an application that
advertises or reinforces brand image. This class of application stands alone; no
integration is necessary with existing systems. The goal of such applications is to market
the brand and refer consumers to other modes of communication with the retailer. This
approach is often tightly integrated with social media efforts.
While brand marketing does not require integration, promotions do. For such offers to be
truly effective, they should be integrated with the retailer’s customer relationship
management (CRM) system to be personalized and targeted. Spamming customers is the
fastest way to lose them.
3.1.1 Brand Marketing
Every brand wants to be represented on a consumer’s phone. But not every brand
deserves that placement. Brands with no obvious reason for phone presence can achieve
that presence by sponsoring an application. For instance, Charmin (the toilet paper
manufacturer) sponsors an iPhone application called “Sit or Squat” that locates nearby
public bathrooms on a map.
3.1.2 Digital Signage
Digital displays that advertise products and promotions can facilitate in-place interaction
with customers. (For example, scanning a food display might show recipes using that
food.) This interaction is typically accomplished using NFC tags or quick response (QR)
codes that allow the phone to “read context.” (QR codes are two-dimensional bar codes
that can contain a lot of information, including URLs.) A unique number, simple data,
or a Web site link is communicated to the mobile phone, through which information
specific to the display can be accessed.
One example of such digital signage is the display of bar codes on large billboards
(Figure 12). A consumer with a phone can take a picture of the bar code and an action
occurs, such as displaying a Web site, sending a message, or requesting a promotion.
preserved.
Figure 12: 2-D Bar Code on a Billboard

3.1.3 Augmented Reality
Phones equipped with global positioning system (GPS) capabilities (to ascertain
location), a compass (to ascertain facing direction), and a video camera can add labels to
a video with information about what the consumer is seeing. The consumer holds the
phone so that the camera in the phone views the landscape. Information is then overlaid
on the image. For example, this capability can be used to locate coffee shops, post
reviews on storefronts, and display promotions on storefronts to entice shoppers inside.
3.1.4 Example Applications
Examples of advertising and marketing mobile applications are described in Table 2.
Table 2: Examples of Advertising and Marketing Mobile Applications

Gucci’s iPhone application allows the consumer to
browse current fashion collections, see news and events,
and browse the designer’s playlist. Several videos are
also available. This application focuses on brand
awareness.
Adidas provides an Urban Art Guide for Berlin as an

iPhone application. Using maps, the consumer is directed
to different sites in the city to view many forms of urban
art. A gallery of pictures and the ability to upload new
ones is also provided. This application associates the
brand with the “street scene.”
The Hugo Boss iPhone application provides videos of

fashion shows, including behind-the-scenes footage. It
includes a color matching feature that lets the consumer
find items that fit the consumer’s wardrobe and a feature
that can save items to a wish list.

preserved.
Google has identified over 100,000 businesses in the

United States as "Favorite Places on Google," based on
Google user interaction with local business listings. Each
business receives a window decal with a unique QR code
that can be scanned with a phone to (for example) read
reviews or star the business as a favorite. QR reader
applications are available for a variety of camera-enabled
phones.
Brightkite is social connection application available on

several phone platforms that leverages location to
determine who is nearby. Brightkite has also been
experimenting with advertising within its augmented
reality tool.
My Mall is a mobile shopping application that aggregates

retailers. The application is available for iPhone,
Android, and Palm devices and is based on the affiliate
business model, working through affiliate networks such
as LinkShare, Commission Junction, and Google. The
application allows retailers to establish a mobile presence
at no cost by becoming part of a mobile shopping mall
through their affiliate network. The application also
drives traffic to the retailers’ own mobile sites.
3.1.5 Technology and Standards Employed

Several technologies are particularly useful in implementing advertising and marketing
mobile applications:
• ISO/IEC Standard 18004 QR codes
• ISO/IEC Standard 18092 NFC
• Location-based services

preserved.
3.1.5.1 ISO/IEC Standard 18004 QR Codes

ISO/IEC Standard 18004 is one standard for QR codes. These codes are popular for use
with mobile phones because they are easier to read with cameras than are traditional bar
codes. They are often used to bridge the physical and on-line worlds: a camera-equipped
phone “reads” the QR code in a magazine or poster, then a Web site (identified by the
URL embedded in the code) is loaded into the phone’s browser. Mobile phones require a
QR code application to read and process the codes.
3.1.5.2 ISO/IEC Standard 18092 NFC
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range communication technology that is
used by mobile phones and standardized as ISO/IEC 18092. NFC is compatible with
contactless smart card radio frequency (RF) technology (ISO/IEC Standard 14443); NFC-
enabled devices can communicate with existing contactless smart cards and readers. This
ability is often leveraged for payment and interaction with NFC-tag-equipped posters.
NFC data throughput is slower than Bluetooth’s, and NFC has a shorter range, but it
connects more quickly and is compatible with current contactless payment infrastructures
to create a better consumer experience overall.
3.1.5.3 Location-Based Services
Location based services (LBS) leverage the ability of a mobile phone to determine its
location. Location is determined either using triangulation between cell phone towers or
the GPS.
3.1.6 Benefits and ROI
Advertising and marketing over a mobile phone increase brand awareness and affinity,
but as with other forms of marketing, it is difficult to measure the ROI. The benefits of
applications that enforce an image are less tangible (albeit no less real). For applications
in which the mobile phone communicates with an in-store device, interactions can be
counted, but there is no good way to establish a direct correlation between an interaction
and ultimate conversion.
3.1.7 Implementation Considerations
Advertising and marketing applications can reside on the device, be accessible over a
network connected to a hosted application, or be implemented as a service on the Internet
(the “cloud”). Other implementation considerations are listed in Table 3:
Table 3: Advertising and Marketing Application Implementation Considerations
Consideration Implementation
Security n/a
Privacy n/a
Loss prevention n/a

preserved.
SOA A SOA approach is often warranted so that

channels can share the same functionality.
Cloud computing Applications can be connected to a hosted

application over a network or as a service in the
cloud.
Data source Various data sources can be leveraged.
Store operations n/a
Hardware costs n/a
Application development costs Applications can be written in house, but using

one of the many available outside development
firms may be more cost effective.
Application integration These types of applications rarely require

integration with existing systems.
Ease of use on mobile device To gain mainstream use, applications must be

useful and very easy to use. No documentation
should be required.
Platform support Supporting multiple platforms is best to extend

application reach.
Customer support n/a
PLC management n/a
Software development Outsourcing development can be a cost-effective

solution.
Payment options n/a
Application type These applications can be browser-based,

message-based, downloaded, or native
applications.
3.2 Customer Service

Applications making customer service information and capabilities available on a mobile
phone enable customers on the move to obtain information from retailers. Customer
service information and functions include:
• Store locations/hours
• Wish lists, shopping lists, gift registries

preserved.
3.2.1 Store Locations/Hours

A store locations-store hours application gives a consumer the ability to search for stores
nearby using a mobile device. This function offers even more benefit to the consumer
when used in conjunction with product services such as extended product information
and item availability. In many cases, what a customer really wants to do is to “find the
stores nearby that have product X in stock.”
Store location is a basic function that is typically displayed on the first screen of the
mobile application. The function is typically made available using a browser-based
application or a downloaded native application. Locations can also be shown as a map on
a smart poster, which can be read by tapping the poster with an NFC-enabled phone and
storing the received information about the nearest store locations, hours, and specials.
When security is not an issue, short message service (SMS) is the technology commonly
employed. That is, the consumer sends a text message that contains the consumer’s zip
code and receives the address of the nearest store.
Two process flows can support this function. One is applicable to devices without
geolocation or GPS capabilities (Figure 13); a much simpler one is applicable to devices
that have these capabilities (Figure 14).
Figure 13: Process Flow for a Device without Geolocation or GPS Capabilities
As Figure 13 shows, when a device has no geolocation or GPS capabilities, the process is
as follows:
1. A customer selects the Find Store option.
2. The customer enters location information, such as a postal code, street address,
city, state, country, or cross streets.
3. The customer initiates the action.
4. The system returns a list of the nearest stores.

preserved.
Customer
Store Location/Hours
Selects Send GPS Display Selected
“Find Store” Coordinates Store Locations
Store App
Find Closest
Store Locations
Figure 14: Process Flow for a Device with Geolocation or GPS Capabilities
As Figure 14 shows, when a device has geolocation or GPS capabilities, the process is as
follows:
1. The customer selects the Find Store option.
2. The device transmits the customer’s location, using GPS coordinates.
3. The system returns a list of the nearest stores. The screen on which the list is
displayed should offer the option of entering a location manually, to enable a
consumer to find the stores close to an alternate location.
The list of stores is typically limited to 5–10 stores. The store location information
includes operating hours and maps for each store.
3.2.2 Example Applications
Examples of customer service mobile applications are described in Table 4.
Table 4: Examples of Customer Service Mobile Applications
myStarbucks can find an open store with a drive through,

explore Starbucks whole bean coffees, find nutritional
information, and build a drink. It includes integration
with Facebook and Twitter (social media).
Using the consumer’s current location, this application

can find nearby retail stores, sorted by category, and
display maps to take the consumer right to a store.
3.2.2.1 Technology and Standards Employed

Customer service applications can use different technologies and standards, depending on
the implementation. For example:

preserved.
• GPS capabilities add the mobile user’s location to a query. Location information
gives consumers more accurate information and allows them to receive answers to
questions such as “where is the nearest store?”
• A link to a mapping capability can help consumers get to a store quickly. Web
services protocols to invoke/embed the mapping functions are available from
many providers, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
• A GS1 Global Location Number (GLN) can identify a location, uniquely where
required.
3.2.2.2 Benefits and ROI
Implementing these customer service functions is intended to drive more traffic to a
retailer’s physical stores. However, it is very difficult to measure the effectiveness of
such functions. There is no measurable link between their invocation and store sales.
Measuring marketing effectiveness suffers from a similar problem.
3.2.2.3 Implementation Considerations
Table 5 lists considerations applicable to implementing customer service applications.
Table 5: Customer Service Application Implementation Considerations
Security n/a
Privacy n/a
Loss prevention n/a
SOA Store location services are often shared by

multiple channels.
Cloud computing Mapping services are often sourced from the

cloud.
Data source Data must be updated on a regular basis.
Hardware costs n/a

Application integration Applications can be integrated using ARTS XML

standards, such as Item or Customer.
Ease of use on mobile device Since this is likely to be a customer’s first

interaction with the retailer, it is important that the
user experience be simple and informative.

preserved.

application reach.
PLC management n/a
Software development n/a
Payment options n/a

applications.
3.2.3 Wish Lists, Shopping Lists, Gift Registries

Consumers commonly make lists of items to be purchased. Mobile devices offer a
convenient method for adding items to such lists, as well as for displaying a list during a
shopping excursion. Because entering data into mobile devices can be cumbersome,
adding an item to a list must be as simple as possible. Once created, the list of items can
be stored on the device, to be recalled later or sent through something like a social
medium (Facebook, for example) to the consumer’s friends. Consumers typically create
three kinds of lists: wish lists, shopping lists, and gift registries.
Wish lists are lists created by an individual that itemize desired future purchases. These
lists can be published to friends and family as suggestions for future gift-giving
opportunities. Retailers can leverage wish lists to notify the list owner when the price or
availability of an item on the list changes. Knowing that consumers have not yet
purchased items can help drive changes in the retailer’s business (for example, by
assessing demand for future new product introductions, adjusting the size curve for
specific locations, or understanding price sensitivity).
Shopping lists are not intended for others to use but, like wish lists, they serve as
reminders for future purchases. Shopping lists are common to grocery shopping and are
often based on previous purchase history. Some implementations may allow consumers
to scan an item’s bar code as the item is consumed at home, resulting in a list of “out of
stock” items in the home. Shopping lists can be combined with m-commerce capabilities
to provide a complete shopping solution from a mobile device, without requiring a visit
to a physical store.
Gift registries are lists put together by an individual and published to friends and family
as recommendations for gifts given in honor of a specific event (weddings, a new child,
birthdays, graduations).
Figure 15 illustrates the general process used to create all types of lists. In all cases, it is
common to use a mobile device to create the list of items and then display the list while
shopping.

preserved.
Figure 15: Wish Lists, Shopping Lists, Gift Registries
A valuable feature is near-real-time list management when items are purchased, to

minimize or avoid duplicate purchases. For example, traditionally the POS updates a gift
registry as items in the registry are purchased. A slight modification to this feature would
enable the POS to send the purchase information to the list on a mobile device (such as a
friend’s list).
List capabilities can often be integrated with extended product information capabilities.
For example, recipes might be suggested for items included on a shopping list, along with
the ability to add any missing ingredients to the shopping list. NFC tags can also be
embedded in goods or in permanent shopping lists so consumers can tap a product or
product description and create their own lists for storage on an NFC-enabled phone.
3.2.3.1 Transaction Process
Figure 16 illustrates the list creation transaction process.
Figure 16: List Creation Transaction Process
As Figure 16 shows, the process is as follows:

1. The customer registers with a retailer.

preserved.
2. The list type is defined (perhaps implicitly), and relevant list attributes (event
dates and other details) are defined. It is important to include enough detail to
enable other shoppers to find the appropriate list.
3. The list is created.
• The list can be created by using the mobile device to select items in the store
or at home. An item can be selected by scanning the item’s bar code or RFID
tag. Size, color, style, and quantity information can be added. The current in-
store price should be displayed (and not the online price if it differs).
• As an alternative, the list can be created based on past purchase history.
Figure 17 illustrates the list consumption transaction process.
Figure 17: List Consumption Transaction Process

1. The consumer downloads an m-commerce application or displays a mobile Web
site. The consumer can do so anonymously; however, it may be considered a
benefit for a retailer to request that the consumer register to enable future direct
marketing.
2. The consumer selects a shopping list based on search criteria (e.g. “Jones
Wedding,” “Smith Graduation”) or by using a list selection process.
3. The items being purchased are scanned on the mobile device.
• The customer is notified if an item has already been purchased.
• Otherwise, the list is updated to indicate that that item has been purchased.
Lists can also be updated at the POS.
3.2.3.2 Case Studies
Examples of list creation mobile applications are described in Table 6.
Table 6: Examples of List Creation Mobile Applications
The Target application provides tools to simplify and

streamline the shopping experience at Target stores and on
Target.com. The application can locate sales, store hours, or
“the perfect gift. Putting the power to save money and shop
more conveniently at your fingertips is part of our Expect

preserved.
More. Pay Less promise.”

Using a location or ZIP code, consumers can use the
application to find the nearest Target. They can then
receive information specific to that store. A Search feature
allows consumers to find items in the store in which they
are shopping, including specific department and aisle
locations.
Consumers can shop by department and category to see
what is available both at stores and on line. They can
display the weekly advertisement for a store in their
neighborhood. They can also search for and view Club
Wedd and Target Baby registries and TargetLists, check off
items they have purchased, and manage their own registries
or lists.
The application lets consumers view images of items, read
guest reviews, and check for availability at other Target
stores. They can also search for items by gender, age, price,
personality, or occasion.
Whole Foods Market Recipes can be searched for recipes

featuring natural and organic foods. Consumers can search
by ingredients and dietary preferences, such as gluten-free,
low fat, or vegetarian/vegan. Recipes include nutritional
information and cooking instructions.
The application's store locator can be used to find nearby
Whole Foods Market stores. Each store’s page includes
links to the store’s Web site and lists the natural and organic
foods on sale at the consumer’s local Whole Foods Market.
Beauty.com’s application lets consumers shop for more than

200 prestige brands anywhere, any time. “Read product
ratings and reviews to find beauty must-haves, and restock
your beauty stash quickly and easily with Your List™.”
3.2.3.3 Technology and Standards Employed

List applications can use different technologies and standards, depending on the
implementation. For example:
• Bar code scanning technology embedded in a mobile device
• Mobile Web or mobile application
• GS1 barcode standards
• NFC Forum tag types
preserved.
• ARTS XML Item Maintenance

• ARTS XML Product Content Management
3.2.3.4 Benefits and ROI
The potential benefits and ROI for using a mobile device for wish lists, shopping lists, or
gift registries include:
• Increased basket sizes (shopping lists, wish lists)
• Increased sales (gift registries)
• New customer acquisition (gift registries, wish lists)
• Conversions (wish list promotions)
3.2.3.5 Implementation Considerations
Table 7 lists considerations applicable to implementing wish list, shopping list, and gift
registry applications.
Table 7: List and Registry Application Implementation Considerations
Security Shopping lists are generally not considered private

information, so there is no particular need to protect them
(in fact, they are often published for anonymous user
consumption). However, the lists are typically linked to
customer data that does require a higher level of
protection.
Privacy Retailers who wish to use the information gathered from

the list function for direct marketing purposes should
generally require registered users to agree to such
communications.
Loss prevention n/a
SOA These lists are often shared by the e-commerce channel,

so using common services makes sense.
Cloud computing Cloud computing might be applicable.
Data source Product information, like price and inventory, must be kept
current.
Hardware costs n/a
Application development costs Applications can be written in house, but using one of the
many available outside development firms may be more
cost effective.
Application integration These applications are usually integrated with e-

preserved.
commerce and sometimes with in-store kiosks.
Ease of use on mobile device Typing on a mobile device is cumbersome. So the ease
of navigating the site and selecting the items are of
paramount importance.
Platform support Supporting multiple platforms is best to extend application

reach.
Customer support Interfacing with a retailer’s CRM program would be a nice

addition.
PLC management n/a
Payment options n/a
Application type These applications are almost always synchronized with a

traditional Web access mechanism (i.e., this solution
should not be considered a mobile-channel only solution).
3.3 Shopping Tools

Many useful shopping tools are available for consumers from both retailers and third
parties. These tools enhance the shopping experience and generally influence consumers
indirectly. Adding these tools to a retailer’s application adds value to the application,
making it more likely that a consumer will rely on the application. Such tools include:
• Reservations and product holds
Reservations and product holds enable a consumer on the way to a store or
restaurant to hold a product or table.
• Card aggregation
Consumers want to minimize the number of different cards they carry. Mobile
phones provide a unique opportunity to consolidate cards—especially loyalty
cards, which have become more popular in recent years—on one easily accessible
device.
• Nearby search
Applications running on phones equipped with GPS capabilities can determine the
consumer’s location; the application can search for nearby stores, restaurants,
products, and events.
• Recommendations
Deciding which product to purchase can be daunting; fortunately, guides are
available on the Internet. Mobile applications can provide product
recommendations at the time of purchase, which can influence consumer

preserved.
behavior. Retailers who can become trusted advisors to their customers will
establish long-term relationships that can be very profitable.
3.3.1 Case Studies
Examples of shopping tools mobile application are described in Table 8.
Table 8: Examples of Shopping Tools Mobile Applications

“Restaurant Reservations – Free, Instant, Confirmed.”
OpenTable for iPhone allows consumers to make free
restaurant reservations at over 11,000 OpenTable-
enabled restaurants in the United States, Canada, and the
United Kingdom. OpenTable members also earn Dining
Rewards Points, redeemable for Dining Cheques that are
good at any OpenTable restaurant.
CardStar lets consumers store and retrieve loyalty,

reward, and club membership cards, which can be
scanned directly from the screen at most retailers.
“Shop every store with every product on the web from

your iPhone.” TheFind: Where to Shop determines which
stores carry the products a consumer is looking for,
where those store are located, and the on-line prices for
those products. TheFind: Where to Shop locates the
nearest store that carries a particular item. It can also
find and display the prices charged for an item at other
nearby stores and on line.
RedLaser uses state-of-the-art bar code recognition that

can read virtually any product bar code using the
iPhone’s camera, even without autofocus. RedLaser
searches for low on-line and local prices from hundreds
of thousands of retailers.
PICKKA Med identifies the right over-the-counter

medicine for a health condition, based on symptoms and
other factors such as age and preferences, and locates the
product quickly. The application is an “expert pharmacist
in your pocket.”

Shopping tools can use different technologies and standards, depending on the
preserved.
• Bar-code scanning technology embedded in a mobile device allows products to be

identified quickly and uniquely. Identification can be accomplished using
specialized bar-code reading hardware or the phone’s camera.
• Shopping tools that adhere to GS1 standards can read all barcodes.
• NFC Forum tag types support reading NFC tags on products.
• The ARTS XML Item Maintenance schema (see Section 8.3.5) can be leveraged
as the format for retrieving item information from the system of record.
• The ARTS XML Product Content Management schema (see Section 8.3.5) can be
leveraged as the format for retrieving extended product information, like images,
from the system of record.
Tools that help consumers shop can be both beneficial and detrimental. Providing more
information than your competitors can provide an advantage. When done well,
investments can lead to:
• Increased basket sizes
• Increased sales
• New customer acquisition
• Conversions
Table 9 lists considerations applicable to implementing shopping tool applications.
Table 9: Shopping Tool Application Implementation Considerations
Security n/a
Privacy n/a
Loss prevention n/a
SOA Many mobile shopping tools are extensions of

existing e-commerce tools. When this is the case,
it is best to create a shared service following a
SOA model.
Cloud computing Depending on the functionality, cloud computing

may be applicable.
Data source Third-party tools often obtain product data from e-

commerce sites. It may be better to formalize the
partnership and explicitly export data.

preserved.
Hardware costs n/a

Application integration Integration requirements vary by application type.
Ease of use on mobile device Many of the tools from third parties are limited by
their access to information. Providing high quality
and timely data can give retailers an edge over
the competition.

application reach.
Customer support Hopefully not applicable.
PLC management n/a
Payment options n/a
Application type These applications can be any of the application

types (browser-based, message-based,
downloaded, or native applications) but are often
more usable if they are native.
3.4 Product Information

Since the introduction of e-commerce, customers have come to expect rich product
information that includes images, detailed descriptions, product comparisons, and
reviews. Such information has traditionally been difficult to provide within a store due to
space constraints. However, the mobile phone makes access to this information possible
anywhere and at any time.
According to recent studies, a growing number of consumers are using their mobile
devices to view product information in stores. A recent Motorola annual research study
of holiday shoppers 22 found that more than half (51 percent) of consumers across 11
countries used their mobile phones for in-store activities such as comparison shopping
and for obtaining peer feedback, product information, and coupons. Figure 18, from a
Gartner report, 23 illustrates the frequency of different uses in a retail setting. The same
report also shows that the trend is increasing, and more and more shoppers are using their
mobile phones for shopping, especially for obtaining product information.
22
Motorola Global Holiday Shopper Study, January 11, 2010,
http://85.133.72.103/ImageLibrary/detail.aspx?MediaDetailsID=861
23
Gartner, February 2009.
preserved.
Figure 18: Likelihood of U.S. Consumers to Use Mobile Phones for Shopping
3.4.1 Transaction Process

Figure 19 illustrates the general process customers use to review the product information
available on an e-commerce site.
Figure 19: Review Product Information at e-commerce Site Transaction Process

1. The customer uses a mobile phone to access a retailer’s e-commerce application.
2. The customer displays the product information, typically by using the search
function to search for a particular item and then clicking on a product image to
obtain more information.
3. The product display page (optimized for mobile) is presented.
Figure 20 illustrates a similar process that allows customers to review product
information using a retailer’s application.

preserved.
Figure 20: Review Product Information with Retailer’s Application Transaction

Process
1. The customer uses a mobile phone to log in to the retailer’s application, using an
e-commerce login ID and password. (As an alternative, customers can use social
networking credentials, such as a MySpace/Gmail ID to sign in or authenticate
themselves to the application.)
2. A home page is presented that is optimized for mobile. This condensed page
includes all the top-level categories.
3. The customer navigates to a category, selects it, and is then presented with all the
products within that category.
4. The customer selects a product image, displaying a product information page
optimized for mobile. The item can be added to the customer’s shopping cart, a
product comparison list, or a mobile shopping list.
A simpler process, shown in Figure 21, allows a customer to review product information
by first identifying the product.
Take picture of Display the item

item information
Identify the item in Lookup the item

the photo information
Figure 21: Retrieve Item Information from a Picture Transaction Process
1. The customer selects an item.

• The customer can take a photo of the item with the camera in the mobile
phone.
• As an alternative, the customer can select the item by scanning the item’s bar
code (using the phone’s built-in camera) or by reading the NFC tag embedded
in the product packaging.
2. The identifying data is analyzed (either using automated algorithms or manually)
to determine whether the item is included in the retailer’s catalog.
preserved.
3. The mobile phone retrieves the product information and displays it to the
customer.
4. The product image and a rich set of item information are displayed on the screen
and include, for example, additional information about the product, related items,
and reviews.
3.4.2 Product Information from Friends
Mobile social networking is a growing phenomenon that is extending to retail in the form
of social commerce. Shoppers have mobile access to a wide range of digital content
created by others, including ratings, reviews, and images. Content can be shared with
others over the mobile device. Rich community content can be tied to an item and
identified by a bar code that the mobile device reads and displays. Shoppers can share
specific information with specific friends.
Two processes can allow friends to share product information. In the first process
(Figure 22), a customer displays product information and is given the option to read
ratings and reviews posted by other shoppers. (In the social context, this information can
be filtered or sorted by friends.)
Customer
Product Information
application
Retailer’s
Friends
Figure 22: Read Friend's Ratings Transaction Process
The second process (Figure 23) allows a customer to display product information and
provides an option for posting a new rating and reviewing the item.

preserved.
Figure 23: Post to My Friend's Site Transaction Process
3.4.4 Product Comparisons

Consumers in the store aisle can use mobile devices to view and compare information
about multiple products, as they do on many e-commerce sites. Bringing this type of
functionality into the store aisle is only possible using mobile devices. Retailers need to
be careful that consumers do not have access to more and better information than store
staff.
Figure 24 illustrates a process that allows a customer to compare information about
products.
Figure 24: Product Comparison Transaction Process
1. The customer displays the retailer’s home page, optimized for mobile.
2. The customer finds the product category and displays a list of all of the products
in the category.
3. The customer selects two products for comparison.
4. The mobile device displays a condensed comparison page that lists the attributes
of both products in a table. The products can then be compared quickly, based on
attributes and price.

preserved.
3.4.6 Case Studies

Examples of product information mobile applications are described in Table 10.
Table 10: Examples of Product Information Mobile Applications
The Home Depot application lets consumers browse

products by department, shop the local ad, find stores,
obtain project know-how, including videos, and keep a
shopping list.
The GAP's StyleMixer application lets consumers beam

an outfit onto the consumer’s Facebook wall to solicit a
friend’s reaction.
Amazon.com customers can use text messages to find

and buy products sold by Amazon. Customers can find a
product in less than 1 min and complete the purchase.
The customer sends a text message to Amazon that
includes product keywords, and Amazon replies with
products and product prices. Customers can buy the item
simply by replying to the text message.
In December 2008, Amazon.com launched an iPhone
application that enables customers to search for items
using photographs taken on their phones. Amazon tries
to match the picture with products in their inventory and
returns the results, along with suggestions for other items
the customer might like. The application also offers
access to other retailers, such as Target, and allows users
to buy with one click. The application includes a feature
called “Amazon Remembers,” which allows customers to
keep track of items they see.

preserved.

Product information applications can use different technologies and standards, depending
on the implementation. For example:
• A mobile device with a camera can identify products, either visually or by
scanning the product bar code.
• A bar-code scanning application can read GS1 barcodes.
• NFC Forum tag types can implement product information tags.
• OpenID, OAuth, or some other standard supports authentication.
• ARTS XML Item Maintenance, ARTS XML Product Content Management, and
ARTS XML Price schema (Section 8.3.5) can be leveraged as the format for
exchanging data. All three of these retail-specific standards make it easier to
integrate multiple sources of data.
• ARTS XML Video Analytics (Section 8.3.5) can enable communication of
content of an image for ease of analysis.
Providing additional product information at the time of purchase is one way to increase
sales rates, but it can just as easily confuse consumers if they receive inaccurate or
conflicting information. When done correctly, retailers who provide additional product
information can realize the following benefits:
• Increased basket size
• Increased sales
• New customer acquisition
• Increased conversion rate
• Increased retention rate
• Increased shopping frequency
Table 11 lists considerations applicable to implementing product information
applications.
Table 11: Product Information Application Implementation Considerations
Security The social aspects of this type of application

require authentication using one or more
standards such as Twitter, Facebook, or OpenID.
Privacy n/a
Loss prevention n/a

preserved.
SOA Many product information tools are extensions of

existing e-commerce tools. When this is the case,
it is best to create a shared service following a
SOA model.
Cloud computing Depending on the functionality, cloud computing

may be applicable.
Data source Most product information comes from the e-

commerce system, but it is crucial to show in-
store prices and not just e-commerce prices
(which may be different).
Hardware costs n/a

Application integration Integrations necessary to obtain product

information are fairly straightforward. Integrating
with social applications can be more difficult.
Ease of use on mobile device The most difficult part is identifying the product.
The easiest method seems to be by using a
camera to read a bar code. Several libraries of
application software are available for this purpose.

application reach.
PLC management n/a

solution.
Payment options n/a
Application type These applications can be any of the application

types (browser-based, message-based,
downloaded, or native applications) but are often
more usable if they are downloaded.
3.5 Loyalty Programs

Typical loyalty programs include three major functions. One function allows the
participant to sign up for the program; another provides some method of identifying the
participant at check out, to award or redeem points; a third, administrative function,
preserved.
allows consumers to manage their accounts, typically using a Web site. Mobile phones
allow all three functions to be combined in such a way that a consumer has constant
access to the loyalty program. This convenience benefits both the program participant
and the retailer.
The ability to tie a loyalty membership number to a mobile phone not only dramatically
increases consumer participation in a loyalty program, it also enhances the data that is
collected about that consumer. The average household belongs to 14.1 loyalty programs
but is only active in 6.2. 24 The main reasons for this discrepancy are typically a lengthy
sign-up process, not understanding the program, not being able to quickly redeem the
rewards, or simply not wanting to carry multiple cards or key fobs. The mobile phone
can address all of these issues while allowing the program owner to develop data in
addition to data about what the consumer does at the POS.
Typical examples of current mobile-based loyalty programs range from SMS-based text
or mobile applications with bar codes or numeric codes to RF chips attached to cell
phones. NFC-enabled phones and terminals allow consumers and retailers to interact
directly on loyalty point updates, tracking, and redemption. Figure 25 illustrates one
typical loyalty program process flow. Figure 26 illustrates an alternative (this specific
implementation is included for illustrative purposes only).
24
Report by Colloquy, 2009, http://directmag.com/crm/news/less-half-loyalty-membership-colloquy-
0413/?smte=wr
preserved.
Figure 25: Example Loyalty Program Process Flow

preserved.
Figure 26: Motorola Mobile Loyalty System 25
Today’s solutions all provide similar functions. Customers can opt in to the programs
from their cell phones by sending a short text message or going to a Web site. Once they
have joined the program, customers using a bar-code based system are sent a phone
application that contains an image of a unique bar code. As an alternative, the customer
can receive the bar code through a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message or be
sent something as simple as a text code, delivered using SMS. Follow-on coupons are
sent to the customer, who can redeem them by having the bar code scanned at the store’s
POS system. (An SMS text code can be entered manually at the POS by a store
associate.)
Another solution that works in much the same way uses special codes that are sent to the
customer in a text message (avoiding the need to download an application). The customer
opts in to the program in the same way as in the bar code system. Text messages are sent
with the latest offers, which customers can redeem on line or in the store by providing the
code at checkout.
NFC allows terminals to send loyalty points back to an NFC-enabled phone at the time of
purchase or redeem them when the phone is held close to a contactless POS reader.
Interim alternatives use RF tags affixed to cell phones or integrated into removable
microSD cards that include NFC. Weekly specials or coupons are then sent out in a text
message or picked up by the consumer touching a smart poster with an NFC-enabled
25
Mobile Marketing Associations, U.S. Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile
Content Programs, V5.0, April 2010.

preserved.
phone. To redeem the coupon, the customer’s phone is tapped on the POS terminal.
While neither the customer’s name nor any personal information is shared with the
retailer, the customer’s buying behavior is tracked through an ID number assigned to
each phone. Future offers can be tailored to specific items, times of visit, or other
purchase data.
3.5.2 Case Studies
Examples of loyalty program mobile applications are described in Table 12.
Table 12: Examples of Loyalty Program Mobile Applications
IKEA has implemented a loyalty program that uses SMS

text messages and a short code to enroll. Discounts and
coupons are sent to the consumer’s phone. The
consumer scans the code at a mobile kiosk within the
store to print out a physical coupon.
Super Stop USA is a Minnesota gas station that is using

SMS text messages to alert customers when gas prices go
[No logo available] up. If the price has gone up by the time they arrive, they
can save 5–10 cents per gallon by showing an attendant
the text message. A sample text message might read
“SUPER STOP GAS ALERT! Prices are rising to $2.99.
We will follow soon. If we have already gone up, show
us this message and save 10 cents/gal until 1pm
tomorrow!”
Kerr Drug supports an application with a unique bar code
that is downloaded to the phone. New offers are sent to
the application on a weekly basis, and consumers receive
a weekly text message reminding them to review new
offers. The bar code is scanned at the POS using an
image scanner, and all appropriate discounts are applied.
This application is implemented by Motorola, using the
process flow shown in Figure 26.
Select quick service restaurants are implementing loyalty
program participation that relies on an NFC sticker
[No logo available] affixed to the customer’s phone. Weekly specials are sent
out in a text message. The NFC chips are read at the
restaurant’s POS terminal to redeem the coupon.
NFC stickers can double as two-dimensional (2-D) bar
codes, so that retailers who do not have an NFC-enabled
POS terminal can scan the bar code instead. NFC stickers
are currently being tested by the following quick-service
preserved.
restaurants:
• Dairy Queen
• Qdoba (Mexican fast-casual)
• Arbys
• Hot Box Pizza
Best Buy’s Reward Zone application allows consumers

to access their points, purchase histories, and currently
available certificates along with exclusive offers. The
application lets them “browse all the great benefits that
you get as a Reward Zone member and stay up-to-date on
program announcements and membership tips.”
Members can also shop for Best Buy products, check
product availability at stores, read customer reviews, and
share favorite products.
Starwood program members can access their Starwood

Preferred Guest accounts, including point balances and
upcoming stay details, from their phones. Members can
also browse and reserve a stay at any of Starwood’s 890+
hotels and resorts worldwide, across nine brands.
Starbucks Card Mobile is a companion to the Starbucks

Card. Starbucks Card Mobile allows consumers to check
their Starbucks Card balance, reload the card, and view
transactions. In 16 Starbucks stores located in
California’s Silicon Valley and in Seattle, consumers
using an iPhone or iPod Touch can actually pay with
their Starbucks Card.

Currently the primary technology used to support customer loyalty programs is SMS text
messaging, which provides for quick, simple, and widely available distribution. RF has
also been used by retailers for some time; however, its use is limited. (Only the retailer
who provides the customer with the RF chip can use the functionality.)
For use cases that involve scanning a mobile bar code, an image scanner is required; laser
scanners are not able to read a bar code off a mobile phone. It is important, however, to
assure that the image scanning technology has been optimized for reading a mobile
phone, as some image-scan engines still lack the enhancements necessary to assure
seamless performance on each scan.

preserved.

Customer loyalty programs that are accessible from a mobile device can benefit the
retailer in numerous ways, due to their unique features. Features and benefits include the
following:
• Digitized membership cards are less costly than physical magnetic stripe cards.
• Automatic coupons and special offer redemptions that are typically on line can be
brought into stores over the mobile phone. Providing such promotions at the time
of purchase tends to increase redemption rates.
• Because it is easier to enroll in a loyalty program over a mobile device,
membership, participation, and redemption rates increase.
• When a consumer has enrolled in the loyalty program using a mobile device, it is
possible to track the consumer’s movements within the store (with their
permission). This information can be valuable in understanding how consumers
shop.
• When consumers opt in to a program over a mobile device, coupons can be sent to
consumers’ phones when they are near stores, increasing the traffic in stores.
Allowing consumers to sign up for a loyalty program from their phones gives them the
freedom to sign up at any time and anywhere. This added convenience not only increases
the opportunities for someone to join a retailer’s loyalty program, it also enhances data
accuracy and increases the efficiency of membership acquisition over current paper
processes. Because information on how the program works resides on the consumer’s
mobile device (as a mobile app or dedicated mobile Web page), the consumer can access
this information and the consumer’s standing in the program at any time.
Consumers can take advantage of their rewards immediately when loyalty programs are
available on a mobile device. Loyalty points can be transformed on the device into
reward redemptions (such as mobile gift cards, mobile coupons, or even orders for
physical rewards), thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and increasing the likelihood
that customers will participate in the program.
Tying a loyalty program to a mobile phone assures that consumers will be able to use the
program without the need to carry cards or key fobs. Using a mobile application, the
consumer builds brand equity with the program and can start a one-on-one dialogue with
the retailer. Since the mobile phone is a two-way communication device (both voice and
data), a retailer can collect valuable data on a consumer's viewing actions and purchase
intentions, allowing the retailer to begin personalizing offers and communications for
each member of a program. The ability to scan a mobile bar code, read an NFC-enabled
mobile phone at the POS, or type in a mobile phone number will ensure that a consumer's
purchases are always recorded. Data will not be missed because the consumer forgot to
carry a card or key fob.
The demographic, technological, and behavioral data that the mobile device helps collect
provides an enhanced level of information about customers, giving retailers the ability to
understand (with customers’ permission) who the customers are, where they are, what
they want, and what they do not want at any time.
preserved.
The ability to collect ”closed-loop“ data allows a retailer to deliver more relevant and
personalized one-to-one offers over time at a fraction of the price of using mass market
media. When a consumer views, indicates interest in, and ultimately redeems an offer,
data points can be collected, analyzed, and used to determine the next offer the consumer
sees. The more data that is collected on an individual or across a population segment, the
more intelligent a program owner can be about what drives consumer behavior and,
therefore, what should and should not be sent in the future.
Table 13 lists considerations applicable to implementing customer loyalty program
applications.
Table 13: Customer Loyalty Program Implementation Considerations
Security If a phone is stolen, there must be a way to

deactivate the loyalty account.
Privacy Certain information must be protected, such as

data to be collected at signup and on the mobile
device (number of offer views, time, location), and
spending patterns.
Loss prevention An application must protect against the use of

fraudulent coupons.
SOA Most modern loyalty programs already support

SOA for easier integration.
Cloud computing n/a
Data source Loyalty data typically comes from a CRM system,

while targeted offers usually come from a
promotions systems.
Hardware costs Depending on the technology used (NFC,

fingerprint), readers attached to the POS can be
expensive.

Application integration Readers must be integrated with the POS, and

the POS must be integrated with the back-end
loyalty system (as is true for most loyalty
programs, mobile or not). ARTS UnifiedPOS can
help.

preserved.
Ease of use on mobile device To achieve widespread use, applications must be

should be required.

application reach.
Customer support Integration is required with a CRM system, using

standards such as ARTS XML Loyalty
PLC management n/a
Software development Customers should be able to access the following

on their mobile devices (as opposed to other
media):
A unique membership bar code
Coupons
Rewards points
Rewards options
Payment options n/a

applications.
3.6 Promotions and Coupons

The use of mobile smartphones by millions of consumers presents retailers with an
opportunity to differentiate through advertising and promotion campaigns, loyalty
programs, and merchandizing programs. Consumers typically carry mobile phones with
them wherever they are—shopping, eating out, or riding public transportation.
Retailers can now send real-time ads, coupons, and offers to their customers that are
personalized based on who the customers are and where they are, creating and delivering
better value for consumers and resulting in higher response rates. Retailers can also let
consumers with NFC-enabled phones decide which offers are of interest, using smart
posters and other media with embedded tags that can be tapped for detailed offers.
Paper-based coupons today typically produce a 0.5 percent redemption rate; the
maximum rate does not exceed 1 percent. Early results are showing that personalized
coupons delivered through mobile phones are achieving redemption rates of up to 30
percent, according to Eagle Eye, 26 a mobile coupon company in the UK, and Tetherball,
a mobile loyalty company in the United States. Such data clearly show the power of
mobile.
Retailers have begun to recognize the power of mobile and are beginning to participate in
various types of mobile coupon and promotion programs. Interestingly, some retailers do
26
http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2009/04/03/3928/eagle-eye-solutions-and-vivotech-to-
offer-retailers-nfc-mobile-vouchers/
preserved.
not want to call such programs coupons or promotions, thinking that the concept of using
coupons may not be well received by their typical customers. They are bundling coupons
or promotions with their mobile loyalty programs, for which consumers sign up by
providing their cell phone numbers and preferences. A consumer is given a contactless
sticker on which a loyalty number is coded and asked to put the sticker on the back of the
mobile phone. Merchants are seeing better participation from their customers with such
loyalty programs (as offered, for example, by Zapa Technologies in Europe or Tetherball
in the United States) as compared to traditional programs.
The NFC-enabled phones with built-in contactless technology that are starting to emerge,
such as the Samsung Star Smartphone, represent another option. Wallet software can be
provided with NFC phones that allow consumers to carry their payment cards and loyalty
cards, provision coupons into their phones over the air (OTA), touch smart posters to
download coupons of interest, and redeem coupons electronically by tapping the phone to
a contactless-enabled POS system. Figure 27 depicts different options for enabling
phones with NFC chips.
Figure 27: NFC Chip Options
3.6.1 Approaches to Mobile Offers

Multiple approaches are being taken or considered to drive mobile-enabled promotions
and coupons:
• WAP-based offers
• Text- or SMS-based offers
• Loyalty-program-based offers
• Smartphone-based wallet
• NFC-enabled phone-based wallet
WAP-based offers allow consumers to use the on-line browser and search engines on
their smartphones to find ads, coupons, or promotions. Such coupons can be retailer
preserved.
specific (a discount coupon for Pizza Hut) or product specific (a discount coupon for a
six-pack of Coke). The coupon or promotion can be redeemed through a 2-D or three-
dimensional (3-D) bar code on the coupon or through a numeric code that is entered
manually by a sales clerk. (Some retailers accept such coupons manually.)
Text- or SMS-based offers require a consumer who signs up for a promotion program
with a merchant to give the merchant a cell phone number. The merchant then uses text
messages or SMS to send coupons and promotions directly to the consumer’s phone.
Loyalty-program-based offers allow consumers who sign up for a loyalty program to
receive coupons, instant awards, and real-time redemptions. Coupons are sent by SMS or
MMS and redeemed by tapping NFC-enabled phones on a contactless-enabled POS.
Coupons and promotions are settled through the back-end server (cloud based).
To receive offers in a smartphone-based wallet, consumers download a coupon
management application to the smartphone. Consumers can search for and receive
coupons using SMS or MMS. The coupons can be redeemed manually, by displaying the
coupon on the screen and showing it to a sales clerk, or automatically, through a back-
end server.
Consumers can also receive offers in an NFC-enabled phone-based wallet, downloading
personalized coupons and promotions. They can receive a coupon by tapping the phone
on a smart poster or shelf tag, or retailers with permission to do so can send them
coupons and promotions. Consumers can carry and manage their coupons and
promotions at all times and redeem them electronically by tapping their phones on a
contactless-enabled POS reader.
One factor that is critical to the success of mobile advertising, coupons, and promotions is
that consumers must be allowed to trigger the mobile marketing programs. A consumer
should be able to request (or opt in to) anything the consumer wants, whenever the
consumer needs it, such as a promotion, coupon, or product information. An SMS-based
proactive promotion campaign may be a good way to get started; however, a consumer
may not always welcome SMS-based coupons or offers. Retailers want to avoid the
spamming problems with which e-mail message campaigns contend. Currently such
messages typically end up in the e-mail junk mailbox.
The contactless capability offered by NFC-enabled phones gives the consumer a greater
level of control and making it easier for consumers to trigger a promotion or a loyalty or
merchandising program by tapping their phones on a shelf tag, smart poster, or POS
terminal.
3.6.2 Case Studies
Examples of promotions and coupon mobile applications are described in Table 14.

preserved.
Table 14: Examples of Promotions and Coupons Mobile Applications
Cellfire brings consumers coupons from their favorite

brands, allowing them to save money at the grocery
store. They can also access deals from multiple grocers
and brands. A consumer can view the offers available in
the area, select an offer, save it to the grocer’s savings
card, and then use that card and check out to receive the
discount.
With this application, consumers can access printable

coupons, savings card coupons, and local coupons.
This application from Kohl’s displays all of the deals

offered by the Kohl’s weekly ad on a phone. Ads can be
browsed by category or brand to focus on items of
interest. The application can also find the closest Kohl’s
store locations.

Promotional applications can use different technologies and standards, depending on the
• ARTS XML Loyalty schema
• ARTS XML Customer schema
• ARTS XML Pricing and Promotion schema
• NFC
Mobile offers can result in several benefits for retailers.
First, redemption rates are generally higher for mobile offers. This may be because the
concept is novel, or it may be because the offers are delivered in context. For example, a
coupon can be delivered to a person walking outside a store to entice the person to enter
the store. When a coupon is immediately actionable, it provides greater value to the
consumer. It should be noted, however, that increased redemption also means loss of
margin. The offers must be used to influence behavior in a way that increases the long-
term value of the consumer.
In addition, mobile offers increase a retailer’s ability to measure coupon effectiveness.
Finally, the costs of handling paper coupons can be significantly reduced using digital
coupons accessible over a mobile phone.
preserved.

Table 15 lists considerations applicable to implementing mobile offer applications.
Table 15: Mobile Offer Application Implementation Considerations
Security n/a
Privacy Promotions delivered over a mobile phone almost

always involve participation in a loyalty program,
and all personal information must be protected.
Loss prevention In some cases, digital coupons are easier to

counterfeit, so care must be taken to ensure that
coupons are redeemed as the program intended.
SOA Coupon applications fit nicely as an SOA service.
Cloud computing Moving coupon applications into the cloud allows

for the variability of the retail sales cycle by
allowing for expansion and contraction of
hardware and software needs as required.
Data source n/a
Store operations Mobile offers move the management of coupons

to the digital arena and reduce the cost of
managing paper coupons.
Hardware costs Modern scanners are able to read a bar code

directly from the mobile device, resulting in no
impact on the hardware infrastructure.

Application integration Applications can be integrated with the customer

loyalty system using ARTS XML loyalty schema.
Ease of use on mobile device To achieve widespread use, applications must be

should be required.

application reach.
Customer support Mobile offers are a great way to interact with the
customer to increase customer loyalty. The only
requirement is an interface between the loyalty or
coupon application and the scanner.
PLC management n/a

preserved.

solution.
Payment options n/a

applications. Message-based (SMS) seems to be
the most popular, due to the general availability of
SMS on both smart and feature phones.

preserved.
4. MOBILE COMMERCE
Mobile commerce (m-commerce) refers to the sale of products and services over
handheld devices and wireless networks. m-commerce activities can be grouped into two
categories:
• Mobile browser-based m-commerce, which delivers Web sites optimized for
mobile devices with which the consumer interacts using the mobile device’s Web
browser.
Customers browse, search, research, select, save, and purchase from a retailer in
much the same manner as through the retailer’s e-commerce Web site. The major
difference is that the interface is optimized for the resolution and display space
available on the mobile device.
• Application-based m-commerce, which relies on applications (special-purpose
software) that are downloaded to and run natively on a smartphone or other
mobile device.
Customers browse, search, research, select, save, and purchase from a retailer
using the application and within the environment created by the application. The
application is tied to the retailer’s IT systems through an application programming
interface (API), through which content and shopping information is
communicated to the consumer and order and customer information is integrated
with the retailer’s systems.
In either case, m-commerce involves the exchange of money for goods and services using
a mobile device.
4.1 Mobile Browser-Based m-commerce
The mobile Web is how many consumers interact with commerce opportunities over their
mobile devices. Unlimited data plans are available from certain wireless carriers, so the
costs to consumers of using the mobile Web can be low, and use of the mobile Web is
becoming increasingly common. For smartphone owners, using the mobile Web is almost
the same as using a PC-based Web browser to surf the Web. But the typical mobile Web
user today is probably frustrated. Mobile Web access currently suffers from
interoperability and usability problems. These problems stem from the fragmentation of
mobile device platforms and mobile operating systems and the variety of Web browsers
found on different devices. Challenges are raised by screen resolution, screen size, speed
of content delivery, and the wide variety of user input methods, which cover the map
from touch screen to stylus to buttons.
It is currently difficult for a retailer to design and manage the variety of mobile Web
templates that render well on all browsers on all different platforms and phones. In some
cases, it may be just as hard to support all browsers as it is to support native applications
for different mobile operating systems. Standards exist with which most or all mobile
phones comply (specifically, XHTML MP and WCSS) that are very useful for

preserved.
implementing cross-platform sites. Additionally, some vendors offer technology capable

of further optimizing the browsing experience.
Figure 28 and Figure 29 contrast two popular approaches for enabling m-commerce.
Figure 28 illustrates an approach that leverages common e-commerce services that are
optimized for the consumer’s particular mobile device. This approach is considered a
best practice.
Figure 28: Best-Practice Mobile Web High-Level Architecture 27
Figure 29 illustrates an approach in which specific content is provided for each mobile
device type. While this approach is effective, it is not efficient and can lead to
inconsistencies. Therefore, the approach is not recommended as a long-term design.
27
Forrester Research.
preserved.
Figure 29: Typical Mobile Web High-Level Architecture 28
4.2 m-commerce Applications

Much of the excitement about m-commerce currently centers on the use of m-commerce
applications. Such applications have both advantages and disadvantages in comparison to
mobile Web-based m-commerce.
4.2.1 Advantages
The use of m-commerce applications offers some key benefits over mobile Web-based
m-commerce:
• Enhanced customer experience and performance
• Additional shopping features
• Ability to leverage key device capabilities
• Offline browsing
A retailer who relies on applications can enhance a customer’s experience. Much of the
content required to create the customer experience can be preloaded with the application
and even refreshed periodically (for example, when the presence of a Wi-Fi connection is
detected). The retailer can develop a richer interaction with the customer, and the
customer can have a more engaging experience without waiting for pages to refresh and
content to download. Relying on applications enables the retailer to use rich content such
as video, large zoomable images, or virtual catalogs freely.
The additional shopping features available through applications can include elements
such as search auto complete, search refinements, sorting, and social networking. These
28
Forrester Research.

preserved.
features are bandwidth intensive and difficult to implement on the mobile Web but can be
executed seamlessly within an application.
The ability of applications to leverage key device capabilities can enable the provision of
location-aware content, such as store locators or promotional offers, map integrations,
and push notifications that inform a customer of changes and offers. Cameras in mobile
devices can play a key role in mobile applications, scanning bar codes and QR codes and
taking pictures of products to share socially. Application ability can extend to include
features such as integration with a list of contacts or an address book, giving consumers
easy access to address information while shopping.
Offline browsing is key for users of devices that do not have cellular access, such as the
iPod Touch, or users who may want to interact while not on a network. Being
independent of a network for key portions of the customer experience allows the
customer to shop and interact and then place an order when connected to the network.
4.2.2 Disadvantages
Some retailers are reporting very strong growth from mobile applications. eBay, for
example, expects to generate $1.5 billion in sales using mobile applications in 2010. 29
However, as exciting as mobile applications are to retailers, there are barriers to be
considered, including:
• Platform selection
• Maintenance in a shifting environment
• Content- and commerce-services integration
• SOA and cloud computing
Platform choices depend on the retail market and the customer demographics, and
choosing to support multiple platforms may be problematic from a cost and support
standpoint. Currently, for example, choosing a platform may involve any or all of the
following considerations:
• Apple’s iPhone operating system (OS) is now on version 3.2, with 4.0 to be
available in the near future.
• Google’s Android OS is less than 3 years old.
• Multiple versions of the Research In Motion (RIM) OS are in distribution,
powering a diverse assortment of devices.
• Symbian, while powering the largest number of devices in the world, lacks an
effective software development kit and marketplace for distribution.
• Windows Mobile 6.5.1/Windows Phone 7.0.0/Windows 7 appears to be taking the
same approach as Apple, building a closely controlled ecosystem.
29
“We clearly see that people want to shop on the go – last year we saw $600 million in eBay merchandise
volume come through mobile devices and we expect to more than double that this year with $1.5 billion.”
Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile at eBay, San Francisco, CA.
http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/ebay-expects-to-generate-15b-in-merchandise-via-its-mobile-
platform-in-2010/
preserved.
Table 16 summarizes the current situation with regard to applications running on the
most common platforms.
Table 16: Mobile Application Stores Market Shares

Store or
iPhone Android Blackberry Windows Palm Nokia Samsung
catalog
Launched 7/2008 11/2008 4/2009 11/2009 6/2009 11/2009 1/2009
No. apps > 185K >30K >3K < 1K <1K <1K <.5K
No. apps
down- > 3B > 100M N/A N/A >1M n/a
loaded
Approx.
device 46%
18% 3.5% 21% 9% (WM) 2% n/a
mkt. (Symbian)
share
Source: Gizmodo, Distimo, jkontherun.com, Morgan Stanley Research, GetElastic.com, Forrester Research
Maintaining applications in a shifting environment can be a challenge. The device

landscape and overall ecosystem will continue to evolve over the next few years. While
Apple currently has a considerable advantage, Google is gaining market share, and RIM
seeks to solidify their market position in the business segment. By delivering
applications, retailers in essence become software companies, even though they are
shipping simple and (in many ways) standardized software. Keeping up with the
evolution of devices and the quality assurance requirements associated with keeping up
may prove problematic and costly.
Integrating content and commerce services is also an issue. Many applications have been
developed quickly, by leveraging the feeds from on-line retailers to affiliate providers
and marketplaces (such as eBay and Amazon Marketplace). While using existing feeds is
an effective shortcut, this form of integration can lack the real-time content provision,
refresh, and management controls required by a retailer to serve consumers effectively.
Interactive functions such as in-store inventory lookup are impossible using this model.
Integration that effectively supports order management, customer service, price, and
promotion consistency will also prove problematic and may not produce the experience
desired by customers.
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) in a variety of styles (such as SOAP, REST, JSON,
and POX) that exposes e-commerce functions is required to support effective m-
commerce applications and represents an additional investment (Figure 30). Ideally, the
services should expose the same business logic and data entities used by the traditional e-
commerce system to avoid building new information silos in the retailer’s environment.

preserved.
Figure 30: Mobile Applications High-Level Architecture 30
4.2.3 Future Considerations

The distinction between the mobile Web and downloadable native mobile applications is
expected to blur as mobile browsers achieve direct access to contemporary mobile device
hardware, standards such as HTML5 and OMTP mature and are adopted, and the
performance of browser-based applications improves. Persistent storage using HTML5
specifications and access to user interface functions may further reduce the need for the
development of platform-specific native applications. These changes will improve
retailers’ ability to support mobile-based shoppers on mobile Web browser-based sites.
4.3 Case Studies

Examples of m-commerce can be found that are supported by browser-based and other
mobile applications.
4.3.1 Mobile Ticketing
DSB, the national Danish Railroad, is launching an iPhone-based mobile ticketing
application that allows customers to purchase tickets for regional trains and make seat
reservations.
Figure 31 provides an overview of the customer experience:
30
Source: Forrester Research.

preserved.
Figure 31: Purchasing a DSB Ticket By Using an iPhone Application
The application is designed to require minimal user input by providing intelligent defaults
for most choices. For example, the application uses the iPhone’s GPS feature to
determine the customer’s current location. Tickets can then be purchased by specifying
the destination and authenticating the purchase with a user-defined password.
The application is fully integrated with DSB’s back office, ensuring that purchases are
registered correctly in all relevant back-office systems. Payment is handled through PCI-
compliant payment software that allows the consumer to pay with a payment card. Cards
can be stored for future use. Access to stored cards is based on two-factor authentication
to provide an appropriate level of security. Tickets are delivered both as an image and as
UIC-918-3 compliant 2-D bar codes in AZTEC format.
The application integrates with several systems through HTTP(S), to access the necessary
data and comply with standard certifications such as PCI. Figure 32 is an architectural
overview of the data exchange between the different systems.

preserved.
Figure 32: Simplified Architecture for DSB Ticketing Application
By using a mobile payment platform integrated with their e-commerce payment service
provider (PSP), DSB ensures that PCI compliance is pushed to the PSP while maintaining
an optimal user experience during the payment process. Strong integration between the
mobile payment platform and relevant back-office systems ensures that all transactions
are completely transparent.
Payment is handled using a card or stored card scheme that enables spontaneous use of
the ticketing application but ensures the lowest available transaction cost and provides the
traveler with the ability to sign up for the service using a mobile device. This service
enables tourist access to the payment application.
4.3.2 Other m-commerce Applications
Table 17 shows selected portions of the interface with the consumer (screens) and
indicates the functionality provided by other current m-commerce applications.

preserved.
Table 17: Examples of Other m-commerce Applications

Application
Sample Screen Key Functionality
Type/Retailer
Browser-based/ Mobile optimized Web-based e-commerce
Nordstrom site

preserved.
Application
Type/Retailer
Columbia site
Sportswear

American Eagle site
Outfitters
Browser- Wireless application protocol (WAP) site

based/WAP/ versioned from an e-commerce site,
Moosejaw accessible on mobile phones

preserved.
Application
Type/Retailer
Downloaded • Search and browse the product
application/ assortment
Tommy Hilfiger • Check out
• Persistent cart with Web-site based e-
commerce site
• Account integration with Web-based e-
commerce site
Downloaded • Pay with PayPal

application/ • Share items on a social network
eBay
• Set alerts to notify users when they are
outbid, an auction is ending, or they are
making offers on an item
• View sold and unsold completed listings
• See eBay messages
• Call a customer support agent
• Leave feedback for a seller
Downloaded • Access to a customer’s Amazon cart,

application/ account, wish lists, payments, shipping
Amazon settings, order history, and to 1-click
and Prime services
• Entire Amazon product catalog
• Full product catalog search
• Product information, content, and
pricing

preserved.
Application
Type/Retailer
Hybrid native • Full-sized browser site handles
and browser- transactions
based/ • Daily timed promotions
Target
• Entire product catalog for on-line and
brick and mortar assortments
• Full catalog search
• Access to gift registries and lists
• Ability to check balance, manage, and
purchase stored value cards
• Review local promotions on products
• Product UPC bar code scanning to
locate deep product information
• Store locator
Native • Access to product search, browse, cart,

application/ account, and checkout
Bestbuy • Weekly deals
• Both on-line and brick and mortar
assortments
• Advanced search
• Store locator

preserved.
Application
Type/Retailer
Hybrid native • Full-sized browser site handles
and browser- transactions
based/ • Weekly ads
Home Depot
• Do-it-yourself videos
• Deep product content
assortments
• Advanced search
• Store locator
• Shopping list
Native • Promotional information

application/ • Weekly ads
JCPenney
• Store locator
• Favorites list from promotional ads
• SMS promotions and coupons
Native • Access to product search, browse, cart,

application/ account, and checkout
Macy’s • Promotion codes/coupons
assortments
• Advanced search
• Find it in store with product availability
• Store locator

preserved.

Currently, a wide variety of applications implement their own unique interfaces to the
mobile device. The use of standardized application-device interfaces is mandatory for a
successful, cost-effective mobile implementation. Many standards currently exist, each
covering a different aspect of the mobile ecosystem:
• Several Web standards, such as HTML, Java Script, and CSS for browser-based
applications
• ARTS XML POSLog, for managing all data captured at the POS
• ARTS XML Payments
• ARTS XML Digital Receipt
• ARTS XML Item Description and maintenance information
• ARTS XML Customer
• ARTS XML Price
• ARTS XML Product Content Management, for managing images
• ARTS UnifiedPOS, for interfacing devices to POS terminals
• ARTS Data Model, for complete relational data design, data names, and
descriptions
m-commerce is emerging as a new channel similar to e-commerce that could achieve
significant sales. But whether to support m-commerce often depends on the type of retail
business. For now, retailers should experiment to see whether their customers really need
m-commerce solutions.
Cost efficiency is critical to launching and supporting a mobile commerce solution.
While the ROI associated with m-commerce for a multichannel retailer is increasing, it is
still relatively small. And although consumer adoption rates are increasing rapidly, the
volume of direct mobile transactions is also likely to be small. There may be an intuitive
justification that mobile commerce capability will be of benefit to the multichannel
customer experience, but the benefits may be difficult to measure. The average mobile
commerce project has a small budget, often in the range of $15,000–$40,000, and that
amount does not buy a lot of unique and custom features.
4.4 Implementation Considerations
Table 18 lists considerations applicable to implementing m-commerce applications.
Table 18: m-commerce Application Implementation Considerations
Security n/a
Privacy Promotions delivered over mobile phones almost always

involve participation in a loyalty program, and all personal

preserved.
information must be protected.
Loss prevention In some cases, digital coupons are easier to counterfeit,

so care must be taken to ensure that coupons are
redeemed as the program intended.
SOA SOA enablement is an efficient approach for utilizing only

the services one needs.
Cloud computing Because of elastic scaling and virtualization, cloud

computing becomes a very cost effective deployment
strategy.
Data source The m-commerce site must contain up-to-date inventory,

price, and promotional data, but it must also contain fresh
product data, assortment taxonomy, and brand assets
such as Web content. Inability to provide such content can
be one of the prime limitations of an agency approach,
due in part to the requirement to work through a third party
to keep the site up to date (a key opportunity in working
with your platform provider). Many agencies and specialty
firms are taking advantage of a retailer’s affiliate or
marketplace feeds to power mobile sites, but such feeds
represent a limitation, as they typically offer only a subset
of a retailer’s total inventory and lack catalog management
features.
Store operations By allowing the customer to select and purchase items

using a mobile device, m-commerce can have a significant
impact on store operations.
Hardware costs n/a
Application development costs Applications can be written in house, but using one of the
many available outside development firms may be more
cost effective.
Application integration A number of different standards will be necessary to make

m-commerce cost effective.
Ease of use on mobile device To achieve widespread use, applications must be useful
and very easy to use. No documentation should be
required.
Platform support Supporting multiple platforms is best to extend application

reach.
Customer support Normal customer support activities are required to

manage m-commerce (such as keeping the site up,
making sure connectivity is maintained).
PLC management In part because m-commerce makes a small revenue

contribution, and because most e-commerce teams are

preserved.
already running very lean, management of the m-

commerce site must be tied to a retailer’s current site
merchandising and management tools. Management
needs are among the most important reasons to consider
using a platform solution provider as opposed to a
specialty mobile commerce firm. To be sustainable,
content management, category management, product
content, site content, and order management need to be
supported through current Web channel tools.
Software development Outsourcing development can be a cost-effective solution.
Payment options Either mobile remote or mobile contactless or both will be

necessary to pay for the items purchased.
Application type Retailers must consider whether to adopt the mobile

browser-based or mobile application-based approach to
implementing m-commerce. Retailers are naturally drawn
to the user experience and branding capabilities inherent
in mobile applications. For the foreseeable future,
however, the prime customer use case for mobile
interaction will probably rely on the browser-based
approach: using the browser on a smartphone to interact
with a retailer’s Web site.
Supporting a site optimized for mobile must be the primary
m-commerce consideration today. The retailer’s Web site
is going to be most cost efficient and easiest to support
through the retailer’s e-commerce platform environment.
Downloaded applications are important; however, they are
not the low hanging fruit on the m-commerce tree. A loyal
customer may love your application but is very unlikely to
download it on the way to the mall or store.
4.5 Other Key Considerations

Key to selecting an approach to m-commerce are the following:
• Easy payment solutions
• Integrated order management and customer care
• Phone platform support
4.5.1 Easy Payment Solutions
Among the most effective tools for enabling m-commerce can be integration with a
quick-order system, customer account, or software wallet that enables the consumer to
perform transactions quickly and easily using secure and PCI-compliant Web services.
Such tools are one of the reasons Apple has had so much success with the iPhone and
iPod-Touch, and these tools make it easier for Amazon’s customers to complete
transactions using Amazon’s applications on smartphones or Kindle. Significant
innovations in mobile payments are anticipated from Apple, Amazon, and PayPal and

preserved.
new solutions are emerging from the banking and telecom industries. (For more
information about payment, see Section 5, “Mobile Payment.”)
4.5.2 Integrated Order Management and Customer Care
The m-commerce solution should integrate with the retailer’s e-commerce and direct
channel order management and customer care capabilities. Otherwise, costs will increase
and customer satisfaction will be significantly affected. Enabling a persistent and
“portable” cart that allows a consumer to shop not only over the Web or on a mobile
device (and, in the future, through other interfaces) but also over other channels
simplifies the customer experience and provides benefits for the consumer. Such a
capability also helps retailers measure the multichannel effect of m-commerce. This
capability requires a consistent customer authentication capability.
4.6 The Virtual Store

One of the goals of this blueprint is to suggest how things can be done in a mobile world.
Virtual reality is one area that will lend itself to use of mobile devices, extending the way
teenagers shop.
Teenagers shop by first going to a store with their friends. There they spend hours trying
on clothes, looking at items, and getting their peers’ approval. They then return with
their parents, find the items they chose previously, and get their parents to purchase the
items. The virtual world extends this shopping experience beyond the physical store to
wherever teenagers are.
Virtual goods represent an over-$2-billion global market. Currently, virtual worlds such
as Farmville, YoVille, WeeWorld, and Imeez, are destination sites where people
congregate, meet new friends, dress their avatars, and buy virtual goods using virtual
currency. These worlds are built around social elements. A game like Farmville (for
example) allows players to post their achievements to their Facebook profiles and
compete against friends, creating a massive loop.
Companies acting as aggregators bring high-value copyrighted materials into these virtual
worlds and social networks to sell. Virtual goods may include clothing, celebrity
likenesses, consumer products, jewelry, or fashion items. The presence of these virtual
goods, which are available throughout over 80 virtual worlds (some of which reach over
10 million unique visitors each month), may constitute an argument for retailers with
recognized brands to license their properties to the virtual worlds. In other words, virtual
worlds present a unique marketing opportunity for targeting a highly desirable
demographic.
Imagine a player in one of these virtual worlds being able to use a mobile device to
“enter” a real store (such as Abercrombie and Fitch) to buy virtual clothing items for an
avatar. Or imagine a denizen of Farmville, where over 11 million players congregate each
day to manage a virtual farm, entering a Home Depot storefront on the site to buy
products for a farm. These virtual products could represent real opportunities, presenting
registered consumers with special offers or discounts at stores chosen on the basis of the
consumer’s location.

preserved.
The return from virtual goods is primarily based on a revenue share model. For each
virtual good sold, a certain percentage goes to the copyright holder, a certain percentage
goes to the distribution platform (for example, Farmville), and a certain percentage goes
to an aggregator, if one is involved. (Depending on how expensive the products are,
there may also be cases where dollar advances are involved.) This space is a relatively
low margin–high volume space, but one that involves a large population, which in turn
may create a unique distribution and promotional outlet alongside incremental revenue
streams.
Payment for virtual goods can be made by consumers registering their credit cards, using
their profiles, or by mobile payments, which is a relatively new method that is
implemented by placing a “pay by mobile” button next to the virtual goods. Buyers
indicate how many credits they want to purchase, type in their mobile number, press
send, and receive a message requesting purchase validation; if they reply to the message
in the affirmative, the purchase is added to their mobile phone bill. Those credits are then
applied to a user’s profile, making the purchase of virtual goods safe, easier to
accomplish than with a credit card, and much faster.
4.7 Parental Approval

Another interesting potential for mobile retail involves allowing a parent to manage a
teenager’s purchases. For example, a teenager arrives at the checkout stand with a
shopping basket. The associate scans the items. The teenager needs parental approval
before being allowed to use a mobile device for payment. The teenager therefore sends a
request to a parent with the items and amount. The parent responds with an approval of
the purchase.

preserved.
5. MOBILE PAYMENT
Payment for goods or services initiated from a mobile phone or similar device (such as a
personal digital assistant or smartphone) is mobile payment. Juniper Research has
estimated that the "total value of mobile payments for digital and physical goods, money
transfers and NFC (Near Field Communications) transactions will reach almost $630bn
by 2014, up from $170bn this year, representing the gross value of all purchases or the
value of money being transferred." 31 Juniper further forecasts that by 2014, the mobile
payments market for physical goods will be $100 billion.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, mobile payments generally fall into
two categories (Figure 33):
• Mobile remote payments, which are payments made to a retailer who is remote
from the mobile consumer
• Mobile contactless payments (also referred to mobile proximity payments), which
are payments made to a physical retailer with the consumer present at the POS
Figure 33: Mobile Remote and Mobile Contactless Payments
A wide variety of mobile payment approaches and technologies are currently available in
both commercial and pilot deployments. Figure 34 illustrates current mobile payment
approaches by technology, payment size, mobile payment type, and typical purchase
type.
31
Juniper Research, "Mobile Payments Markets: Strategies & Forecasts 2010-2014.”
preserved.
Figure 34: Current Mobile Payment Opportunities 32
The mobile phone's power and flexibility can enhance the payment process, supporting
applications that are coupled with payments (e.g., loyalty, coupons, rewards) or providing
the consumer with additional payment choices through mobile wallet software running on
the phone. A mobile wallet or a connection to an online wallets allows the consumer to
pay for purchases using a wide variety of payment types:
• Network-branded credit and debit cards
• Private label credit cards
• Prepaid cards
• Stored value cards
• Automated Clearing House (ACH)/electronic checks
• Gift cards
• Loyalty points
• Coupons
It is important to note that such payments can be implemented as either mobile remote
payments or mobile contactless payments. How the payment accounts are provisioned
for consumer use and how the consumer accesses the accounts will depend on the mobile
payment type and technology.
32
Smart Card Alliance, "Proximity Mobile Payments: Leveraging NFC and the Contactless Payments
Infrastructure," September 2007.
preserved.
The following sections describe mobile remote payments and mobile contactless
payments in more detail. The focus is on mobile payments from a consumer to a retailer,
including the use of ACH for mobile payments; the area of person-to-person payments,
an emerging mobile payment area, is beyond the scope of the document.
5.1 Mobile Remote Payment

Mobile remote payment combines traditional payment methods with the 21st century
consumer’s favorite gadget: the mobile phone. It offers retailers the opportunity to sell
goods to consumers who are not physically present in a store and delivers the capability
to communicate one-on-one, providing an up-sell mechanism.
Mobile remote payment can be an integral part of any retail initiative focusing on
reaching consumers outside of a store and therefore must be enabled through one of the
three mobile subchannels:
• Messaging
• Browser-based
• Application-based, including native applications
Consumers switch seamlessly between the three subchannels to match their need to the
specific scenario. For instance, a consumer can use messaging technology to order an
item displayed on a billboard or a display, and browser-based technology to surf to the
retailer’s mobile Internet site. Retailers will also need to provide application-based
mobile remote payment options for certain demographics, such as iPhone users. Native
applications generally provide a superior user experience to browser-based solutions but
reach a smaller audience.
The business motivation for m-commerce is similar to the motivation for e-commerce:
retailers need to reach consumers outside the store and provide a simple and convenient
method for consumers to purchase goods. The difference between m-commerce and e-
commerce is scope: e-commerce is only relevant when the consumer is in front of a
computer, while m-commerce is relevant anytime, anywhere. The biggest challenge to
deploying a successful m-commerce solution is usability. Retailers must ensure that for
all m-commerce initiatives, the shopping experience is optimized for the mobile phone,
targeted to the individual consumer, and personalized to the consumer’s preferences.
Because retailers cannot release goods until payment has been made, mobile remote
payment is the core of m-commerce. The mobile remote payment solution must optimize
the payment experience for the mobile phone. Optimization entails automatically
recognizing the consumer and storing the consumer’s payment methods securely, in order
to provide a “1-click” experience similar to what is available from Amazon or iTunes.
Mobile remote payment supports spontaneous remote sign up, top up, and dynamic
switching between client front ends. It can also be integrated with prepaid/stored value
accounts, ACH/bank accounts, credit/debit cards, stored credit/debit cards, and premium
billing SMS (PSMS).
Practical use cases for mobile remote payments include making purchases from a Web
retailer over a mobile phone, paying a retailer who does not have traditional acceptance

preserved.
capabilities for physical goods, paying a retailer for a purchase of digital goods, or paying
at a vending machine. Mobile remote payments can be implemented using either the
existing financial payments infrastructure (e.g., for payment to a Web retailer) or a
closed-loop mobile payments system.
Mobile remote payments are ideal for use in markets that use person-to-person payments
and for under-banked consumers and retailers who are not part of the normal POS
acquirer payment process, such as flea market vendors and seasonal outside vendors.
Figure 35 shows the flow for a mobile remote payment stored-value transaction. ARTS
Digital Receipt schema can be delivered through any of these subchannels, thus reducing
the need to print a physical receipt.
Figure 35: Mobile Remote Payment Stored Value Payment Flow
5.1.1 How Mobile Remote Payment Works

Mobile remote payment involves three separate systems: the payment (database) schema,
the mobile payment infrastructure, and the client (consumer) front end. The payment
schema can be owned by the retailer, provided by an ACH provider, or based on current
card or operator infrastructures. The mobile payment infrastructure provides the business
logic required to link the front end with the payment schema and allows the consumer to
choose a specific method of payment. The front end can be based on messaging, a
browser, or an app.

preserved.
Mobile remote payments can use a variety of mobile phone data channels to initiate a
transaction. 33 Most mobile phones deployed over the last 5 years are equipped with the
functionality to enable remote mobile payments.
Mobile remote payment applications typically employ one of three approaches: SMS
messages, a mobile browser that accesses a mobile Web site, or an Internet-based
alternative payment provider. These approaches are described in more detail in the
following sections.
5.1.1.1 Message-Based Payment
SMS is the technology used most often for mobile payment, mainly because of its
ubiquity and ease of use. A consumer sends a payment request to a common short code,
or CSC (a telephone number), and a premium charge is applied to the consumer’s phone
bill or mobile wallet. Several SMS or MMS exchanges with the retailer are usually
required to complete a transaction. The retailer is informed that the payment has
succeeded and can then release the item purchased to the consumer. Ordering and
confirmation use SMS; delivery of rich content uses MMS or a link through which
content is downloaded. MMS can also deliver bar codes to the consumer, which can then
be scanned to confirm payment and match the consumer to the item purchased.
The advantages of an SMS implementation are that it requires no investment in a mobile
network or user devices and can be completed within a short time. The disadvantage is
that users need to memorize a command and a short code (which can vary by
transaction), and the level of encryption is defined by the mobile network and therefore
typically minimal.
Items purchased using SMS implementations are usually digital, because typically a
trusted delivery address has not been given. Commonly purchased items include music,
ringtones, and wallpapers.
SMS payments were popular in the early stages of mobile payment. However, they may
not provide the best long term option for the following reasons:
1. Poor reliability. Payment can easily fail if messages are lost.
2. Slowness. Sending messages can be slow, and it can take hours for a retailer to
receive a payment. Consumers do not want to wait for more than a few seconds.
3. Lack of security. SMS encryption ends at the radio interface, resulting in a plain
text message.
4. High costs. Many high costs are associated with this method of payment,
including the costs of setting up short codes and paying for the delivery of media,
and the customer support required to account for messages that are lost or
delayed.
5. Low payout rates. The high costs to operators of running and supporting
transactional payments result in payout rates to retailers as low as 30 percent.
33
Candidate data channels use SMS, WAP, or USSD protocols.
preserved.
6. Low follow-on sales. Once the payment message has been sent and the goods
received, there is little else the consumer can do. It is difficult for consumers to
remember where something was purchased or how to buy it again, which also
makes it difficult to tell a friend.
7. Poor risk management and no protection for consumers or retailers. Operators
provide no risk management for purchases made using a mobile billing system,
and retailers are not guaranteed to receive their money, despite confirmation from
the operator billing systems that the charge has been applied. Consumers receive
no purchase protection and must contact the mobile operator to dispute any
charge. Merchant settlement typically takes place after the consumer pays their
mobile bill, which can delay payment for 30–90 days.
Even with these shortcomings, it is predicted that SMS will maintain its position as the
most popular technology for delivering mobile payments through 2012. 34
5.1.1.2 Browser-Based Payment
Browser-based payment relies on a consumer using the mobile phone's browser to access
a Web page to make a payment. Sensitive data can be communicated securely over SSL.
The mobile experience is very similar to the computer-based experience, with the
resulting benefits:
1. Follow-on sales. Mobile browser-based payments can lead the consumer back to
the retailer's URL, making future access or sharing with friends easier.
2. Familiar user interface. Consumers appreciate the quickness and predictability of
the payment pages. In addition, a mobile payment is as easy to make as a PC
payment, because the Web pages and processes are familiar.
This approach involves several implementation challenges:
• Gartner estimated in 2008 that mobile Web users account for only 16 percent of
mobile users in North America and 28 percent of mobile users in Western
Europe. 35
• Mobile Internet is perceived by consumers to be expensive.
• In research conducted by Nielsen Mobile in April 2008, 23 percent of respondents
cited air-time charges as a reason for not engaging in mobile commerce. 36
• Small devices make entering payment information tedious.
5.1.1.3 Payment Using Internet-Based Alternative Payment Providers
Alternative payment providers, such as PayPal, BillMeLater, Amazon, and Secure Vault
Payments, were originally developed to facilitate Internet purchases and bill payment.
However, the leading alternative payment providers already include mobile purchase
capabilities, and it is likely that all providers will support mobile payments in the near
34
Gartner, “Dataquest Insight: Mobile Payment 2007-2012,” April 27, 2009, G00168197.
35
Ibid.
36
Ibid.
preserved.
future. Adoption rates for alternative payment methods have continued to increase, and
industry analysts project an even higher market share in the next 3 years.
The traditional business case arguments for Internet retailers to offer multiple payment
types include lower shopping cart abandonment rates, additional sales, and lower
transaction costs. These same arguments apply to mobile purchases. The consumer with
an Internet-capable phone can browse the Web to shop at optimized Web sites that
provide simple navigation for the mobile device, or in some cases, retailers can push
product information using SMS. The consumer can select a link that leads to a check-out
screen. The payment provider commonly offers a more convenient form of authorization.
This authorization usually takes the form of a shorter pass code or account identifier,
which is issued to the consumer on request.
Risks can be associated with these types of payments and, as a result, larger ticket items
or those that tend to be subject to higher fraud rates may not eligible for alternative
payments. In addition, using these payment types for POS purchases can require a
consumer to perform several actions to complete the payment request. However, it is
likely that as the mobile infrastructure continues to develop, and with the introduction of
new roles such as the trusted service manager (TSM), hybrid solutions will be developed
that offer consumers several alternative payment options.
5.1.2 Use Case
A project currently in progress uses mobile remote payment for consumable goods. The
objective of the service is to offer customers the ability to order and pay in one process,
such as for a drive-through pickup transaction, for a delivery, or to avoid a line at a POS.
Actions such as sign up, top up, and presetting favorite menus/combos can be done using
the Web, WAP, or a native application, enabling spontaneous use. (Customers who use
WAP, browser-based, or native app transaction processes for ordering and payments have
more options available to them than customers who use the SMS-based payment
process.)
The service offers coupons and split-tender payments among coupons, as well as stored-
value, credit, and debit payments. At signup, the consumer creates a password and
selects various payment settings (e.g., additional phone numbers assigned to the account).
The customer can initiate the process by using SMS, reloading a WAP page, or launching
a native app.
There are no metrics as yet, nor is the messaging text used final. The implementation
uses CellPoint Mobile mPoint, and Mobile Enterprise Framework (MEF) technology,
coupled with a third party PSP. The system is installed at the client data center and
integrated with the business intelligence (BI), enterprise resource planning (ERP),
finance, and POS systems.
5.1.2.1 SMS Transaction Process
The SMS-based transaction process is typically appropriate for transactions of $30 or
less. A mobile originator (MO) message designating the order and location/delivery
address is sent to the common short code. A confirmation mobile terminated (MT)
message is returned to the customer, detailing the order, price, and location, and
preserved.
including a final confirmation request. The customer sends an MO message confirming

the order and payment (the word “yes). The transaction is completed and an MT message
is sent confirming payment and conveying an estimated pickup/delivery time.
Figure 36 illustrates the exchange.
Figure 36: SMS Transaction Process
The transaction includes the following steps:

1. MO “Plenty” sent to 30100.
2. MT: “Your order for one family size xxxx, 2 sides of xxxx, one small xxx for
delivery has been received. Total is $28.45. Please respond ‘YES’ to this message
to complete order and submit payment. Your order ID is xxxxxxxx.”
3. MO: “YES”
4. MT: “Your payment has been received; estimated delivery time for your order is
30 min. Thank you for your business. For questions regarding this order, please
respond to this message with ‘HELP’ or click on the link or phone number below.
Your transaction ID is xxxxx.”
If the order value exceeds $30, a WAP link is embedded in the MT message. The link
loads a secure page on which a password can be entered to verify payment.
5.1.2.2 WAP- or Browser-Based Transaction Process
The WAP- or browser-based transaction process is appropriate for any transaction. An
MO message containing the keyword “ORDER” is sent to the common short code. An
MT message is returned that contains a WAP link (or a WAP push, depending on the
carrier and handset; the iPhone does not support WAP push), which loads a selection
page. The customer makes the desired selections and finalizes the order by selecting a
payment method and entering a password. The order is confirmed both in the browser
and by SMS.
As an alternative, a previously received WAP link or push can be reactivated to initiate
ordering.

preserved.
5.1.2.3 Native Application Transaction Process

The native application transaction process is appropriate for any transaction. The
customer launches the application, and selection and payment are performed from within
the application. Payment pages are embedded, and no payment data is stored on the
device.
5.1.3 Mobile Remote Payment Pilots and Commercial Initiatives
Table 19 summarizes examples of commercial mobile payment initiatives.
Table 19: Remote Mobile Payment Pilots and Initiatives
Location Participant Status Description
Sweden SL Commercial Mobile ticketing using PSMS.
Denmark DSB Commercial Mobile ticketing using PSMS and iPhone.
Denmark CellPoint Mobile Commercial Mobile payment using SMS, WAP, and
native app, based on PSMS, WAP billing,
stored payment card, and stored value
account.
Denmark Den Blå Avis (e-Bay) Commercial Mobile payment using PSMS.
Denmark Nordjylland Commercial Mobile ticketing using PSMS.

Trafikselskab
Denmark Saxo.com Commercial m-commerce using WAP, including card-

based mobile payment.
Europe DIBS Commercial Mobile payment based on stored payment

card accessible using WAP.
Scandinavia EasyPark Commercial Mobile parking using an IVR.
Europe PayEx Commercial Mobile payment based on stored payment

card, stored value account, or premium
SMS accessible using WAP.
Northern Siemens Commercial Mobile parking using an IVR.

Europe
United States Verrus Commercial Mobile parking using an IVR.
Austria SyBase365 (Paybox) Commercial WAP.
Netherlands RaboBank Pilot SMS.
Norway/UK LUUP Commercial International remittance using SMS;

launched in a number of markets, including
Germany and Dubai.

preserved.
United States OboPay Commercial Person-to-person and person-to-merchant

using SMS based on a closed-loop stored
value account.
India Nokia Commercial Deposit and withdraw money from a

network of agents using Nokia Money
(based on OboPay technology), with an
initial launch in India.
United States Starbucks Pilot Mobilization of prepaid loyalty card for the
iPhone using 2-D barcode technology.
Kenya mPesa Commercial Deposit and withdraw money from a

network of agents.
Tanzania mPesa Commercial Deposit and withdraw money from a

network of agents.
Afghanistan mPesa Commercial Deposit and withdraw money from a

network of agents.
Global Apple Commercial App Store/iTunes based on stored payment

card.
Spain La Caxia Commercial Mobile ticketing based on payment card

using the iPhone.
Italy PosteMobile/Telepark Commercial Mobile parking.
United States PayPal Commercial Ability to check accounts and transfer funds
service to other PayPal accounts (PayPal Mobile
and PayPal iPhone application). PayPal
Bump application allows iPhone users to
transfer funds by "bumping" devices.
Primarily a consumer-to-consumer
payment method.
United States 1-800-Flowers Application Special selection of best-selling items (from

flowers to gourmet foods), streamlined
browsing and checkout, full-sized images,
complete descriptions, and integration with
the customer's address book. Application
also delivers exclusive offers for mobile
users, secure local wallet and transaction
processes, and integration with the
customer's account. The app was built for
three operating systems: iPhone,
Blackberry and Android.*

preserved.
United States Tommy Hilfiger Application Browse collections, use search and filters
to find the latest styles by category, size or
price range. Pan and zoom images to view
details, add to a shopping cart, and check
out with quick-fill capabilities for entering
shipping and billing information.*
* Retail Info Systems News, "Four Retailers Win RIS Mobile App of the Year Awards," April 9, 2010,
http://www.risnews.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=2
E3DABA5396D4649BABC55BEADF2F8FD&tier=4&id=9E8F423FE882470CBB8D24F7BFE6D92F
5.1.4 Implementation Strategies

Mobile remote payment options are generally a core component of the m-commerce
portion of a retailer’s mobile strategy. m-commerce optimizes services for the mobile
phone and extends accessibility to a retailer’s goods, as consumers typically have their
mobile phones within easy reach. Like e-commerce, m-commerce focuses on allowing a
consumer to purchase goods from a retailer when the consumer is not in the retailer’s
store. And like e-commerce initiatives, m-commerce initiatives must be properly
integrated into the retailer’s back-office environment, to facilitate complete visibility into
all payment transactions.
m-commerce (and mobile remote payment) offerings should therefore be launched on a
centralized platform dedicated to handling, aggregating, and abstracting all
communication in the mobile channel. This approach will not only bring mobile
applications to market quickly, it will also ensure that m-commerce applications in
particular benefit from the central mobile platform’s integration with core back-office
systems.
For example, m-commerce applications developed for each of the mobile channel’s three
subchannels (messaging, browser-based, and applications), which are three very different
operating environments based on a central mobile platform, can all benefit from the
central platform’s integration with core systems such as POS, finance, and CRM. This
approach means that each application will only need to integrate with the back-office
systems specific to that particular application, thereby reducing development time and
lowering the total cost of ownership.
5.1.4.1 Integration Points
It is feasible to base mobile applications on a centralized infrastructure that handles
common tasks across the subchannels. For m-commerce applications in particular, the
central platform should include a mobile remote payment module that can handle
common payment-related operations, including:
• Connecting to the retailer’s payment service provider for card-based payments
• Connecting to the ACH clearing systems for ACH transactions
• Connecting to the retailer’s loyalty system for stored-value account-based
payments or offering its own stored value account

preserved.
The central mobile platform should ensure compliance with regulatory requirements
(such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard [PCI DSS]) for each of these
payment methods to minimize the PCI overhead. It is not reasonable to expect each of a
retailer’s m-commerce applications to handle PCI compliance. Figure 37 illustrates the
integration points for mobile applications developed for the different subchannels.
Figure 37: Integration of Mobile Applications Using Different Subchannels with the
Retailer's Back Office
As illustrated in Figure 37, the central mobile infrastructure acts as an intermediary

between the different subchannels in the mobile channel and the mobile applications. The
mobile infrastructure receives all requests from the different clients and converts them to
a simplified format before forwarding each request to the correct application.
Additionally, the central infrastructure is integrated with relevant parts of the retailer’s
back office, such as CRM or finance systems, providing complete visibility into all
transactions. Finally, the mobile infrastructure handles the connection to the retailer’s
PSP, providing m-commerce applications with a secure, PCI-compliant standard
approach to handling mobile remote payment. The m-commerce applications integrate
with other relevant parts of the retailer’s back office, probably through an enterprise
service bus (ESB) (as illustrated in Figure 37) to retrieve and update relevant data. The
back office systems with which m-commerce applications will most likely be integrated

preserved.
include supply chain management systems (to update stock availability), CRM systems
(to update customer information), and ERP systems (to retrieve product information).
The mobile infrastructure must be able to handle ESB operations for legacy environments
when there is no centralized service bus, as illustrated in Figure 38.
Figure 38: Mobile Infrastructure that Handles ESB Operations
5.1.4.2 Centralized Mobile Infrastructure

The centralized mobile infrastructure must handle a number of tasks common to
communication in the mobile channel. The tasks listed below exemplify the wide range
of requirements:
• Mobile connectivity for sending and receiving SMS or MMS messages with
automatic failover between carrier connections to provide full redundancy, either
through an aggregator or direct MNO connectivity (Figure 39).

preserved.
Figure 39: Mobile Infrastructure Managing MNO Connectivity
• Routing of incoming and outgoing requests across the different subchannels.

Routing can be based on a number of different variables, including keyword,
carrier, sender, URL, and operation.
• Subchannel cross enablement to enable the transition between mobile
subchannels.
In other words, if a consumer initiates contact using a messaging service, the
infrastructure should be able to leverage available browser-based or native-app
based services or both. Furthermore, the infrastructure must be able to “down-
grade” in situations where the MNO network loses data service, defaulting to
messaging as the lowest common denominator
• Storing mobile device characteristics (in a device repository), such as supported
image, sound, and markup formats, supported J2ME version, and CLDC/MIDP
versions.
• Capability detection for ensuring that the device repository is automatically
updated with information for new device models.
• Optimizing capabilities for tasks such as automatically preloading and resizing
images and in-lining CSS files.
• Cache control that provides automatic support for HTTP caching features to
ensure that the same image does not need to be fetched multiple times.
• Life-cycle management to ensure that the consumer downloads the correct mobile
application.
• Version control so that the infrastructure can serve as a mobile configuration
management database (mCMDB) that stores different versions of each application
and associates them with the supported devices.

preserved.
• Complete audit trail tracking across all mobile applications, for both messaging
and data communication.
• Billing to associate transactions with the relevant application, thereby providing
finance with a complete traffic report organized by each of the retailer’s
departments.
• Statistic recording, to further increase the level of detail by associating
transactions with a specific application, carrier, and price.
• Transformation between different data formats to simplify integration with the
retail environment.
• Integration into the retail environment, including integration into security and
surveillance systems as well as standard back-office applications such as CRM
and finance.
To support mobile remote payment in particular, the platform should support several of
the following features:
• Carrier billing, such as premium SMS or WAP billing, through integration with
the wireless carrier’s billing systems.
• Payment card-based billing, to allow the retailer to benefit from the payment
infrastructure that is currently commonly used and trusted for e-commerce.
• Stored payment cards, to ensure that an optimal user experience can be offered
and to enable familiar e-commerce features such as one-click shopping.
• Stored value accounts, to offer retailers improved cash flow by allowing
consumers to create prepaid accounts as an integrated part of the payment flow.
• Loyalty points, to allow retailers to provide returning customers with a powerful
incentive to make additional purchases.
• Integration with legacy retail systems such as loyalty systems or retailer-branded
card systems.
5.2 Mobile Contactless Payment

Mobile contactless payment leverages the financial industry’s contactless payment
infrastructure and NFC technology. The NFC-enabled phone is provisioned with a
version of the payment application and account offered by the consumer’s payment
account issuer. To pay, the consumer simply brings the phone to within a few inches of
the POS system. The payment account information is sent over a radio frequency from
the phone to the POS, and the transaction occurs. The process is the same as that used by
the contactless credit and debit cards currently being deployed.
Mobile contactless payments can be made at both attended POS locations (such as stores)
and unattended locations (such as vending machines). NFC-enabled mobile contactless
payment uses the existing payments processing infrastructure. There is no need to set up
payment processes or accounts with a third party, and the mobile contactless payment
data is linked directly to a consumer payment account from a trusted issuer. Payment
processing remains unchanged, with the payment data being sent though existing
networks and following existing arrangements for the payment type used.
preserved.
5.2.1 Payment Options and Enhancements

Implementing mobile contactless payment by leveraging NFC-enabled phones offers
great potential for new payment options.
To encourage widespread use of the NFC phone as a payment device, the phone can be
equipped with a mobile wallet. A mobile wallet allows a consumer to download,
organize, and use multiple payment accounts and cards—either bank- or merchant-
branded—from the mobile phone. Consumers carry their payment choices on the phone
and choose a payment option from the mobile wallet at the time of purchase, just as they
do using a physical wallet or purse. Mobile wallet software can be preloaded on the
phone or downloaded from an application store or from a bank-recommended site.
Figure 40 illustrates a mobile wallet.
Figure 40: Mobile Phone with Wallet Software
The payment accounts and cards on an NFC phone can be thought of as “soft cards." The
images of the soft cards displayed by the wallet software can incorporate the card issuer’s
branded look and feel, as on a plastic card. The images can be displayed at the time of a
purchase, to allow consumers to choose a payment account or card using the mobile
wallet.
A mobile wallet gives consumers flexibility in choosing a payment option and can
support a variety of use cases. For example:
• The wallet can be set up with a consumer-defined default payment card that is
used unless the consumer selects a different card. To use the default card to
complete a transaction, the consumer simply holds the mobile phone close to a
contactless POS terminal.
• The wallet can be set up to support issuer-defined rules for when to require
additional consumer authentication (e.g., a pass code). The requirement for
additional consumer authentication can be determined transaction by transaction,

preserved.
using the two-way communication capability between the POS and the mobile
phone.
• The wallet can be set up to allow the POS terminal to prompt the wallet to use a
specific payment card in the wallet (e.g., a store-branded card). The consumer
would still have to confirm that selection.
The payment application, issuer’s secret key, and consumer's financial information, such
as an account number and expiration date, are stored in the NFC phone's secure element
(which provides hardware-based cryptography for data security37 ). Depending on the
implementation, the secure element can be:
• A secure smart card chip (similar to the one used for contactless payment cards or
EMV contact smart cards)
• The memory of the phone’s subscriber identity module (SIM), enhanced with
further security to meet payment industry requirements
• An add-on accessory, such as a sticker, microSD card, or phone sleeve
Location of the secure element in a phone is still being debated by the financial industry
and may vary by mobile network type (SIM-based vs. non-SIM based). 38 Regardless, the
secure element is certified by the payment brands and ensures that the consumer's
payment account information and issuer data are stored securely and can only be used for
authorized applications. Vendors are starting to offer SIMs with additional cryptographic
capability that allow for secure storage of not only the consumer's payment account
information, but also the branded contactless payment applications being supported by
the financial industry (such as MasterCard PayPass or Visa payWave).
Figure 41 is an example of an NFC-enabled mobile phone provisioned with wallet
software and a secure element.
37
While the secure element may vary by mobile network, in most cases it will be implemented as a smart
card chip. Smart or "chip" cards are used globally in payments, identity, security, and telecommunications
applications. The subscriber identity module in a GSM phone is a smart card, and the EMV ("chip and
PIN") credit and debit cards being issued in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Canada are smart cards.
Smart cards have built-in tamper resistance and the unique ability to store large amounts of data securely,
carry out their own on-card functions (e.g., encryption and digital signature), and interact intelligently with
a smart card reader.
38
"Alternatives for Banks to Offer Secure Mobile Payments," Mobey Forum white paper, March 2010,
http://www.mobeyforum.org/?page=white-paper-alternatives-for-banks
preserved.
Figure 41: Example of NFC-Enabled Mobile Phone Provisioned with Wallet and
Secure Element
Consumers could request that soft cards be issued OTA by clicking a few buttons on their
NFC-enabled phones and identifying themselves to the issuers as the correct account
holder. The soft cards would then be downloaded over the mobile network from the card
issuer, facilitated by a TSM, and stored in the mobile phone's secure element. Enhanced
OTA management capabilities could enable issuers to activate cards or cancel lost, stolen,
or over-limit cards. (Section 5.2.3 provides additional details on the mobile contactless
payment flow and the participants in a payment transaction.)
Pilots implementing mobile contactless payment have focused on implementing credit
and debit card payment that leverages the current contactless payment acceptance
infrastructure. However, mobile contactless payment is not limited to this infrastructure.
For example, an NFC pilot, conducted in the San Francisco Bay area in January–May
2008 by Sprint, First Data, and ViVOtech, tested an NFC phone wallet loaded with a
BART transit card and a Jack in the Box prepaid card. Both coexisted in the wallet and
could be used to ride BART trains and pay for meals at Jack in the Box restaurants.
Figure 42 illustrates the wallet used in this trial.

preserved.
Figure 42: NFC Phone Wallet Used in BART/Jack in the Box Pilot Program
5.2.2 Retailer Advantages

NFC solves one of the most critical problems retailers face today with magnetic stripe-
based retailer cards: wallet share. Once a retailer motivates its customers to download a
retailer-branded card to their NFC phones, customers will always carry that card with
their phone. Based on early NFC field trials and multiyear data from Japan (where 67
percent of all mobile subscribers own payment-capable phones 39 ), customers tend to use
their mobile phones to pay for purchases more often than a physical wallet. Moreover,
NFC phones can offer consumers more choice and convenience in selecting different
payment methods.
In addition, NFC-enabled phones work with the existing contactless POS infrastructure,
and transactions are treated in the same way as transactions that use contactless credit and
debit cards. However, greater opportunities are available to the retailer when NFC
technology is added to the contactless POS reader. NFC enables true two-way
interaction, allowing the POS terminal to “send back” information to the mobile handset.
Retailers can use this information for a variety of new applications—for example, to
return or redeem coupons, update loyalty point totals that can then be displayed on the
phone, target promotions to individual consumer tastes, and send receipts. The business
case for eliminating or reducing paper versions of coupons and receipts may be enough to
justify any additional costs to the reader hardware. The retailer also sees value from
perceived eco-friendly practices, avoiding paper-based solutions.
5.2.3 Mobile Payments Ecosystem 40
Mobile contactless transactions require collaboration among payment account issuers, the
MNO, and other stakeholders in the mobile payments ecosystem, including a trusted third
party who manages the deployment of mobile applications (the TSM).
5.2.3.1 Information Flow
Figure 43 illustrates the information flow when an issuer provisions a consumer’s
payment account information to an NFC-enabled phone and the consumer uses the phone
39
Impress, "K-tai White Paper 2010."
40
Smart Card Alliance, "Security of Proximity Mobile Payments," May 2009
preserved.
to make a mobile contactless payment. The solid arrows indicate payment-related

transactions; the hollow arrows indicate actions related to consumer personalization. A
consumer can choose to download wallet software to create a better user interface for
managing and using payment options.
As the figure shows, the payment account issuer prepares the account data and sends the
payment account information to a TSM. The TSM delivers the consumer's payment
account information OTA through the mobile network to the secure element in the
mobile phone. Once the payment account data is stored in the phone, the consumer uses
the phone for payment at any retailer who accepts contactless payments. Payments are
processed over established payment networks, with credits and debits to the appropriate
accounts.
Figure 43: Mobile Contactless Transactions: Provisioning and Purchase
5.2.3.2 Transaction Participants

Each party to the transaction has specific responsibilities, described here generically.
Payment types can include a variety of payment methods, including network-branded
credit and debit cards, private label credit cards, prepaid cards, gift cards, loyalty points,
coupons, and ACH/electronic checks.
Payment Account Issuer
The payment account issuer provides a consumer's payment account information to a
TSM for provisioning in the consumer's phone. The issuer determines what procedure is
used to activate the account by the consumer.
Trusted Service Manager
A TSM can offer a single point of contact with one or more mobile operators for issuers
and retailers who want to provide a payment or other application to customers with NFC-
enabled mobile phones. TSMs can provide life-cycle management services
preserved.
(provisioning/deprovisioning) for NFC applications managed OTA to the mobile phone

and also aggregate, send, and load personal consumer data OTA. (This role parallels the
role played by card personalization service providers for credit and debit payment cards.)
The TSM can be a trusted third party, financial institution, MNO, or some combination of
these players. Because the TSM does not participate in processing the payment
transaction, existing payment processing business models can be maintained.
For branded credit and debit transactions, both MasterCard and Visa have strict
requirements for entities that wish to act as TSMs. All TSMs are subject to security
audits before being authorized to process the delivery of payment card data to a mobile
device. An important TSM responsibility is to communicate payment information from
the financial institution to the consumer's mobile device securely. Without proper key
management and security, the entire system can be exposed to attack and systemic fraud.
Mobile Network Operator
The MNO can assume multiple functions and responsibilities in the mobile payment
ecosystem. One of the functions is to make approved NFC-enabled handsets available to
the MNO’s subscriber base. The MNO assumes the role of secure element issuer, in the
case of the UICC secure element, and can also assume the role of secure element issuer
for other secure element form factors.
As the secure element issuer, the MNO assumes the responsibility for ensuring the
security of the secure element, a function it can delegate to the TSM assigned to manage
the secure element. This security responsibility also involves the communications
channel between the TSM and the secure element. If the MNO has chosen to fulfill the
role of the TSM, it also implements the TSM functions.
Retailers
Consumers pay with their NFC-enabled mobile phones at a retailer's contactless POS.
The information is communicated over a radio frequency from the phone to the POS,
using ISO/IEC standard 14443, and then processed through the appropriate payments
processing network for the type of payment chosen (e.g., credit, debit, gift card, ACH).
5.2.4 Use Cases for Mobile Contactless Payment
During the last two decades, retailers have struggled with the wallet share represented by
their cards. Customers simply do not carry all of the plastic cards issued to them. They
have learned to carry only the payment cards that they can use at a variety of retailer
locations. Thus, the wallet-share war has mostly been won by open-loop branded
payment cards as opposed to closed-loop retailer-branded cards.
The NFC-enabled mobile phone can change the consumer's wallet. The ability to reduce
transaction fees by offering alternative (nonbranded) payment options using NFC mobile
contactless payment may represent a business case for retailers. Various payment options
can be carried in NFC-enabled mobile phones to help retailers reduce their transaction
costs, including:
• Alternate payment options, including ACH and prepaid cards
• Private label credit, prepaid, or gift cards

preserved.
• Cobranded retailer cards

• PIN debit cards
• Lower fee-based branded cards
Retailers may therefore be able to drive higher acceptance rates of their preferred
payment options than is possible with plastic cards. Once a retailer-preferred payment
card is issued to a customer's NFC-enabled mobile phone, the customer always carries
that payment card with the phone.
NFC mobile contactless payment can deliver additional value propositions to retailers:
•Reduced paper costs and printer maintenance costs; digital receipts and coupons
are delivered to the mobile phone electronically
• Reduced operational costs and sales loss; time in line is decreased because the
retailer offers a simpler way to pay
• Increased customer participation in loyalty programs, especially if such programs
are integrated with the retailer's preferred payment card
• Stronger one-on-one marketing and promotion programs driven through
integration with a preferred payment card
• Higher sales and improved customer service driven by offering innovative
merchandising programs through the mobile phone
All of these value propositions will enrich the business case beyond transaction cost
savings for retailers who accept payments from NFC-enabled mobile phones at the POS.
5.2.5 Mobile Contactless Payments Pilots and Commercial Initiatives
Table 20 lists selected NFC mobile contactless payments pilot programs.
Table 20: NFC Mobile Contactless Payments: Selected Pilots 41
United States Sheetz, Wright Pilot Drivers used Sheetz Fleet Business Advantage Card
Express, completed loaded onto NFC-enabled mobile phones to make fuel
ViVOtech in May and convenience store purchases at Sheetz locations.
2009 http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/cont
ent_display/supermarket-industry-
news/e3i7ee3d207fbb1fda3276468ecc9b11b2b
41
NFC and Contactless Mobile Projects Resource, http://www.nfctimes.com/nfc-projects, lists 118
pilot projects
preserved.
United States US Bank, Pilot 6-month trial with US Bank associates and students at
(Washington) McDonald's, Jack completed; Gonzaga University using MasterCard PayPass payment
in the Box, 7- launched in application in NFC-enabled phone
Eleven, Vending Jan. 2008 http://www.nfctimes.com/project/us-us-bank-tests-paypass
at Gonzaga
University,
Venyon,
MasterCard,
Nokia (6131)
United States Sprint, BART, Pilot 4-month NFC pilot. Consumers could use stored value
(California) Jack in the Box, completed; accounts to pay at Jack in the Box, pay transit fares, and
ViVOtech, launched in tap smart posters to get special offers and directions to the
Samsung, Cubic, Jan. 2008 nearest Jack in the Box.
Western Union, http://www.nfctimes.com/project/us-multiapp-trial-involves-
NXP, Acumen transit-agency-fast-food-restaurant
Transit, BAH, First
Data
United States Cellular South, Pilot 3-month NFC pilot with 50 retailers; MasterCard PayPass
(Mississippi, Bank of America, completed; application on NFC-enabled mobile phone.
Tennessee) MasterCard, launched in http://www.nfctimes.com/project/usa-small-telco-handset-
ViVOtech, June 2007 maker-trial-nfc
Obopay, Kyocera
United States Cingular, Citi, Pilot 6-month pilot with MasterCard PayPass application on
(New York) G&D, Venyon, completed; NFC-enabled mobile phone. Consumers could use phone
ViVOtech, launched in at contactless-enabled retailers and on the NYC Transit
MasterCard, NXP, Jan. 2007 subway.
Nokia http://www.nfctimes.com/project/us-citi-tests-tapping-
subway-fares-nyc
Citi is reported to be launching a sticker-based product in
2010.
United States First Data, Tyfone, Prepilot Organizations are announcing support for NFC microSD
Visa, cards to enable mobile contactless payment prior to NFC-
DeviceFidelity enabled phones being available.
• First Data announced plans to offer Tyfone's NFC
microSD cards for mobile contactless payments.
http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/20
10/03/16/33237/first-data-to-offer-tyfones-sidetap-
nfc-microsd-cards-will-run-first-trials-in-us-from-
mid-2010/
• Visa and DeviceFidelity announced plans to offer
the Visa PayWave contactless payment with
DeviceFidelity's NFC microSD card.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1592422/
visa-sticks-nfc-microsd-card.

preserved.
Canada Rogers, Royal Pilot Pilot with RBC, Visa, and Rogers using SIM-based NFC
Bank of Canada, completed, mobile phones with Visa payWave credit card application.
Visa, Gemalto, Sept. 2009 Consumers made everyday purchases at local merchants.
Motorola http://www.nfctimes.com/project/canada-royal-bank-
canada-and-rogers-wireless-test-paywave
Canada Bank of Montreal, Pilot in Pilot with BMO, MasterCard, and RIM associates using
MasterCard, G&D, process; contactless PayPass stickers attached to a Blackberry
INSIDE launched in smartphone. Users can pay with the sticker and get
Contactless, RIM Nov. 2009 confirmation e-mail messages for each transaction sent to
Blackberry their phones.
http://www.nfctimes.com/project/canada-mastercard-and-
bank-tests-paypass-sticker-blackberrys
Canada Bell Canada, Pilot in Pilot using contactless stickers that are linked to the
Rogers, Telus, process; prepaid Zoompass mobile cash account. Subscribers can
EnStream, launched in make purchases at any contactless-enabled retailer.
Peoples Trust Feb. 2010 http://www.nfctimes.com/project/canada-telco-joint-
Bank, venture-trials-contactless-stickers
MasterCard, G&D, http://blog.zoompass.com/2010/03/03/the-zoompass-tag-
INSIDE and-your-mobile-phone-all-you-need-to-make-purchases/
Contactless
UK O2, Transport for Pilot Consumers were able to use Oyster and Visa payWave
London, completed on a Nokia 6131 NFC-enabled mobile phone to pay for
Barclaycard, Visa in May public transport and retail purchases.
Europe, TranSys, 2008 http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/content/o2-
Nokia, AEG launches-major-london-nfc-trial
http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/content/o2-
hails-nfc-trial-success
Spain Telefonica, Visa, Pilot 6-month trial with consumers able to use their NFC-
La Caixa, announced enabled phones to make purchases at 500 shops in
Samsung in Feb. Sitges, with plans to extend the trial to Barcelona.
2010 http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2010/02/11
/32661/telefonica-announces-nfc-trial-in-sitges-spain/
Colombia Redeban Pilot Pilot to be launched in the first quarter of 2011 in Bogota,
Multicolor, Comcel announced with POS terminals accepting PayPass transactions from
in May NFC-enabled mobile phones.
2010 http://www.nfctimes.com/news/paypass-nfc-trial-planned-
colombia

preserved.
Australia Telstra, National Pilot 3-month pilot with consumers able to pay with NFC-
Australia Bank, completed enabled mobile phones.
Visa in Nov. http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2009/02/24
2008 /3780/australias-first-nfc-trial-hailed-a-success/
Singapore SingTel, NETS, Pilot Subscribers used NFC-enabled mobile phones to pay with
ViVOtech, Nokia, completed; NETS e-purse at contactless enabled retailers, download
NXP launched coupons from smart posters and redeem them at the
July 2008 POS, and top up mNETS cash cards.
http://www.nfctimes.com/project/singapore-singtel-trial-
enables-ota-reloads-nets-purse
India Citi, Vodafone Pilot Consumers used NFC-enabled mobile phones to pay with
Essar, ViVOtech, completed; MasterCard PayPass application and redeemed mobile
Nokia, launched in coupons downloaded from smart posters.
MasterCard June 2009 http://www.nfctimes.com/project/citi-tap-and-pay
Japan KDDI, Orico, Jibun Pilot 8-month trial with consumers able to use NFC-enabled
Bank, Credit launched in mobile phones for a range of applications, including retail
Saison, Aiwai May 2010 payment, cinema ticketing, and mobile ID.
Card Services, http://www.nfctimes.com/project/japan-kddi-launch-
Toho Cinemas, multiapplication-nfc-trial-felica-country
ANA, Japan
Airlines, Toyota
Motor, Gemalto,
Toshiba,
MasterCard
Worldwide,
Hitachi, plus
others
Table 21 lists commercial deployments of NFC mobile contactless technology.
Table 21: NFC Mobile Contactless Payments: Commercial Deployments
Location Participants Description
Ireland Zapa, Irish retailers Subscribers use NFC stickers to download/redeem

(Insomnia, Munchies, coupons, collect/use loyalty points, pay with prepaid
Eddie Rockets, card. Zapa also offers mobile phone application for
Londis) checking account balances.
http://www.zapatechnology.com
Malaysia Maxis, Visa, This was the first commercial launch using the NFC
Maybank phone with an embedded secure element.
http://www.maxis.com.my/mmc/index.asp?fuseaction
=press.view&recID=373

preserved.
France Orange-France, SFR, Nice-based commercial service announced in May

Bouyges Telecom, 2010 with four mobile operators and multiple banks
NRJ Mobile, BNP offering NFC mobile contactless payments for both
Paribas, Credit transit and retail purchases.
Mutuel, Veolia, http://www.nfctimes.com/news/french-make-it-official-
Samsung, Gemalto, nice-nfc-launch
Oberthur
Table 22 lists mobile contactless payment commercial deployments in Asia. The projects
in Table 22 are based on contactless devices that are not considered full-featured NFC
devices (they do not implement all three of the communication technologies mandated by
the NFC Forum). However, the technology used in these projects is a subset of the
technology promoted by the NFC Forum, and the use cases and applications are
essentially the same as a fully NFC-enabled implementation.
Table 22: Other Mobile Contactless Payments: Commercial Deployments
Japan Many: NTT Docomo, 17 million subscribers use Felica-capable mobile

Suica, Edy, Nanaco, phones for contactless payment in railways or stores,
JR East, KDDI, JCB, with over 600,000 stores accepting payment. Payment
Softbank, Willcom is from contactless e-purse accounts (Suica, Edy,
Nanaco, iD). Adoption has been fast, with over 60
million phones in the market in 5 years.
http://www.itif.org/files/2009-mobile-payments.pdf
S. Korea Many: SK Telecom, 63% of citizens have made payments using mobile
KSSC/T-money, LG phones; 3.5 million citizens use mobile phones for
Telecom, KT contactless payments. More than 1 million subscribers
use T-money (electronic cash).
http://www.itif.org/files/2009-mobile-payments.pdf
5.2.6 Implementation Strategies

Retailers who are planning to implement mobile payment must consider certain key
issues. The mobile payment approach should fit into the retailer's overall mobile strategy
and support the retailer’s key business drivers. In addition, the approach should be
forward-looking, to allow for expansion of mobile programs as mobile payment becomes
mainstream. Mobile remote payment and mobile contactless payment require different
considerations.
5.2.6.1 Mobile Contactless Payment
Mobile contactless payment provides an appropriate solution when the primary business
driver for accepting mobile payment at the physical POS is one of the following:
• Enable and drive acceptance of alternative payment types
• Provide better customer experience and convenience in making payments
preserved.
•Move lines faster

•Deliver enhanced customer service by providing personalized coupons, loyalty
points, and receipts to the consumer’s phone
• Increase basket size, reduce cost of sales, or both
• Enable in-store mobile merchandising and product cross-selling
Key considerations for mobile contactless payment implementation include:
1. Whether the retailer currently accepts contactless credit/debit/prepaid payments.
2. Whether a contactless-payments POS infrastructure is currently in place.
Contactless POS terminals that currently accept branded credit/debit/prepaid
contactless cards also accept credit/debit/prepaid contactless payment from NFC-
enabled mobile devices, without requiring any software or hardware changes.
3. Whether there are opportunities for the retailer to use the current contactless POS
solution to accept retailer-branded credit, prepaid, or gift cards (also known as closed-
loop payments), or loyalty cards.
Branded contactless debit cards and coupons/offers can be supported by NFC-
enabled mobile devices.
4. Whether progress is being made within the payments and mobile industries in offering
NFC-enabled phones and developing the business model for TSMs who provide the
infrastructure to download payment applications securely to the consumer's mobile
device (see Section 5.2.8).
5. Whether the retailer has branded credit- or gift-card programs that could be ported to
NFC-enabled mobile phones.
Developing partnerships to move these programs forward can help retailers
influence consumers to use these payment types and realize early benefits from
mobile contactless payments. Retailers can consider offering these cards on NFC-
compatible contactless stickers and begin enabling mobile contactless transactions
for consumers before NFC-enabled mobile phones are commercially available.
6. Whether other consumer-oriented applications are business drivers for mobile (for
example, coupons or loyalty programs).
Retailer ROI can be enhanced by considering incremental sales and cost savings
that can be driven by demand generation programs.
7. Whether the merchant acquirer offers NFC-compatible contactless POS terminals and
can provide assistance in implementing mobile contactless payments.
8. Whether hardware or software changes are needed at the POS to support mobile
contactless payments.
A contactless reader or integrated contactless POS terminal may be required.
Retailers must also consider reader placement, both to drive awareness and to
make it easy for consumers to use their mobile phones for payment. Consumer

preserved.
informational material (e.g., displays that indicate merchant acceptance) may also
be valuable at the POS to promote consumer use of mobile contactless payments.
9. Whether training is required for sales clerks to support the use of phones for payment.
5.2.6.2 Store Requirements to Support Mobile Contactless Payments
One basic requirement for accepting mobile contactless payments is installation of a
contactless payment acceptance infrastructure that, at a minimum, accepts branded (e.g.,
American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa) contactless credit/debit/prepaid cards.
Retailers should also be sure that the contactless payment solution they select can accept
the retailers’ own branded or other closed-loop credit, prepaid, gift, and loyalty cards and
support PIN-enabled ATM/check/debit cards, coupons, vouchers, digital receipts, and
club/membership validations. Even if support for these applications is not currently
required, the contactless POS solution should be capable of supporting these applications
in the future by accepting new software downloads.
Retailers should also consider several additional implications of supporting consumers
who use the mobile phone instead of a card as the payment device:
• Most people can generally access their phones more quickly than they can access
a wallet storing a card.
• Consumers typically have to juggle less material at the POS to complete payment
(i.e., physical wallet, separate payment and loyalty cards, sometimes attached to a
keychain, multiple coupons, split tender transactions requiring multiple payment
cards).
• Paper receipts are unnecessary.
• Consumers are accustomed to paying with a card and can do so fairly
automatically, with little thought. Using a mobile phone to make a payment may
initially take additional thought, depending on how the application is
implemented and the number of keystrokes required (i.e., entering a password to
unlock the phone wallet or payment card).
• Combining payment, loyalty, and coupon redemption in one transaction may
require additional software at the POS and additional interaction with the mobile
device. (This additional interaction will cease to be an issue as the consumer
becomes more familiar with mobile payment and the applications become more
streamlined.)
Taking the above points into consideration, retailer management should address the
following requirements:
• Place the contactless reader on the counter so that it is easily seen as consumers
approach the POS. Consumers can then begin to access their mobile phones
earlier.
• Train cashiers so that they understand the processes for accepting contactless
payments, the authorization processes (if required), and what to do if a transaction
fails.

preserved.
• Perform research, evaluation, and related efforts to employ the most seamless
contactless integration solutions and hardware that also allow for easy future
upgrades.
• Give consideration to minimizing what is required to initiate the payment
application, making it as simple as possible for the consumer.
• Plan properly to incorporate loyalty or other CRM programs into a contactless
payment rollout as part of a phased approach.
5.2.7 Phased Approach for Implementing Mobile Contactless Payments
Although a mobile contactless payment program could initially offer multiple features
and services, the consumer’s ability to change behavior and comprehend and take
advantage of a full-featured contactless experience immediately may be a limiting factor.
In addition, launching a full-featured solution right off the bat can be complex. A
carefully phased approach can fine-tune features and interactions as they are introduced
and used. Adopting a phased approach, however, does not negate the need for good
planning at the beginning to reduce the likelihood that unexpected issues will arise.
Retailers may decide that the following phased implementation approach addresses their
business needs:
• Phase 1: Branded contactless and mobile payments
• Phase 2: Retailers’ own brand or closed-loop payment or loyalty cards
• Phase 3: Redemption of coupons, vouchers, offers, club/membership validation
• Phase 4: Delivery of digital receipts, coupons/promotions, coupon redemption,
or other information from the POS to the mobile phone
A retailer could decide to implement one or more of these phases simultaneously.
It is important that the contactless POS solution chosen to implement whatever phase is
the first phase is a solution that can also support subsequent phases without requiring any
hardware changes.
5.2.8 Roadblocks to Mobile Contactless Payment
Two major roadblocks stand in the way of mobile contactless payment:
1. Cost and ROI of implementing a contactless POS acceptance solution
2. Lack of NFC-enabled mobile phones
Two types of costs are involved in implementing a contactless POS acceptance solution:
the cost of the hardware and software, and the cost of deployment, disruption, and
training. Combining the contactless enablement project with another planned POS
project (for example, implementation of PCI-approved pads or end-to-end encryption)
can cut the cost of implementing the contactless POS solution almost in half. It is also
important for the retailer to consider how compatible the contactless payment
infrastructure will be with any desired future mobile contactless capabilities.
Within the United States, multiple pilot projects have demonstrated strong consumer and
retailer demand for NFC-enabled mobile phones; however, currently such phones are not
preserved.
available commercially. To move forward, the industry has deployed bridge

technologies, which are compatible with and support mobile contactless payment.
Implementing a bridge technology as a solution enables early adoption of mobile
contactless payment (and other contactless functionality) while providing a valuable
education that can improve the retailer’s ability to implement the additional capabilities
offered by NFC-enabled mobile phones successfully when such phones become
commercially available. Implementing a bridge solution offers several additional
advantages for retailers, such as:
• The possibility of use with consumers’ current mobile phones
• Potentially less reliance on a mobile operator for implementation
• More distribution options
The two current bridge solutions are NFC-compatible contactless stickers and NFC
microSD or NFC-enabled iPhone sleeves.
5.2.8.1 NFC-Compatible Contactless Stickers
NFC-compatible contactless stickers provide the following benefits:
• Offer the retailer a flexible, low-cost method for implementing closed-loop
payment, couponing, and loyalty program support
• Enable better wallet share and higher use/participation rates by consumers than a
plastic card
• Emulate some NFC-related features when married to a mobile application through
the cloud
• Enable loyalty or prepaid programs for multiple retailers with a single sticker
• Allow a retailer to brand the sticker and enable the consumer’s current mobile
phone
A retailer-branded sticker can be added at the back of any phone and can also be linked to
optional thick-client wallet software. Figure 44 shows a sample sticker.
Figure 44: NFC Compatible Contactless Sticker
Sticker use also involves certain challenges:

• Limited capabilities compared to active NFC-enabled mobile phones

preserved.
• Limited ability to interface directly with a loaded mobile application

• No requirement that the consumer enable a data plan to use the contactless
functionality, although contactless applications cannot be used unless they are
SMS-based
• Potential competition for physical space on the phone with stickers issued by
other parties
• No ability to support service discovery programs
• No ability to support EMV off-line authorized transactions in markets where
merchant acceptance environments have limited connectivity
• Unclear customer support model if implemented independently of the MNO
• Potential for invalidating the customer's mobile phone warranty
5.2.8.2 NFC MicroSD Card or NFC-enabled iPhone Sleeve
The use of NFC microSD cards or an iPhone sleeve provide the following capabilities
and benefits:
• Directly interact with a related mobile phone application
• Can be configured, locked/unlocked, and accessed through the phone’s keypad
and display
• Can store multiple credit/debit/prepaid/closed loop cards
• Can be provisioned and managed OTA
A microSD card can easily be plugged into a smartphone. Figure 45 illustrates this
approach.
Figure 45: Using an NFC MicroSD Card
This approach also involves certain challenges:

• No current support for service discovery programs (e.g., smart posters).
• Higher cost than a sticker.
• Currently does not work with certain mobile phones. In addition, the phone must
have a microSD card slot.
• Potential for invalidating the customer's mobile phone warranty.
preserved.
5.3 ACH Payment Enabled by Mobile Devices

Retailers who want to provide alternative payment options (whether mobile remote
payments or mobile contactless payments) should consider options that involve the
lowest transaction cost. Many alternative payment options leverage the ACH network to
connect the retailer directly to the consumer’s account for debit processing. NACHA
provides support for mobile payment transactions through upcoming rules and
governance, including transaction codes specifically designed for mobile transactions.
It is important to recognize the difference between a traditional debit ACH transaction
and a mobile “one time” payment. Retailers should be aware of the risks associated with
mobile payments, the steps necessary for security, and the rules applicable to consumer
authorization.
A mobile ACH transaction would be one in which the consumer uses a mobile device to
make a purchase over the Internet or a wireless network. In most instances, the consumer
will have already enrolled or registered with the retailer, typically over the Internet. The
consumer may be prompted upon enrollment or registration to provide information for a
preferred payment method, including Internet ACH, which is processed through the ACH
network using the Standard Entry Class (SEC) code known as WEB. (This code is
assigned to consumer debit transactions in which the consumer’s authorization is
provided over the Internet or a wireless network.)
Consumers can also enroll with a retailer for SMS alerts, which may prompt the
consumer to purchase items based on payment instructions received in an SMS or text
message, authorized when the consumer originally registered or enrolled with the retailer.
When a consumer then chooses to purchase a good or service from the retailer using a
smartphone and a mobile browser, the retailer must authenticate the consumer as the
retailer would in a traditional on-line environment and must also capture an authorization
from the consumer.
Retailers would be able to create profiles for their customers, allowing them to make one-
time or recurring purchases using their mobile devices, based on the original terms and
conditions of the enrollment or registration. NACHA’s operating rules for Internet
consumer debits provide additional risk obligations for retailers to help prevent fraud and
mitigate risk.
5.3.1 Use Case for ACH Mobile Payment Enrollment—POS
The ACH network is a low cost, ubiquitous, and secure choice for mobile payment
transactions performed at a POS device. Figure 46 illustrates the enrollment process.

preserved.
Figure 46: ACH Mobile Payment Enrollment Process
The enrollment process involves the following steps:

1. During the sign-up process, which is often part of enrolling in a customer loyalty
program, the retailer collects basic information from the consumer.
Such information typically includes a name, address, e-mail address, contact
information, and other preferences. The retailer assigns the customer a customer
identifier at this time.
2. The retailer securely collects account information from the customer, which includes
the route and transit number of the customer’s bank and the customer’s demand
deposit account or bank account number.
The retailer may sign an ACH agreement with the customer at this point for ACH
debit authorization.
3. The retailer verifies account ownership and status.
There are several possible verification methods, including check verification
services and low value ACH credit posting. Verification using ACH credits is
often performed by posting two separate payment transactions and requiring the
customer to verify the total amount of the transactions.
4. The retailer activates the mobile payment service by providing the customer’s mobile
device with a payment application that may leverage NFC capabilities, bar code
scanning, or another mobile technology. The application must include a security
feature that requires the customer to authenticate each payment transaction securely.
The application may be provided to the mobile device by download, a distributed
SIM card, or active NFC stickers.
5.4 Other Mobile Payment Pilots and Commercial Initiatives

Table 23 lists two examples of mobile payments that are not categorized as either mobile
remote payments or NFC-enabled mobile contactless payments.

preserved.
Table 23: Mobile Non-Contactless Payment Implementations
United Starbucks Pilot Starbucks Mobile Card is an iPhone application that

States allows the consumer to check balances, register the
Starbucks card, and enjoy rewards. The pilot includes the
ability to use the application to pay at the POS. The
application allows the consumer to enter the Starbucks
Card number, and the phone displays a barcode that can
be used to pay at the POS.
Northern DSB (national Commercial DSB is launching an iPhone-based mobile ticketing

Europe Danish application that allows customers to purchase tickets for
railroad) regional trains and reserve seats. The application is fully
integrated with DSB’s back office, ensuring that
purchases are registered correctly in all relevant back-
office systems. Payment is handled through PCI-
compliant payment software that allows the consumer to
pay with a payment card. Cards can be stored for future
use. Access to stored cards is based on two-factor
authentication. Tickets are delivered both as an image
and as UIC-918-3 compliant 2-D bar codes in AZTEC
format.
5.5 Mobile Payments ROI

ROI calculation is critical to the decision-making process. According to Gartner, a
project with an associated ROI calculation is 60 percent more likely to be approved than
one without, 42 and according to a recent issue of Information Week, more than 82 percent
of IT decisions require an ROI calculation. 43
Mobile payment can generate a significant ROI for retailers. An acceptable ROI does not
require adopting all of the applications described in this blueprint. The ROI model
described in Section 5.5.3 considers the mobile payments application only. Whether an
acceptable ROI is associated with mobile payment only will depend both on consumer
acceptance and on several other factors:
• Adoption by the retail industry
• Adoption by the financial services industry
• Adoption by mobile network operators
• Adoption by trusted service providers
• Government regulations
Early implementation of mobile payment could contribute significantly to a retailer’s
obtaining additional market share. Eventually, mobile payment may be such a
competitive necessity that an ROI decision is irrelevant.
42
Fujitsu, "ROI: Proof, Not Promises," http://www.fujitsu.com/caribbean/news/inthenews/roi.html
43
CIOview, "Business Benefits of Utilizing ROI Analysis,"
http://whitepapers.techrepublic.com.com/abstract.aspx?docid=25936
preserved.
5.5.1 ROI Considerations

Mobile payment has the potential to change the business model for U.S. retailing,
banking, and credit card industries, creating payment methods that include new services
and service providers. The transaction costs for these new payment methods could be
more or less than what retailers currently pay for traditional credit and debit
transactions. 44
New mobile payment methods are expected to incur lower transaction costs, considering
that the ACH alternative is already available. The ROI model in this section estimates
what the savings (or additional costs) might be for each new payment method supported
at the POS.
Which mobile payment methods are supported at the POS will have a direct impact on
costs. For example, if a retailer already has NFC-enabled POS devices and does not plan
to support new payment methods such as ACH, then costs could be zero.
5.5.2 Benefits of Mobile Payment
Mobile payment offers benefits in terms of both increased revenue and reduced
operational costs.
Consumers value alternatives, flexibility, and convenience. Mobile payment options
satisfy all of these consumer requirements. Potential revenue benefits can therefore be
realized in three major areas:
• Increased sales and conversions
• Faster transactions
• Improved customer loyalty
5.5.2.1 Increased Sales and Conversions
Increased sales and conversions are driven by coupons, offers, one-on-one marketing and
promotion programs, and convenience.
Consumers can download coupons by tapping RF tags on smart posters or scanning
product bar codes. Retailers and manufacturers can download promotions based on
consumer purchase history. For example, a consumer buys a printer from an office
supply retailer, who enables promotions to be downloaded for consumables like print
cartridges, paper, labels, and photo paper.
Benefits also include increased cross-sell and up-sell opportunities and increased labor
savings from mobile consumers who check themselves out. In addition, some consumers
in selected product categories may prefer retailers who support mobile payment over
those who do not because of the “cool” factor. Consumers who are "green business"
advocates may prefer retailers who eliminate paper coupons, paper promotions, and paper
receipts. And finally, mobile payments are very convenient: no cash, no plastic, no
paper coupons, no key fobs, no paper receipts—just a secure mobile phone.
44
One lower-cost payment alternative is already available: ACH transactions, which some retailers already
use (for example, PayPal Mobile).
preserved.
5.5.2.2 Faster Transactions

Mobile payment can speed up transactions in a number of ways. No longer must a
consumer fumble with a wallet to find a credit or debit card or cash. In addition, such
transactions eliminate the need to open a cash drawer or make change (for a cash
payment) or insert a credit or debit card, to read the magnetic stripe.
Mobile payment may also result in shorter transaction times by eliminating the
requirement for a signature or a PIN entry in certain situations. Payments linked to
customer loyalty accounts will eliminate the tender process altogether.
5.5.2.3 Improved Customer Loyalty
Another potential benefit of mobile payment is increased customer loyalty. According to
a report from Juniper Research, "Merchants have recognized that, even ahead of their
wallets, people will usually make sure they do not leave home without their mobile
device. The mobile channel offers merchants the opportunity to differentiate from their
competition and acquire customers that become loyal." 45
The mobile payment wallet eliminates the requirement for a credit or debit card (or other
form factor), since consumers register their accounts with their mobile phone numbers.
Retailers can use the registration information to increase consumer direct marketing.
Proximity-based marketing can notify loyalty program customers of promotions about
which they might otherwise be ignorant. (This advantage to mobile payment customers
does need to be balanced with potential dissatisfaction on the part of non-mobile payment
customers who miss out on promotions because they do not participate in the mobile
program.)
Mobile payment also offers consumers improved security (it is no longer possible to lose
a credit card while using it for payment), the possibility for real-time control of money
(budget software is available that can, for example, limit a device-holder, such as a child,
to spending only a certain amount per week), and the ability to review purchase histories.
5.5.2.4 Reduced Operational Costs
Several of the revenue benefits of adopting mobile payment can also reduce operational
costs. Faster transaction times and self-checkout can result in payroll savings and
decreased paper costs (due to digital receipts). In addition, mobile payment can reduce
costs in the following operational areas:
• Coupon redemption processing
• Cash handling, assuming mobile payment replaces some percentage of cash
transactions
• Alternative payment types, assuming mobile payment replaces some percentage
of traditional credit/debit payment options
45
Cellular-news, "Mobile Retail Market to Exceed $12 Billion by 2014," March 9, 2010, http://www.cellular-
news.com/story/42311.php.
preserved.
For quick service restaurants, mobile payment may reduce product waste. If customers
use a mobile device to order what they want before they get to the restaurant, fewer
products must be prepared ahead of time.
5.5.3 ROI Model
To help determine potential ROI, a self-assessment tool was developed in conjunction
with this document that can be used to identify the costs and benefits of supporting
mobile payment and deliver an ROI estimate.
Every retailer’s ROI analysis is unique. Most cost and benefit factors are the same, but
actual cost and benefit amounts are peculiar to each retailer’s situation. The following
ROI model uses a hypothetical example to identify the major cost and benefit factors
related to accepting mobile payments and mobile coupons at the POS. The ROI model
assumes that new technology (such as smart card contactless technology or an NFC-
enabled smartphone) is available at the POS to supplement or be integrated with
traditional card swipe technology.
The model does not consider ramp-up time for consumer adoption. A proof-of-concept
pilot is highly recommended to minimize risk and evaluate consumer reaction.
The ROI model is divided into two major sections: benefit factors and cost factors. Each
section is broken down into more detailed components. Within each section, current state
and future state columns (Figure 47) indicate how revenue and processing costs change.
BENEFIT FACTORS
Current State Future State
1. Sales Information
2. Transaction Payment Information 100% 100%
3. Transaction Payment Processing Cost Factors
4. Annual Transaction Payment Processing Costs
5. Total Benefits
COST FACTORS
1. Store Information
2. Hardware Infrastructure Unit Cost Extended
3. Software Infrastructure
4. Implementation Costs Unit Cost Extended
5. Total Cost
Figure 47: ROI Model Sections
5.5.3.1 Benefit Factors—Sales Information

Table 24 lists the parameters included in the sales information section of the model. This
section allows retailers to enter high-level sales and margin information. If customer
demographics and product categories are prime candidates for incremental sales increases
without changing the current customer base, then projections are entered in the Future
State column as “Incremental % Increase of Sales.” If sales increases will result from the
acquisition of new customers, projections are entered in the Future State column as
“Incremental % Increase of Transaction.”

preserved.
Table 24: Parameters in the Sales Information Section of the ROI Model
Parameter and Description Current State Future State Information

Information
Annual Revenue Entered Calculated based on

Annual value of customer net sales after coupons incremental sales and
and promotions have been applied. transactions projections
Annual POS Transactions Entered Calculated based on

Annual number of customer transactions, including incremental increase in
sales and returns number of transactions
Average Sales/Transaction Calculated Calculated

Annual POS revenue divided by Annual POS
Transactions
Incremental % Increase of Sales n/a Entered

Projected increase in sales resulting from new
mobile payment alternative
Incremental % Increase of Transactions n/a Entered

Projected increase in number of transactions
resulting from new mobile payment alternative
Margin Contribution n/a Entered

Average gross margin (%)
Figure 48 is an example of high-level sales and margin information for a hypothetical

retail company with annual sales of $500 million and projected incremental sales and
transaction increases of 0.10%.
Benefit Factors
Annual Revenue $ 500,000,000 $ 501,000,000
Annual POS Transactions 10,000,000 10,010,000
Average Sales / Transaction $ 50.00 $ 50.05
Incremental % Increase of Sales N/A 0.10%
Incremental % Increase of Transactions N/A 0.10%
Margin Contribution N/A 40%
Figure 48: Benefit Factors
5.5.3.2 Benefit Factors—Transaction Payment Information

Table 25 lists the parameters included in the transaction payment information section of
the model. Retailers enter a company’s current percentage of annual POS revenue by
payment type in the Current State column. The new mobile payment type will
cannibalize sales from existing payment types. A projection of the effect on use of
preserved.
existing payment types is therefore entered in the Future State column. For example, if
mobile payments will reduce cash payments by 5 percent and current cash payments are
20 percent, then enter 15 percent in the Future State column for cash payment type. The
percentage for current and future states must total 100.
Table 25: Parameters in the Transaction Payment Information Section of the ROI
Model
Parameter and Description Current State Future State

Information Information
% Cash Payments Entered Manual projection

Percentage of annual POS revenue
% Credit/Debit Payments Entered Manual projection

% Debit Payments Entered Manual projection

% Check Payments Entered Manual projection

% ACH Payments Entered Manual projection

% Gift Card Payments Entered Manual projection

% Cobranded Credit/Debit Payments Entered Manual projection

% Private Label Credit Payments Entered Manual projection

% New Mobile Payments N/A Manual projection

Must total 100% Must total 100%
Figure 49 shows a sample retail company’s current and future percentage of annual POS
revenue (as derived in Section 5.5.3.1) by payment type. In this example, New Mobile
Payments are projected to be 20 percent of Annual POS Revenue.

preserved.
Benefit Factors
% Cash Payments 20% 15%
% Credit Debit Interchange Payments 30% 25%
% ATM Debit Payments 35% 25%
% Check Payments 5% 5%
% ACH Payments 7% 7%
% Gift Card Payments 3% 3%
% Cobranded Credit/Debit Payments 0% 0%
% Private Label Credit Payments 0% 0%
% Stored Value Payments 0% 0%
% New Mobile Payments #1 - Fixed Fee per Transaction N/A 10%
% New Mobile Payments #2 - Fixed Fee per Transaction N/A 0%
% New Mobile Payments #3 - % per Transaction Amount N/A 10%
% New Mobile Payments #4 - % per Transaction Amount N/A 0%
Figure 49: Retailer’s Annual POS Revenue
5.5.3.3 Benefit Factors—Payment Processing Cost Factors

Table 26 lists the parameters included in the payment processing cost factors section of
the model. This section of the model allows retailers to enter a company’s processing
costs for each payment type. A future state for current payment types may seem
irrelevant, but the parameter allows future processing costs to be entered if they may
change as a result of implementing mobile payment. At a minimum, the value entered for
the current state should be entered in the Future State column for each payment type so
that the model can calculate total processing costs for the current and future state.
The mobile payment type projected processing cost can be entered as a fixed rate per
transaction or as a percentage of the transaction amount (like an interchange rate).
The last two parameters allow retailers to enter the projected costs for redeeming coupons
from a customer’s mobile phone or wallet.
Table 26: Parameters in the Payment Processing Cost Factors Section of the ROI
Model

Cost to Handle $100 in Cash and Coin Entered Entered
Credit/Debit Transactions Interchange Rate Entered Entered
Debit Transaction Fee Entered Entered
Cost to Handle Checks per Transaction Entered Entered
ACH Transaction Fee Entered Entered
Cost to Handle Gift Card per Transaction Entered Entered

preserved.

Cost to Handle Cobranded Credit/Debit per Entered Entered

Transaction
Cost to Handle Private Label Credit per Entered Entered

Transaction
Cost to Handle Stored Value Cards per Entered Entered

Transaction
Cost for New Mobile Payments #1 n/a Manual projection

Fixed Fee per Transaction

Fixed Fee per Transaction

% per Transaction Amount

% per Transaction Amount
PL (private label) Coupon Redemption n/a Manual projection

Processing Cost % of Sales
From the customer’s mobile phone or wallet
account
Mfg Coupon Redemption Processing Cost % of n/a Manual projection

Sales
From the customer’s mobile phone or wallet
account
Figure 50 shows an example of a retailer’s processing costs for each payment type. In
this example, the new mobile payment transaction fixed fee is projected to be $0.28 per
transaction.

preserved.
Benefit Factors
3. Payment Processing Cost Factors
Cost to Handle $100 in Cash & Coin $ 0.80 $ 0.80
Credit/Debit Transactions Interchange Rate 2.00% 2.00%
ATM Debit Fixed Fee per Transaction $ 0.59 $ 0.59
Cost to Handle Checks per Transaction $ 0.75 $ 0.75
ACH Fixed Fee per Transaction $ 0.59 $ 0.59
Cost to Handle Gift Card per Transaction 0.80% 0.80%
Cost to Handle Cobranded Credit/Debit per Transaction 1.00% 1.00%
Cost to Handle Private Label Credit per Transaction 1.25% 1.25%
Cost to Handle Stored Value Cards per Transaction $ 0.25 $ 0.25
Cost for New Mobile Payments #1 - Fixed Fee per Transaction N/A $ 0.279
Cost for New Mobile Payments #2 - Fixed Fee per Transaction N/A $ 0.279
Cost for New Mobile Payments #3 - % per Transaction Amount N/A 2.00%
Cost for New Mobile Payments #4 - % per Transaction Amount N/A 2.00%
PL Coupon Redemption Processing Cost % of Sales 0.0000% 0.0000%
Mfg Coupon Redemption Processing Cost % of Sales 0.0000% 0.0000%
Figure 50: Retailer’s Payment Processing Costs
5.5.3.4 Benefit Factors—Annual Payment Processing Costs

The annual payment processing costs section of the model (Table 27) calculates annual
transaction processing costs based on the previous inputs. It also allows retailers to enter
a company’s total chargeback for the various payment types a company accepts.
Table 27: Parameters in the Annual Payment Processing Costs Section of the ROI
Model

Cost related to Chargebacks Entered Entered
Cash Transactions Calculated Calculated
Credit/Debit Transactions Calculated Calculated
Debit Transactions Calculated Calculated
Check Transactions Calculated Calculated
ACH Transactions Calculated Calculated
Gift Card Transactions Calculated Calculated
Cobranded Credit/Debit Transactions Calculated Calculated
Private Label Credit Transactions Calculated Calculated
Store Value Card Transactions Calculated Calculated
New Mobile Payment #1 Transactions n/a Calculated

preserved.

Private Label Coupon Redemption Processing n/a Calculated

Cost
Mfg Coupon Redemption Processing Cost n/a Calculated
Total Current & Future Costs Summary of Summary of above future

above current state costs
state costs
Payment Processing Costs % of Annual Sales Total current Total future state cost as a
state cost as a percentage of future state
percentage of POS sales
current state
POS sales
Figure 51 illustrates a retailer’s annual transaction processing costs based on the inputs
from the previous sections. In this example, new mobile payment fees are projected to
cost $780,780 for processing 20 percent of all POS transactions.
Benefit Factors
4. Annual Payment Processing Costs
Cost Related to Chargebacks $ - $ -
Cash Transactions $ 800,000 $ 601,200
Credit/Debit Transactions $ 3,000,000 $ 2,505,000
Debit Transactions $ 2,065,000 $ 1,476,475
Check Transactions $ 375,000 $ 375,375
ACH Transactions $ 413,000 $ 413,413
Gift Card Transactions $ - $ -
Cobranded Credit/Debit Transactions $ - $ -
Private Label Credit Transactions $ - $ -
Stored Value Cards Transactions $ - $ -
New Mobile Payments #1 Transactions N/A $ 279,537
New Mobile Payments #2 Transactions N/A $ -
New Mobile Payments #3 Transactions N/A $ 1,002,000
Private Label Coupon Redemption Processing Cost $ - $ -
Mfg Coupon Redemption Processing Cost $ - $ -
Total Current & Future Costs $ 6,653,000 $ 6,653,000
Payment Processing Costs % of Annual Sales 1.33% 1.33%
Figure 51: Retailer’s Annual Transaction Processing Costs
5.5.3.5 Benefit Factors—Total Benefits
The total benefits section of the ROI model calculates the following:

preserved.
• Annual Processing Cost Savings

The difference between current and future Annual Transaction Processing Costs
from Section 5.5.3.4, “Benefit Factors—Annual Payment Processing Costs”
• Annual Incremental Margin from Increased Sales
The difference between current and future Annual POS Revenue multiplied by
Margin Contribution % from Section 5.5.3.1, “Benefit Factors—Sales
Information.”
• Total Benefits
The total of the cost savings and increased sales amounts.
Figure 52 shows an example of the total benefits section. In this example, total benefits
are $400,000, all from increased sales. Transaction cost savings are zero.
Benefit Factors
5. Total Benefits
Annual Processing Cost Savings ($0)
Annual Incremental Margin from Increased Sales $400,000
Total Benefits $400,000
Figure 52: Retailer’s Total Benefits
5.5.3.6 ROI Model Benefit Factors Summary

Figure 53 shows all five benefit factors sections of the ROI model.

preserved.
BENEFIT FACTORS
Annual Revenue $ 500,000,000 $ 501,000,000
Incremental % increase of sales N/A 0.10%
Incremental % increase of transactions N/A 0.10%
% Credit Debit Interchange Payments 30% 25%
% ATM Debit Payments 35% 25%
% Stored Value Payments 0% 0%
% New Mobile Payments #1 - Fixed Fee per transaction N/A 10%
% New Mobile Payments #2 - Fixed Fee per transaction N/A 0%
% New Mobile Payments #3 - % per transaction amount N/A 10%
% New Mobile Payments #4 - % per transaction amount N/A 0%
Cost to handle $100 in cash & coin $ 0.80 $ 0.80
ATM Debit Fixed Fee per transaction $ 0.59 $ 0.59
Cost to handle Checks per transaction $ 0.75 $ 0.75
ACH Fixed Fee per transaction $ 0.59 $ 0.59
Cost to handle Gift Card per transaction 0.80% 0.80%
Cost to handle Cobranded Credit/Debit per transaction 1.00% 1.00%
Cost to handle Private Label Credit per transaction 1.25% 1.25%
Cost to handle Stored Value Cards per transaction $ 0.25 $ 0.25
Cost for New Mobile Payments #1 - Fixed Fee per transaction N/A $ 0.279
Cost for New Mobile Payments #2 - Fixed Fee per transaction N/A $ 0.279
Cost for New Mobile Payments #3 - % per transaction amount N/A 2.00%
Cost for New Mobile Payments #4 - % per transaction amount N/A 2.00%
Cost related to Charge Backs $ - $ -
Stored Value Cards Transactions $ - $ -
New Mobile Payments #1 Transactions N/A $ 279,537
New Mobile Payments #3 Transactions N/A $ 1,002,000
5. Total Benefits
Annual Processing Cost Savings ($0)

preserved.
BENEFIT FACTORS
Annual Revenue $ 500,000,000 $ 501,000,000
Incremental % increase of sales N/A 0.10%
Incremental % increase of transactions N/A 0.10%
% Credit/Debit Interchange Payments 30% 25%
% Debit Payments 35% 25%
% New Mobile Payments N/A 20%
Cost to handle $100 in cash & coin $ 0.80 $ 0.80
Debit Transaction Fee $ 0.59 $ 0.59
Cost to handle Checks per transaction $ 0.75 $ 0.75
ACH Transaction Fee $ 0.59 $ 0.59
Cost to handle Gift Card per transaction 0.80% 0.80%
Cost to handle Cobranded Credit/Debit per transaction 1.00% 1.00%
Cost to handle Private Label Credit per transaction 1.25% 1.25%
New Mobile Payment Transaction Fee N/A $ 0.39
New Mobile Payment % Rate per transaction N/A 0.00%
Cost related to Charge Backs $ - $ -
New Mobile Payment Transactions N/A $ 780,780
New Mobile Payment % Rate per transaction N/A $ -
5. Total Benefits
Annual Processing Cost Savings $473,532
Figure 53: Five Benefit Factors Sections in the ROI Model
5.5.3.7 Cost Factors

The cost factors section of the ROI model (Table 28) identifies hardware and software
infrastructure cost factors and implementation cost factors that retailers need to consider
before implementing a new mobile payment alternative at the POS.

preserved.
Table 28: Parameters in the Cost Factors Section of the ROI Model
Parameter and Description Unit Cost Extended

Information
Store Information
Number of Stores n/a Entered

Actual number of stores that will support new
mobile payment methods
Average POS Devices per Store n/a Entered

Average number of POS stations per store that
will support new mobile payment methods
Number of People in Call Center - Store n/a Entered

Operations Support
Number of people in call center that supports
store operation POS application that will need to
be trained for new mobile payment methods
Hardware Infrastructure
Cost Avoidance Entered Calculated based on

Hardware cost per POS station that will be number of stores and
avoided as a result of implementing new payment number of POS stations
methods entered above
New Hardware Cost - per POS Entered Calculated based on

Cost of new hardware per POS station required to number of stores and
support new payment methods (for example, an number of POS stations
NFC reader) entered above
Installation Cost - per POS Entered Calculated based on

Cost per POS station to install new hardware (for number of stores and
example, an NFC reader) number of POS stations
entered above
Annual Service/Support for POS Entered Calculated based on

Annual hardware service contract per POS station number of stores and
for new installed hardware (for example, an NFC number of POS stations
reader) entered above
Total Hardware Infrastructure Costs n/a Calculated
Software Infrastructure
Cost Avoidance Entered Calculated based on

Software cost per POS station that will be avoided number of stores and
as a result of implementing new payment number of POS stations
methods entered above

preserved.
Parameter and Description Unit Cost Extended

Information
POS Software Customization Entered Calculated based on

Cost per POS station to customize POS number of stores and
application to process new payment methods number of POS stations
entered above
Mobile Coupon Redemption Application Entered Calculated based on

Cost per POS station to redeem mobile number of stores and
generated coupons number of POS stations
entered above
Total Software Infrastructure Costs n/a Calculated
Implementation Costs
Training Cost - per Store Entered Calculated based on

Average cost per store to train store associates number of stores entered
and management above
In-Store Materials - per Store Entered Calculated based on

Cost per store for training materials (for example, number of stores entered
posters for break rooms or printed training above
documentation)
Store Layout Rework Cost Entered Calculated based on

Cost per store for reworking store layout for number of stores entered
storing mobile orders and providing customer above
service desk to pick up mobile orders
Call Center Training Cost Entered Calculated based on

Cost per call center person to be trained to Number people in Call
answer store questions about new payment Center entered above
methods
Total Cost Calculated
Figure 54 is an example of the cost factors section of the mobile payment ROI model.

preserved.
Cost Factors
1. Store Information
Number of Stores 750
Average POS Devices / Store 1.5
Number of People in Call Center - Store Operations Support 10
2. Hardware Infrastructure Unit Cost Extended
Cost Avoidance 150 $ 168,750
New Hardware Cost - Per POS 600 $ 675,000
Installation Cost - Per POS 50 $ 56,250
Annual Service/Support POS 15 $ 16,875
Total Hardware Infrastructure Costs $ 579,375
3. Software Infrastructure
Cost Avoidance $ -
POS Software Customization $75,000
Mobile Coupon Redemption Application $ -
Total Software Infrastructure Costs $75,000
4. Implementation Costs Unit Cost Extended
Training Cost - Per Store 35 $ 26,250
In-Store Materials - Per Store 25 $ 18,750
Rework Store Layout for Pickup of Mobile Orders $ -
Call Center Training Cost 500 $ 5,000
$ 50,000
5. Total Cost
Total Cost $704,375
Figure 54: Cost Factors Section of the ROI Model

preserved.
6. MOBILE OPERATIONS
Mobile devices used by associates can have a significant positive impact on the
efficiency of retail operations. Already, wireless devices have been in use for over 20
years in retail stores and distribution centers, increasing productivity, maintaining
inventory accuracy, and reducing expenses. This section focuses on the currently
implemented mobile operational functions—POS, workforce management, and internal
communications—and describes how to use mobile devices to improve operations in
those areas.
It is anticipated that the use of smartphones for internal operations will expand greatly, as
future phones are enhanced with new features (such as RIFD readers) and manufactured
to a high level of strength, reducing breakage and malfunctions. As functionality
increases, it is expected that retailers will move beyond their current top priorities—
mobile marketing, commerce, and payment—to incorporate the use of mobile devices
into additional operational processes. 46
6.1 Mobile Point of Sale

It is significant that Apple stores currently have no POS terminals. The answer to the
question of whether mobile phones can create the ultimate self checkout, with customers
using their mobile phones to accomplish POS functions, may very well be “yes.”
Smartphone technology currently enables in-store mobile self-checkout using the cloud.
Mobile applications are available that stores can implement; customers shopping in a
store that has implemented this application can do the following, using their mobile
phones:
•
Identify themselves on entering the store.
•
Scan the bar code on merchandise with the mobile camera in the phone and
receive accurate and comprehensive product information.
• Receives suggestions for purchases of associated products or be offered incentives
to purchase a selected item if the customer does not complete the payment cycle.
• Select and pay for a product within the aisle of the store using current card
technology or new alternative payment methods. Potentially the mobile
application provider can consolidate the payments from multiple retailers to
achieve lower transaction fees.
• Produce either a printed or electronic receipt as proof of purchase.
This enhanced selection and payment function can benefit both retailers and consumers.
Retailers choosing to leverage this technology can expect the following to occur:
1. Reduce the rate of “abandoned carts” in store by alleviating the primary causes,
such as lack of information and long checkout lines
46
The use of mobile devices in additional operational processes will be explored in future releases of this
blueprint.
preserved.
2. Increase transaction throughput on a per man-hour basis by enabling consumers to

use their own smartphones as mobile self-scanners and complete the transaction
without the active involvement of a manned checkout
3. Increase consumer takeaway of up-sell items by increasing the targeting and
relevance of items suggested
With the advent of inexpensive, highly available, easily adaptable mobile devices, a wide
range of new scenarios can be envisioned. Mobile point of sale (mPOS) adds a new
dimension to the customer experience, bringing the typical transaction processes to the
location where the customer, goods, and services—not a POS terminal—reside.
For the retail industry, the challenge is how to extend current network infrastructures and
procedures to incorporate a mobile device securely and cost effectively. The hardware
devices required to support this extension may include a set of retailer-provided custom
mobile devices or a wide range of customer-owned mobile devices. Because more and
more customers have mobile phones with increasing data functionality, retailers must
enhance their product information and payment processing networks to incorporate the
mobile phone as a payment device. The benefits are overwhelming; it is not a question of
if the retailer should expand to mPOS but rather when the retailer will be able to support
customers who use their mobile phones for transactions.
To provide the most effective mPOS experience, the retailer must recognize that a wide
range of purchasing and privacy issues must be accommodated:
• Customers with transaction-capable mobile devices should be able to choose
whether to use their devices for retail transactions and product information.
The easiest way to handle this is to have customers sign an agreement giving the
retailer permission to involve their mobile devices in conversations with the
retailer’s supporting infrastructure.
• The mPOS user interface on the mobile device must be intuitive and easy for the
customer to learn and use.
The capabilities of mobile devices are expanding and beginning to favor graphical
user interface (GUI) techniques over simpler, alphanumeric interfaces. Extensive
use of GUI-based, easily understood applications will greatly enhance the
customer’s or store associate’s experience, resulting in faster mobile device
adoption.
• mPOS will need to be fully integrated, using ARTS and other integration
standards, with the many retail applications that require POS data.
• New business processes will be necessary to allow customers to remove
merchandise from a store without the traditional printed receipt or other proof of
payment.
• The mPOS transaction must take currently available hardware components into
account and also be able to accommodate future technologies.
For example, mobile devices incorporating NFC technology, smart card chips,
and bar-code scanners (either dedicated or using phone camera techniques);

preserved.
smartphones; and mobile devices with basic functionality must all be

accommodated.
• The customer must be able to choose how to confirm a transaction.
Confirmation choices should include printing a traditional paper receipt, receiving
an electronic receipt, or allowing a customer to request both types of receipts and
having the store associate use the customer’s mobile device to satisfy the
customer’s preference.
• Multiple types of payment methods need to be accommodated, including credit
cards, debit cards, store charge accounts, stored value cards, coupons, gift card
redemptions, or any combination thereof.
• Extreme care must be built into the transaction system to protect sensitive
customer data.
Current and future PCI requirements must be considered, with the goal being to
avoid using any exposed or unencrypted privacy data in a transaction scenario.
End-to-end encryption techniques should be considered to help secure sensitive
data.
6.1.1 Mobile POS Examples
The following examples illustrate how mPOS can enhance a business scenario.
6.1.1.1 Enhanced Dining Experience
Instituting mPOS in a restaurant can enhance a customer’s experience in a number of
ways. The customer agrees to allow the restaurant to communicate with the customer’s
mobile device. The customer’s mobile device is recognized by the hostess’s mPOS
device, through an NFC interaction between the two (a tap), an attempt by the mobile
device to connect to the restaurant’s Wi-Fi network, GPS pings, a Bluetooth inquiry, or
some other mechanism. If the customer has dinner reservations, the hostess’s mPOS
device is immediately made aware of the customer’s name and responds with a welcome
message. The hostess then personally welcomes the customer and seats the party.
If the customer does not have reservations, the hostess uses an mPOS device to access a
table scheduling application, which prompts the customer’s mobile device for the number
in the party and any seating preferences.
The hostess is given an estimated time for seating and sends a message to the customer’s
mobile device indicating the current wait time. Periodically, the hostess is able to send a
message that keeps the customer apprised of the remaining wait time. If the wait time is
more than a few minutes, the hostess may send the customer a message offering a
discount coupon, a free food item, or a free dessert to encourage the customer to continue
to wait.
Once seated, the waiter uses an mPOS device to establish a dialog link with the
customer’s mobile device. The waiter can send the customer pertinent useful information
such as a list of the daily specials, additional wine list information, or caloric information.
The waiter can input the customer’s food and beverage requests, and the device will
automatically send the food requests to the kitchen and the drink requests to the beverage
preserved.
bar. The customer can use the dialog link to send a message to the waiter requesting
additional service. Throughout the meal, the waiter and customer can monitor and
influence the pace of the meal in an unobtrusive way.
When it comes time to pay the bill, the waiter can use a table-side mPOS device to
communicate with the customer’s mobile device and present the bill for payment. The
waiter can offer the customer several options for viewing the bill. For instance, a list of
items served and a total amount can be displayed. Alternatively, the customer may ask to
see what each person in the party ordered so that each can pay their own part of the bill.
Bill payment could then be authorized exclusively from the customer’s mobile device or
from some combination of the devices carried by the other members of the dinner party.
The waiter could accept any type of payment, such as:
• Chip and PIN card (debit/credit)
• Contactless card (debit/credit)
• NFC-enabled mobile phone
• Electronic cash transfer
After payment is processed, the customer can choose where the waiter sends the receipt:
to the customer’s device, an e-mail address, or a local printer.
The hostess can be notified that the customer is leaving and send a message thanking the
customer for coming and offering an incentive to return in the near future. This incentive
can be automatically stored in the customer’s mobile device. Upon the customer’s return,
the customer will be reminded that the incentive is available.
6.1.1.2 In-store Product Information to Aid Customer Merchandise Selection
An innovative approach to mobilizing product information would be to allow the
customer to use the mobile device for self-service. When a customer enters a store, the
customer’s mobile device is recognized by the retailer’s system, using technology similar
to that described in Section 6.1.1.1. The customer uses the device to enter the name of
an item or product category of interest, and the GPS in the mobile device guides the
customer to the product. A message is sent to the in-store controlling server recording
the customer’s interest. A sales assistant can be notified and sent to aid the customer.
In many cases, after customers narrow their product selections to a few choices, they
want additional information. A “Need Assistance” icon can be added to the mobile
device’s desktop. Selecting the icon sends a message to the store server, which sends a
message request to the nearest available store associate’s GPS-enabled mobile device and
directs the associate to the customer. The store associate may use the scanner on the
device to read a bar code or use an RFID tag, NFC tag, or some other identifier to retrieve
additional product information. The store associate may also forward other relevant
product information, such as data sheets, product comparison ratings, or manufacturer’s
product video presentations, to the customer’s mobile device to aid in final product
selection. In-stock information, pricing, and other incentives may be made available to
the store associate to help promote the sale.
If the sale is one that would require removing an item from store inventory, the sales
associate can determine the item’s availability and current location for efficient delivery.
preserved.
If the product is available and the customer wants to purchase it, the sales associate could
use the device to act as a POS terminal, conclude the purchase, and transfer a receipt to
the customer’s mobile device. If necessary, the sales associate could then send a message
to the fulfillment desk and make the product available for customer pickup.
6.1.1.3 Self-Service Checkout
Another potential use of mPOS is to implement self-service checkout. The customer can
walk up to the self-service checkout and notify it of the customer’s payment choice
(mobile wallet). The checkout scans the items in the shopping basket (for example, using
an RFID reader). After totaling the items, it sends the list to the customer’s mobile
device using NFC. The customer sends the total to the mobile wallet over the cloud, with
instructions to pay the total and report the payment to the POS at checkout. Upon receipt
of payment notification, the POS finalizes the transaction and the customer leaves the
store with the purchased items. A real benefit is that at no time is customer payment
information exposed in the store infrastructure and data systems. No customer payment
information is present in the store.
The above examples require a number of cooperative tasks that have only recently
become possible and that rely on many industry standards. The recent and future
availability of a rich set of hardware and software solutions to offer the consumer an
enhanced user experience and create customer loyalty with the retailer depends on
standards. Some of these standards organizations are listed below; the standards
themselves are discussed in Section 6.1.4:
• Association of Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), which defines software
application-to-application interoperability, hardware connectivity, and a data
model that allows disparate systems to communicate.
• GS1 US (formerly the Uniform Code Council)
• NFC Forum
• European Payments Council (EPC)
• Smart Card Alliance (SCA)
• National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA)
• EuroPay, MasterCard, and VISA (EMV)
• Global Platform
In addition to the standards defined by these organizations, mobile initiatives that include
a mobile payment component must adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security
Standard (PCI DSS).
Allowing customers to use their mobile phones to obtain accurate product information
and pay quickly, with no checkout line delay, creates satisfied customers. Satisfied
customers shop more often in their favorite stores, increasing sales and margins. In

preserved.
addition, the retailer’s payroll will be reduced, as the requirement for associate interaction
with customers to provide product information and process sales at POS is reduced.
The backbone of the mPOS system is a highly reliable, responsive network. A secure,
seamless wireless connection must be available throughout the store to ensure that the
mobile devices can connect and interoperate. In addition, cell phone repeaters and GPS
triangulation nodes must be installed to ensure that mPOS devices and customer devices
can be located. Cost savings and increased levels of service will not be realized if store
associates or customers have trouble connecting mobile devices to the store’s
infrastructure.
One critical implementation consideration is the need to provide an infrastructure that
protects data. The data that the customer provides and the processing of sensitive
information during the payment process must always be completely secure.
ARTS has undertaken an initiative to create an end-to-end encryption standard that could
provide a high degree of transaction security. Any customer-sensitive data (credit card
numbers, authorization numbers) are encrypted at the customer data-entry point and
delivered through the network to the final point of decryption at a payment authorization
facility.
In addition, all levels of communication processing must use well established, secure data
transmission technologies to protect against data extraction and spoofing (a situation in
which a person or program successfully masquerades as another person or program to
obtain information) during transfer. For example, the wireless links must use robust
transport security to prevent possible data compromise through illegal data sniffing
(monitoring of data passing over a network).
Consumer data protection should be in place to protect customer data. In other words,
the retailer must never allow unprotected data to be transmitted. The best practice is
never to store customer sensitive data. If storage cannot be avoided, make sure the data is
encrypted.
6.2 Workforce Management

The current economic climate has forced retailers to look constantly for ways to cut costs
and improve the bottom line without cutting customer service. Payroll is one of the
largest controllable expenses. By incorporating and integrating mobile technology into
the overall workforce management application, retailers can achieve better control and
visibility of their workforce. To optimize staffing and associated payroll, however,
workforce management applications need timely and accurate data.
Figure 58 illustrates a workforce management model in which the workforce
management solution is hosted and delivered to the store using the software-as-a-service
(SaaS) model. The model provides access through a common portal to store managers
and store associates using in-store mobile devices. The portal is managed and supported
by a central management platform, which acts as a gateway between the store and the
corporate headquarters, where all service requests, mobile device management, and

preserved.
monitoring services are managed and delivered. This model minimizes the infrastructure
footprint at the store, reduces the overall capital expenditure investment (the SaaS
provider invests in the hardware, software, and project costs), and simplifies the IT
systems management process.
Corporate The Store
Communi- Labor
Time
cation Budgeting,
and
and Forecasting,
Attendance
Planning Scheduling
Workforce
Hosted Workforce Management Portal
Manage- Central
Workforce
ment Management
Manage-
Planning Platform
ment
& Mobile Devices
Solution
Directives (cell phones, two-way radios,
biometric readers, NFC devices,
& location- based GPS devices)
Core Operations
(Buy, Sell, Move, Corp
Store Store
Managers Associates
Figure 55: Workforce Management Model
6.2.1 Workforce Management Examples

As shown in Figure 58 and described in the following examples, mobile devices can
support three key workforce management functions:
• Communication and planning
• Labor budgeting, forecasting, and scheduling
• Time and attendance tracking
6.2.1.1 Communication and Planning
Mobile devices can support the use of a single, streamlined channel that delivers up-to-
date and important information to store managers and store associates for communication
and planning purposes. For example, a store manager’s mobile device can be configured
so that all communication channels (e-mail, voice, SMS) converge and all operations
tools are consolidated. A manager can access everything needed through an intuitive
interface with the touch of a button. From this interactive interface, the manager can
send store associates shift assignments, task assignments, or communication updates
(such as a change in store or corporate policy) in real time. Associates can then use their
mobile devices to view or request changes to their shift and task assignments, report the
status of their assigned tasks, and acknowledge receipt of corporate directives and
policies directly to the store manager. The store manager can approve or reject responses

preserved.
and requests from store associates immediately. This information can be synchronized
seamlessly and sent back to corporate planners for workforce prioritization and planning
purposes.
6.2.1.2 Labor Budgeting, Forecasting, and Scheduling
Appropriate labor forecasting, labor scheduling, and labor management and budgeting
capabilities optimize both daily internal operations and corporate-driven tasks at a store.
For example, based on a predefined set of actions that are triggered as a result of the
latest sales and operations results, a corporate office can send instant alerts to a store
manager’s mobile device, instructing the manager to take an action, such as executing a
new directive, initiate a corrective action, or follow an updated schedule that is based on
the latest labor forecasts and budget. Store managers can in turn instruct store associates
in real time to follow these directives and actions, interacting directly with the associates
over their mobile devices. These directives and actions can then be executed
immediately.
Store managers can instantly request a certain number of associates to end their shifts
early or work overtime, sending the requests directly to the associates’ mobile devices.
These requests can be tracked, monitored, and sent to a corporate office in real time.
This capability gives the corporate office tighter control over the labor budgeting,
forecasting, and scheduling process, thus providing the ability to react quickly to changes
in market conditions.
6.2.1.3 Time and Attendance Tracking
Automated and self-service tools available over mobile and wireless networks enable
associates to perform schedule-related and administrative activities using in-store mobile
devices without supervision.
For example, associates can immediately access time and attendance tools loaded on in-
store mobile devices simply by logging in using their assigned associate numbers. They
can then clock in and out for shifts and breaks, change shift assignments, or check hour
balances. These actions and requests can then be forwarded to and updated on a store
manager’s mobile device for immediate review and approval. Having access to this
information in real time allows store managers to respond appropriately to requests in a
timely manner and address discrepancies in store associates’ time and attendance records
and information. Associates with NFC-enabled devices can also tap readers to access
secure areas, track time spent in a specific area, and perform security checks.
The technology and standards used by a mobile workforce management solution can
vary, based on the solution vendor of choice; regardless of the vendor, the following key
areas merit consideration:
• Central management platform
• Technology used to connect to the workforce management solution
• Data integrity and accuracy

preserved.
The central management platform serves as the central management system and connects
all clients (typically mobile devices and thin clients) to the workforce management
solution hosted at a central location (i.e., a corporate office or a third-party solution
provider). The central management platform is therefore the connection between the
store and the headquarters. It is typically set up and delivered through a SaaS model.
This platform typically provides a single Web-based portal for all service requests,
mobile device management, and monitoring services (see Figure 58, above).
People should be able to authenticate, connect, and interact with the workforce
management solution using several media supported by different technologies, such as
mobile devices (cell phones, two-way radios), biometric readers, NFC-enabled devices,
and location-based GPS devices. The services may also be available through
downloadable applications (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid), SMS messages, interactive voice
recorders, and e-mail. Appropriate security measures should be put in place to ensure
that communication between mobile devices cannot be compromised and that the data
exchanged is accurate and protected.
Two ARTS standards are applicable to this area: the Workforce Management XML
Schema and the Time Punches XML Schema (for more information about these
standards, see Section 8.3.5).
Using the appropriate mobile technology solutions in conjunction with an existing
corporate workforce management platform can help retailers obtain better control of and
optimize their workforces across the entire enterprise.
The appropriate use of mobile technology can streamline communications and coordinate
planning. Store managers can have direct and frequent contact with corporate
headquarters and be involved in specific workforce planning functions (such as labor
forecasting, scheduling, and management). Managers can also ensure that their
workforces and tasks are aligned and prioritized appropriately without being tethered to
their desks. Store associates can communicate, collaborate, and coordinate with each
other and with store managers from multiple locations within the store. Having an
integrated communication channel and clear visibility into the entire workforce allows
store managers and associates to make their daily workforce management operations
more efficient. They can collaborate more effectively and make better decisions, which in
turn will improve customer service.
The use of mobile devices can also optimize labor scheduling. Assignments and
schedules based on local labor laws, store patterns, corporate directives, and associate
availability, skills, and work preferences can be delivered directly to both store managers
and associates. In addition, store managers using mobile devices can monitor key
performance indicators (KPIs), payrolls (i.e., timesheet approval), and overtime in real
time. By utilizing mobile workforce management devices and tools to optimize labor
scheduling, retailers can ensure that they have the right mixture of labor to complete both
corporate-driven tasks and daily operational tasks while meeting target customer service
levels. Store managers can interact in real time with associates from multiple locations
within a store (for example, to approve requests for time off).
preserved.
When time and attendance tracking is closely integrated with labor schedule solutions,
retailers have tighter control of associates’ schedules and can ensure compliance with
rules and regulations. Providing associates with access to mobile self-service workforce
management tools that integrate labor scheduling and time and attendance solutions
enable them to perform activities that are normally performed by store managers (i.e.,
work-hour tracking, punch-in/punch-out, vacation lookup, shift switching) from multiple
locations within the store, while ensuring that the associates comply with local labor laws
(i.e., work hours and overtime).
Retailers should consider the following when implementing a workforce management
solution:
• Establish a workforce management process that is sustainable and focused on
execution and operational excellence across the entire retail enterprise.
• Ensure that the mobile workforce management solution can interface and
integrate with other information sources and solutions within the store (i.e., POS,
inventory system) and at headquarters (i.e., CRM, ERP, SCM).
• Select a solution that conforms to standards (i.e., ARTS, GS1) and incorporates
both SOA and a cloud-based architecture. Such a solution minimizes the
integration effort and maximizes interoperability with other solutions across the
entire enterprise.
• Evaluate ROI in terms of time to deploy and total cost of ownership.
6.3 Internal Communication

The essence of mobile technology’s success is the ease with which the technology allows
people to communicate. Applying mobile technology to an enterprise’s internal
communication is an obvious and simple step. Integration with key enterprise systems
allows associates and partners to receive relevant information automatically on their
mobile devices.
6.3.1 Internal Communication Examples
There are doubtless a multitude of applicable scenarios in which mobile technology can
be used to improve internal communication within an enterprise. For example,
integrating mobile devices with calendar applications such as Microsoft Exchange or
Lotus Notes can automatically remind meeting participants of upcoming meetings. Store
personnel can be notified of important events in real time throughout the day (for
example, store personnel can be alerted when a known shop lifter or important customer
enters the store). Additional notifications can be sent to store associates with information
allowing them to identify customers who are looking for assistance.
Information and metrics can also be pushed to store managers, allowing them to spend
more time on the floor interacting with customers or staff and less time sitting at their
desks.

preserved.

Creating a workflow to improve internal communications in a retail operation can be as
simple as creating an extension to an existing application that allows the application to
push messages to appropriate recipients. Retailers can also launch advanced applications
that integrate with the company’s security and HR systems and must be downloaded to a
phone.
Common to both of these implementations is the use of a messaging technology such as
SMS, Apple Push Notification, IMAP Push, MS ActiveSync Push, or BlackBerry
Messenger. Notifications must be pushed from an IT system at a central location to the
relevant mobile devices. The push can be (for example) a simple SMS message with an
embedded link or a binary message that triggers the local application.
6.3.2.1 Message-Based Applications
Message-based applications provide the simplest implementation with the fewest number
of features. Recipients would receive notifications in the form of short messages
describing an event and using standard technology, such as SMS or an e-mail technology
(MS Active Sync, IMAP Push).
Message-based applications can be combined with more advanced application
approaches, either based on browser technology or as smart clients that must be
downloaded to the device. This approach would allow the retailer to combine the best of
two worlds: the simplicity of messages and access to additional information through a
richer user interface.
6.3.2.2 Browser-Based Applications
Browser-based applications capable of providing additional information or offering more
advanced features employ the following additional standard technologies:
• HTTP
• XHTML
• CSS
6.3.2.3 Downloaded Applications
Applications downloaded to a mobile device employ the following standard technologies:
• SMS or Apple Push Notification
• Objective C/C#/Java (depending on the device type)
• HTTP, SOAP, or a similar protocol
By improving the workflow for internal communications, a retailer can become more
agile and flexible, as associates are always aware of relevant information. Improved
internal communication leads to a number of benefits:
• Increased sales through improved customer interaction
• Increased customer satisfaction through personalized interaction with staff
preserved.
• Improved efficiency, as information is more readily available

• Less time wasted waiting for the last person to arrive at meetings
The first two benefits in particular allow retailers to set themselves apart from the
competition and engage customers in a truly personal dialogue.
Probably the most important consideration when selecting a system to mobilize internal
communications is interoperability with the existing infrastructure. For example, when
selecting a solution for mobilizing meeting reminders, the selected vendor should have
extensive successful experience working with the retailer’s calendar system.
Another important consideration is how best to control the flow of information that will
be pushed around the organization. For example, only the people invited to a meeting
should receive the meeting reminder. Similarly, only appropriate store associates should
be notified of a customer’s inquiry, thereby ensuring that key customers always receive
assistance from a knowledgeable store associate.
The choice between a down-loaded and a browser-based application is also important.
The choice depends on the company’s infrastructure, the complexity of integration with
back-office systems, and the level of detail possible on the mobile device. If the back
office already includes a central Web-based portal, a browser-based application
optimized for the mobile devices deployed in the organization is likely to be the simplest
and cheapest approach to extending the amount of information that can be pushed to an
associate. However, if a large quantity of information is involved, an application
downloaded to the phone is likely to be a better, although also more costly, approach.
6.4 Mobile Approvals

Decision-makers in most industries rarely sit in front of their computers. As a result,
approval processes take longer, leading to frustration and increased operational costs.
Mobile retailing allows managers to be on the store floor and, wherever they are, to react
quickly to both customer and associate operational needs.
Mobile approvals cover a wide range of scenarios across a number of industries. All of
the scenarios share the following characteristics:
• An order/bill/transfer/purchase must be authorized by a busy individual who is
rarely at a desk.
• The authorizing individual possesses a mobile phone.
• The order/bill/transfer/purchase can be summarized adequately and the summary
is legible on a small screen.
Mobile approvals allow a store to improve response times for urgent requests and critical
store issues requiring immediate resolution. For example, a mobile approval can handle
any of the following typical situations:
• A manager must authorize a purchase order created by an associate.

preserved.
• A manager must authorize leaves of absence due to illness or vacation. Such

authorization would probably take place outside of the store, while the manager is
travelling to or from work.
• A financial controller must authorize the payment of a bill.
• A CFO must authorize a funds transfer between internal company accounts.
• A manager must approve a price override, refund approval, or similar request
made by a store associate interacting with a customer.
Creating a workflow to support mobile approvals may require changes ranging from a
simple extension to a purchase portal that is already optimized for the mobile devices
deployed across the organization to installing a complex application that integrates with
the company’s security and finance systems and must be downloaded to a phone.
Common to both of these implementations is the use of a messaging technology such as
SMS, Apple Push Notification, IMAP Push, MS ActiveSync Push, or BlackBerry
Messenger. The request for approval must be pushed from an IT system at a central
location to the authorizer’s mobile device. The push can be (for example) a simple SMS
message with an embedded link or a binary message that triggers the local application.
6.4.1.1 Browser-Based Application
Browser-based applications capable of supporting mobile approvals employ the
following standard technologies:
• SMS
• E-mail (MS Active Sync, IMAP Push)
• HTTP
• XHTML
• CSS
6.4.1.2 Downloaded Application
Applications downloaded to a mobile device employ the following standard technologies:
• SMS or Apple Push Notification
• Objective-C/C#/Java (depending on the device type)
• HTTP, SOAP, or a similar protocol
By implementing a workflow for mobile approval, a company can become a more agile
and flexible organization, as key individuals are no longer bottlenecks. Mobile approval
leads to a number of benefits:
• Greater associate satisfaction through streamlining of internal processes
• Improved efficiency; key personnel can approve important tasks or “sign”
important documents

preserved.
• Improved customer service by not having to wait for manager authorization

• Enhanced cash management capabilities through cooperation with external
partners, such as banks
The last benefit in particular allows international companies to enhance their cash flow,
as funds can be transferred between accounts at opportune moments when the exchange
rate is favorable or differences between accounts can be settled to prevent paying high
interest rates for overdrafts.
Figure 60 illustrates a simplified process for supporting mobile approvals:
Figure 56: Simplified Mobile Approval Flow
The process includes the following steps:

1. An event occurs in the central IT system, caused by an external party such as the
authorizer’s colleague or the company’s bank, which pushes a notification to the
authorizer.
2. The authorizer fetches the details for the event and authorizes the order/
bill/transfer/ purchase.
3. The central IT system sends a confirmation to the originator of the event.
Implementation should authenticate not only the device from which the approval
originates, but also the individual who authorized the approval. In general, the device
may be authenticated through its MSISDN by proper integration with the mobile network
operator.
A number of additional standard solutions capable of securely authorizing an individual
are also available. These include solutions for wireless authentication through standard
encryption certificates or two-factor authentication based on proprietary security schemes
accessed through a downloaded application. In addition, all data transfer should be
secured adequately using industry standard methods such as SSL.
The choice between a downloaded and a browser-based application depends on the
company’s infrastructure, the complexity of integration with back-office systems, and the
level of detail presented on the mobile phone. If a central Web-based portal already
preserved.
exists as part of the back office, a browser-based application optimized for the mobile
devices deployed in the organization is most likely to be the simplest and cheapest
approach. However, if a large amount of information must be presented in order to
adequately represent an order/bill/transfer/purchase, a downloaded application is
probably a better, although more costly, approach.

preserved.
7. INTEGRATED IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

Before beginning to implement mobile support for their businesses, retailers should
develop a 3- to 5-year strategic and tactical plan Mobile is more than just a new device
or technology that can be used to conduct the business of retail. It will change the
business rules and processes. Therefore, it is extremely important that retailers develop a
plan that identifies which business processes can be enhanced with mobile processing and
the technology infrastructure that is required to support these changes. The plan must be
flexible—mobile is a rapidly evolving technology—and be fully coordinated with the
direction that both e-commerce and IT will take within the company.
This section discusses key considerations for retailers planning mobile retail
implementation that apply to all of the categories of mobile retail. (Specific
implementation details are included with the specific scenarios in previous sections of
this document.) Table 29 summarizes which of the mobile subchannels are considered
applicable to each of the business scenarios described in the previous sections.
Table 29: Technologies Appropriate for Mobile Retail Business Scenarios
Technology
Business Scenario Browser‐ Downloaded SMS Voice Wi‐Fi NFC Imaging GPS
Based Application MMS Bluetooth Bar
Code
Advertising & X X X X X X X
Marketing
Customer Service X X X X X
Shopping Tools X X X X X X X X
Product Information X X X X
Loyalty X X X X
Promotions & X X X X X
Coupons
Mobile Store X X X X X X
Mobile Remote X X X X X
Payment
Mobile Contactless X X X X X
Payment
Mobile Point of X X X X
Service
Warehouse X X X X X
Management
Workforce X X X
Management
Shelf Stocking X X X X
Internal X X X
Communication

preserved.
Technology
Business Scenario Browser‐ Downloaded SMS Voice Wi‐Fi NFC Imaging GPS
Based Application MMS Bluetooth Bar
Code
Inventory Control X X X X
Price Verification X X X X X
Mobile Approvals X X X X
7.1 Development Considerations

When developing a new mobile application, the retailer will in general be forced to
choose between using a browser-based application or a downloaded application, as it is
rarely cost effective to create the same application for each subchannel. If the
downloaded-application approach is chosen, the retailer will also be forced to make
choices with regard to platform support (i.e., iPhone vs. Android vs. BlackBerry vs.
Windows Mobile), as developing downloaded applications for a large range of platforms
is extremely expensive and maintenance intensive. In essence, the retailer will be forced
to choose between different technologies.
The choice of which approach to take will depend on numerous factors, including:
• Can the retailer control what devices the consumer is able to use to access the
application and also anticipate what devices will be on the market 12 months in
the future and require support?
• Who is the target audience for the application? Is it consumers, employees,
partners—or perhaps all three?
• Is the target audience sensitive to application cost or concerned about the use of
data by the application?
• What information must be presented on the mobile device?
The retailer may benefit from lessons learned by European banks, many of whom
spent millions of dollars trying to squeeze their online banking applications onto
the limited screen of a mobile phone, with disastrous results.
• Should an application be available off line as well as on line?
• Is advanced functionality such as GPS, NFC, or camera access required?
7.1.1 Browser-Based Applications
For most retailers, developing a browser-based mobile application will at first appear to
be the simplest solution. Development teams can reuse the knowledge and lessons
learned from the retailer’s e-commerce initiatives. Browser-based mobile applications
rely on technologies such as HTML, CSS, and HTTP, which are familiar to most Web
developers.
However, mobile development must take into account a number of considerations in
addition to those that generally apply to Web development, including:

preserved.
• How to ensure compatibility across the thousands of available mobile handsets

• How to optimize the user interface for the consumer’s specific handset
• How to offer the user convenient access to the mobile site
7.1.1.1 Handset Compatibility
The compatibility challenge is already familiar to developers from e-commerce
initiatives. Customers access a retailer’s e-commerce application using different
browsers, each with different capabilities. Browser-based mobile applications take this
paradigm to the extreme, as there are hundreds of different mobile browsers, all with
vastly different capabilities, as opposed to the three or four different browsers that are
generally used to access e-commerce applications. An additional complication is that
currently, different vendors offer an array of browsers for most smartphones.
The first consideration may be addressed by adhering strictly to mobile standards such as
XHTML MP 1.0 / 1.1 and Wireless CSS. Each of these standards is composed of a subset
of their Web counterparts. Tools such as Validome are available to validate a document
and are extremely useful. Additionally, the retailer should decide on a conservative
design that is compatible with low resolution screens.
7.1.1.2 User Interface Optimization
Even if the retailer’s browser-based application is compatible with the consumer’s
specific handset, there is no guarantee that the user experience is going to be a good one.
Once broad compatibility has been achieved, an ambitious retailer must look further into
optimizing the application based on each device’s specific capabilities.
To address this issue, the retailer will have to determine what specific handset is being
used. For example, the iPhone, with a resolution of 320x480, has much more available
screen space than older handsets, such as the Sony Ericsson K790i with a resolution of
240x320 (Figure 61). Therefore, the retailer could present more information on the
iPhone than on the K790i without degrading the user experience.
Another consideration is that some modern smartphones, such as the iPhone, have not
implemented proper support for common mobile standards but do support newer
standards, such as HTML5. The retailer should consider engaging with specialized third
party software vendors who can provide the required technology to the retailer, either as
part of a central strategic mobile platform that is installed as an integrated part of the
retailer’s infrastructure, or as an external hosted solution offered as SaaS (see Section
7.2.2 for further information). The choice of whether to use a third-party software vendor
or develop an in-house solution should be weighed against the retailer’s need to bring a
consistent experience to the retailer’s customer base.

preserved.
Figure 57: iPhone and Sony Ericsson K790i Display Areas
7.1.1.3 Web-Site Access

Retailers must also consider the access issue. Starting the phone’s browser and
navigating to a specific URL can be difficult, especially on older phone models. The
browser may be hidden, and entering a URL is often a frustrating experience.
Employing messaging technologies such as SMS will allow the retailer to address this
issue. Allowing the customer to send a simple SMS message to request a link to the
retailer’s mobile site can lower any barriers to entering the site. However, to offer this
approach properly, the retailer must take into account both the customer’s wireless carrier
and the customer’s mobile phone. For example, some large U.S. carriers, such as Sprint,
and some modern smartphones, such as the iPhone, do not support standard SMS WAP
Push, which generally allows someone to access a URL by simply clicking “OK.” To
avoid this obstacle, the retailer must embed the URL in the response message, allowing
native software on the phone to detect the URL and make it accessible to the user.
7.1.2 Downloaded Applications
Developing a mobile application to be downloaded means making some difficult
decisions that must weigh development cost and time against number of customers
reached. In general, it is very unlikely that a retailer will be able to develop downloaded
applications for all available mobile platforms, which means that the retailer will
generally be forced to choose between the mobile operating systems shown in Table 30.

preserved.
Table 30: Phone Operating Systems and the Associated Programming Languages
Operating System Programming Language
iPhone OS Objective‐C
Android Java
(several versions)
Symbian C
Windows Mobile C++

(v6.0, v6.5, or v6.5.1)
Windows Phone C#
(v7.0)
BlackBerry Java
(several versions)
Development for each of these operating systems requires not only knowledge of
different programming languages but also a strong understanding of the underlying
environment. For instance, BlackBerry devices are known to run a number of different
versions of the BlackBerry operating system, which are not all compatible with each
other. Similarly, Android’s operating system can include different vendor-specific
extensions that cause additional fragmentation.
This fragmentation is only expected to increase as new iterations of the hardware and
software platforms introduce features that are not backwardly compatible across all
devices. A good example of such fragmentation is the multitasking capabilities of the
iPhone OS 4.0, which will be supported by the iPhone 4G and the iPhone 3GS but not the
older iPhone 3G.
Including support for low-end mobile phones capable of running applications written in
J2ME and Brew will lead to even further fragmentation, due to the vastly different device
profiles and packages. In the J2ME world, a device can be CLDC 1.0-, CLDC 1.1-, or
CLDC 1.2-compliant as well as MDIP 2.0- and MIDP 2.1-compliant. The first profile
describes the device connection capabilities, and the second profile describes its
multimedia capabilities. In addition, each vendor has been free to include an arbitrary
number of Java specification requests and, in some cases, even their own proprietary
extensions to the J2ME environment.
Mobile gaming companies (who must support a large variety of mobile phones) estimate
that they spend 20 percent of their research and development budget creating a mobile
game and 80 percent of the budget porting the game to different handsets. This figure is
for “smart” game developers who have outsourced their porting to Eastern European
software developers specializing in porting mobile applications.
Not only will retailers have to deal with fragmentation of the software platform, the
capabilities of different mobile device hardware can vary greatly. For example, high-end
smartphones are often equipped with GPS and high resolution cameras, whereas lower
end smartphones tend not to have GPS functionality and only include a low resolution
camera. If a retailer decides to use these features, additional restrictions are imposed.

preserved.
Device fragmentation means that a retailer choosing to use downloaded applications to

launch mobile applications will require advanced life-cycle management capabilities for
each application. In addition, the retailer must maintain older versions of the APIs, to
continue to provide access to the back-office infrastructure. To address the challenges of
device fragmentation, a retailer will be forced to choose between the different mobile
operating systems. A good approach to making this decision is to identify which handsets
generate the most traffic on the retailer’s mobile site. The retailer should also create and
maintain a detailed database that links a specific version of a specific application to a
specific mobile platform for each user. These types of device management capabilities
will provide retailers with enough information to determine when a new version of a
specific mobile application has reached a sufficient adoption level that old APIs can be
removed.
7.1.3 Mobile Payment
Retailers who are considering implementing mobile payment have additional decisions to
make. As discussed in Section 5, mobile remote payments typically use browser- or
downloaded app-based technologies or SMS and are offered by a variety of service
providers.
NFC-enabled mobile contactless payments involve different implementation
considerations. Mobile wallet software interacts with the payment application that is
stored in a secure element. The mobile wallet software can be a native application that is
supplied with the mobile phone when the consumer purchases it, or it can be a
downloaded application. In the future, the secure element will be supplied for an NFC-
enabled mobile phone (for example, embedded within the phone itself) by the mobile
operator, in the form of a UICC, or by another entity, in the form of a removable memory
card. In the near term, bridging technologies, such as microSD cards or stickers, can
contain the secure element and antenna for non-NFC enabled phones.
7.1.3.1 Development Required
What development work is required by the retailer will depend on what types of mobile
contactless payments are to be implemented.
If the retailer is most interested in accepting network-branded credit and debit cards for
mobile contactless payment, little development work would likely be required. The
mobile wallet and secure element are supplied by the mobile network operator, and the
payment application and account information are provisioned OTA to the secure element.
Retailers can accept mobile contactless credit and debit payment using current contactless
POS readers. As mobile contactless payment becomes more ubiquitous, alternative
payment types (e.g., an electronic check or ACH service) can also be supported in this
way.
If, on the other hand, the retailer is most interested in accepting the retailer's own branded
credit card or stored value (gift) card, retailers can either create their own mobile
application capable of communicating with the POS using NFC, or the retailer will need
to partner with one or more TSMs to provide OTA provisioning of the payment type to
consumers after the secure element is embedded in the mobile phone.

preserved.
7.1.3.2 Mobile Contactless Payment Requirements

To support mobile contactless payments, retailers must meet the following requirements:
• Enable the POS with the contactless reader infrastructure.
• Support limited data capture at the POS using the contactless readers.
• Support processing that uses the captured data.
To implement mobile contactless payments and other NFC-enabled mobile applications
at the POS (e.g., closed loop payments, gift cards, loyalty cards, brand-specific cards),
retailers must take the following actions:
•Provide a back-end system for data mining and management.
•Identify options and requirements for customer communication and CRM using
the enabled devices.
If the retailer opts to roll out NFC-based payment solutions before NFC capabilities are
available in all or a vast majority of mobile handsets (Gartner predicts that 20 percent of
all consumers will have an NFC-enabled handset in 2012), the retailer would additionally
be required to roll out enablement hardware such as a sticker or microSD card. Such
hardware can be issued or distributed by other parties, or it can be bought, issued, and
controlled by the retailer. In the latter case, the retailer must also provision the hardware,
manage the device lifecycle, and integrate capabilities with back-end systems. Retailer-
controlled enablement hardware also gives retailers the ability to resell other capabilities
that can use the same hardware.
7.1.4 Other Application Types
The world of mobility includes a range of technologies in addition to browser-based or
downloaded applications, and for very simple or very specialized applications, one of
these may be a better choice. For instance, SMS is a viable approach for simple
notification services or for opting in to more advanced services. Additionally, SMS,
being a push technology, may provide the communication backbone for either a browser-
based or a downloaded mobile application. Other messaging technologies, such as MMS
or e-mail, should be considered for more advanced types of messages that may include
rich content.
7.2 Approach to Mobilization/Path to Mobile

When starting on the path to mobilizing the retail organization, a retailer should carefully
evaluate the organizational impact of implementing a mobile strategy.
The retailer’s IT governance policy should be expanded to include rules and regulations
for governing communication through the mobile channel. The retailer should take
advantage of work such as the U.S. Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-
Carrier Mobile Content Programs 47 to comply with standard mobile practices. IT
systems and processes should be implemented to ensure that auditing requirements are
met satisfactorily, the level of availability is appropriate, and transactions are as visible
47
Mobile Marketing Association, U.S. Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content
Programs , version 5.1( May 2010), http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf.
preserved.
and transparent as necessary. Finally, a retailer must ensure that security and privacy
measures are appropriate for meeting industry security requirements, including end-to-
end encryption and strong authentication.
7.2.1 Mobile Governance
When a retailer initially begins implementing mobile services, it is important for the
entire organization to have a common understanding of and set of practices that govern
communication in the mobile channel. The mobile channel is the most personal way for a
retailer to communicate with customers. Great care should be taken to ensure that all
communication is relevant and that every message is appropriately personalized and
targeted to the individual customer.
By expanding the general IT governance policy to include a dedicated section describing
mobile governance, the retailer will be in a good position to ensure that all mobile
initiatives are in compliance with corporate values. The mobile governance section
should at the very least include the following:
• How outbound messages are aligned, to ensure that different parts of the
organization are able to coordinate their communication initiatives.
It is very important to ensure that messages sent to the customers are not
considered unsolicited messages.
• Which integration points must be covered to ensure an appropriate level of
transparency for transactions in the mobile channel.
One of the current challenges, especially with messaging-based communication,
is the absence of transaction transparency and the limited visibility afforded by
wireless carriers and mobile aggregators. A retailer should address this challenge
by ensuring adequate integration with key systems.
• What level of detail is required to establish an appropriate audit and billing trail
for mobile services.
The retailer should evaluate the level of detail required for audit and billing
records. The appropriate level of detail may vary, depending on the types of
mobile services that are launched. For example, a mobile service that includes a
mobile payment component will require much greater detail than a notification
service.
• What measures are required to deal with the “natural” delivery uncertainty of the
mobile channel.
The mobile channel is by nature a wireless channel and therefore prone to
interference from outside sources, which will inevitably lead to performance
degradation. This issue is even more critical for asynchronous communication
such as messaging; messages can be lost or delayed in transmission. The retailer
should therefore consider technical or procedural safeguards to ensure a
satisfactory level of service. As for all communication in the mobile channel,
these safeguards should be customized based on the customer’s profile. That is, a
different procedure should be invoked for a “gold” level customer than for a
customer with an unknown track record.
preserved.
Mobile initiatives today are often launched either by marketing or sales units without
coordination with other parts of an organization, such as IT. The mobile application for a
particular initiative is generally developed and hosted by a specialized third-party
software developer, who may understand mobility but may not be as conversant with
enterprise software. While this approach can allow a retailer to launch mobile services
quickly, it can also lead to “siloed” applications that do not communicate or share data
appropriately. Data for the same customer (although typically with slightly varying
profile data) can be present simultaneously in multiple applications that do not reference
each other properly. This situation leads to an increased total cost of ownership (TCO)
for each application and degradation of the user experience. The increased TCO often
results in a poor service level agreement (SLA) between the business unit and the IT unit
for mobile services, because the service is not properly integrated with core IT systems
such as surveillance and monitoring. In addition, mobile applications rarely comply with
established change-management procedures, thereby limiting IT control, increasing
coordination requirements, and resulting in higher maintenance costs.
As part of a mobile governance policy, retailers should seek to evaluate the
organizational impact of launching mobile services and ensure that all relevant parts of
the organization are adequately informed. Guidelines should also be established for
working with third-party mobile specialists. These guidelines should include integration
and hosting requirements to ensure compliance with the retailer’s standard procedures,
such as change management controls.
7.2.2 Achieving Control of the Mobile Channel
The technical responses to an established mobile governance policy should establish
central solutions for mobilizing core business processes that are designed to overcome the
challenges listed above and ensure that mobile services comply with defined policies and
quality standards based on best practices.
Like other critical IT systems, such as a retailer’s e-commerce platform, mobile services
may benefit from being launched on a central piece of infrastructure dedicated to dealing
with the mobile channel. This infrastructure component should provide high availability
through appropriate redundancy and serve as the central integration point to other core IT
systems for general requirements such as providing transaction transparency and creating
audit and billing records with the required level of detail. Figure 62 illustrates how
mobile applications can use centralized middleware to provide high availability and
generalized integration.

preserved.
Figure 58. Overview of Mobile Applications Built on a Centralized Mobile Platform
As Figure 62 indicates, a retailer can use multiple mobile aggregators to provide

redundancy and failover capabilities for messaging-based transactions. The central
mobile platform offers automatic integration with other core systems, such as CRM,
finance, and statistics. The centralized infrastructure can serve as a specialized
communication bus and integrate directly with the retailer’s ESB and with other services
exposed by an SOA. Building mobile applications on a central piece of infrastructure
allows the applications to reuse general business logic, which leads to a lower TCO and
reduced development costs.
If the retailer plans to launch m-commerce applications that include a mobile remote
payment component, the central mobile platform should include a PCI DSS-compliant
mobile payment system capable of handling a range of payment methods, such as
payment cards, stored value accounts, and MNO billing. This approach allows the retailer
to minimize the PCI footprint by letting the central platform handle all payment
transactions.
7.2.3 Privacy, Authentication, and Security
When launching mobile services, especially services that include a mobile payment
component, a retailer must address concerns related to privacy, authentication, and
security.
7.2.3.1 Privacy
U.S. Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Programs
describes best practices for managing customer privacy within the mobile sphere. 48 Even
though this document officially concerns itself only with messaging-based mobile
48
Mobile Marketing Association, op. cit.
preserved.
applications, the best practices described provide an excellent set of privacy guidelines
for retailers:
• The customer must actively opt into push services. Push services include
notifications, alerts, and other types of subscription-based services.
• The customer should always be provided with a simple way to opt out of a
service. Sending an SMS message with the word “STOP” is a good example of a
simple approach.
• The retailer should notify the customer in advance before charging the customer
for renewing a subscription. The notification should include the cost of renewing
the subscription as well as information detailing how to decline the renewal.
Other authorities within the mobile sphere, such as Apple, have adopted a similar
approach to approving mobile applications before offering them to users, and the retailer
should try to apply the guidelines listed above to all types of mobile applications
7.2.3.2 Authentication
The mobile phone provides a convenient way to enhance authentication processes to use
two-factor authentication (2FA). The retailer may automatically determine the customer’s
mobile number (MSISDN) through integration with wireless carrier networks or mobile
aggregators. The MSISDN provides the first authentication factor: something you have.
(Other alternatives are also possible, such as issuing certificates to the customer’s mobile
phone.) By using the mobile number to identify the customer and combining it with a
second factor, something you know (such as a password), the retailer can offer 2FA.
The following two guidelines are therefore critical to implementing authentication:
• Authenticate the user, not just the device.
• Restrict access to a service to the user’s device.
A number of off-the-shelf solutions are already available from vendors specializing in
providing 2FA in the mobile channel. The approaches differ from vendor to vendor.
Some base their solutions on wireless public key infrastructure (WPKI), based on the
SIM card, while others provide a solution that is implemented in Java, Objective-C, or
another programming language and that therefore resides in the phone’s application layer.
Each approach has its pros and cons; a retailer should carefully evaluate which approach
provides the best solution for the retailer’s needs.
Finally, mobile technology can be applied within the retailer’s own organization to
enhance authentication procedures, such as logging on to a virtual private network or
accessing data that is considered business sensitive.
7.2.3.3 Security
The different mobile-payment-related organizations have already done a lot of work on
security. In general, encryption technologies such as SSL or TLS are considered adequate
for securing data while it is being transmitted. All transmitted data are further encrypted
by standard network technology standards, such as GSM and CDMA. For applications
that incorporate mobile contactless payment functionality, the TSM, in cooperation with
the MNO and the issuer (who could be a retailer in the case of retail-branded or retail-
preserved.
owned payment cards), will address concerns related to secure storage of a customer’s
payment details on the mobile phone. The mobile contactless payment transaction is
processed through the retail POS system in the same way as any other contactless
payment transaction, using the currently implemented POS security features.
For other retail-specific applications that contain or transmit sensitive data, the retailer
should apply standard security practices, including end-to-end encryption principles
based on standard encryption schemes such as PKI, SSL, and TLS.

preserved.
8. MOBILE STANDARDS
To achieve universal consumer acceptance, mobile processing must be global. What
works in the United States must also work in Asia, the Pacific, and EMEA. The only
way to ensure this interoperability is to adopt global standards. Fortunately, many
organizations are already working to develop and promote these necessary standards
(many of whom are partners in preparing this document).
Some standards organizations define how technology should be enabled. Other
organizations define specifications that ensure the security of payment transactions. The
entities involved must address challenges that include determining an appropriate method
for testing individual mobile phone handsets and secure elements and resolving lifecycle
issues.
Numerous standards bodies are involved in mobile contactless payment operations.
Figure 63 identifies which standards body is responsible for standards that are applicable
to particular pieces of hardware and software.
Figure 59: Contactless Payments Hardware and Software with Associated

Standards
Key to making mobile contactless payments work is the ability to provision the players
with the appropriate components. Figure 64 shows which standards bodies are involved
in the provisioning effort.

preserved.
Figure 60: Provisioning
All standards organizations are interested in increasing the ease of access, global
interoperability, and security of mobile payment technology for consumers. For example,
for every payment network, someone is responsible for certifying the applications on the
network. Table 31 summarizes the responsibilities of the individual standardization and
specification organizations that play a role in current mobile payment implementations.
Table 31: Summary of Standards and Certification Organizations
Area of Responsibility
Organization Responsibility
Mobile Other Payment
Handset Functions Applications
Maintains, evolves, and promotes standards for

PCI SSC x x payment account security.
Establishes specifications to ensure

interoperability of smart card-based payment
EMVCo x systems worldwide. For mobile payments,
seeks industry collaboration and coordination of
mobile payment standards.
Payment Require that a mobile payment application

brands submit to a security and functionality
(American qualification process for an application to be
Express, x branded for their network.
Discover,
MasterCard,
Visa)
Drives adoption of its technical standards,

which provide an open and interoperable
GlobalPlatform x infrastructure for transactions performed using
smart cards, systems, and devices.

preserved.
Area of Responsibility
Organization Responsibility
Mobile Other Payment
Handset Functions Applications
Produces globally applicable standards for

information and communication technologies,
ETSI x including fixed, mobile, radio, converged,
broadcast, and Internet technologies.
Engages in technical, commercial, and public

GSMA x x policy initiatives to ensure that mobile services
are interoperable worldwide.
Develops mobile service-enabler specifications

OMA x x to promote interoperability.
Develops specifications for NFC devices that

are based on ISO/IEC standard 18092 for
NFC Forum x x x contactless interfaces, ensuring interoperability
among devices and services.
Produces globally applicable technical

3GPP x x specifications for third-generation GSM.
Establishes standards for CDMA 2000.

3GPP2 x x
Ensures interoperability among systems while

CDG x x expediting the availability of 3G CDMA
technology to consumers.
Establishes international standards, including

ISO/IEC x standards applicable to financial transactions
and contact and contactless smart cards.
8.1 Technology Details

Table 32 summarizes the relevant characteristics of the technologies most commonly
used for mobile.
Table 32: Technology Details
Network Range
Frequency Bit rate Set-up time
Type (m)
Bluetooth Point-to- 10 2.4–2.5 GHz 2.1 Mbit/s 6s

multipoint
Wi-Fi Point-to-point 10–100 2.4 GHz 802.11a–54 Mbps

5 GHz 802.11b–11 Mbps
802.11g–54 Mbps
802.11n– 450 Mbps

preserved.
Network Range
Frequency Bit rate Set-up time
Type (m)
ZigBee Point-to-point 10–100 2.4–2.5 GHz 250 Kbit/s As low as 16

Point-to- 900 MHz ms
multipoint 868 MHz
Mesh
NFC Point-to-point < 0.2 13.56 MHz 424 kbit/s < 0.1 s
8.1.1 Wi-Fi and ZigBee

Wi-Fi and ZigBee are wireless technologies; Figure 66 illustrates network access points
within a store. In addition to communicating between mobile devices, the location of the
receiver can be discerned, which can be helpful in targeted marketing and store
operations.
Figure 61: Wi-Fi and ZigBee Access Points
8.1.1.1 Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is a network technology based on IEEE standard 802.11 that enables secure,
reliable wireless connectivity to a local network and to the Internet. Wi-Fi is supported
by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which is a global non-profit association.
Wi-Fi is widely adopted and is installed on many personal computers and smartphones.
It is the infrastructure on which many wireless networks are based.
8.1.1.2 ZigBee
ZigBee is an open, global-standard wireless networking protocol based on IEEE standard
802.145.4 for small, lower power digital radios, which also applies to sensors and control
devices. ZigBee is a collaborative effort by a global consortium of companies in the
ZigBee Alliance.
One of ZigBee’s key features is the ability to locate an object and identify how far away
it is. ZigBee is secure, low cost, and quick and easy to deploy. Other key features
include:
• A low duty-cycle, which provides long battery life
• Low latency
• Direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) modulation
• Support for up to 65,000 nodes per network
preserved.
• 128-bit AES encryption, for secure data connections

• Collision avoidance, retries, and acknowledgements
8.1.2 Near Field Communication
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology evolved from a combination of contactless
identification and interconnection technologies. In June 2006, the NFC Forum unveiled
an NFC technology architecture and announced the first Forum-approved specifications.
The NFC Forum supports four initial tag formats based on ISO/IEC standard 14443 Type
A and Type B and on the NFC standard ISO/IEC 18092. ISO/IEC 18092 defines
communication modes for the NFC interface and protocol (NFCIP-1) using inductive
coupled devices operating at a center frequency of 13.56 MHz for interconnection of
computer peripherals. NFC Forum-compliant devices must support these formats.
As of August 2009, the NFC Forum has released 15 specifications 49 :
• NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF)
• NFC Record Type Definition (RTD)
• NFC Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) Service Record Type Description
• NFC Text Record Type Description
• NFC Smart Poster Record Type Description
• NFC Tag Types 1-4
• NFC Generic Control RTD Technical Specification
• NFC Forum Connection Handover Technical Specification
• Digital Protocol Technical Specification (candidate release)
• NFC Logical Link Control Protocol (LLCP) Technical Specification (candidate
release)
• NFC Activity Technical Specification (candidate release)
• NFC Signature RTD Definition (candidate release)
8.2 Contactless Smart Card Standards

Two primary standards govern the operation of contactless smart cards: ISO/IEC
standard 14443 and ISO/IEC standard 7816.
ISO/IEC 14443 is a four-part international standard that defines the interfaces to a
“proximity” contactless smart card, including the RF interface, the electrical interface,
and the communication and anticollision protocols. ISO/IEC 14443-compliant cards
operate at 13.56 MHz and typically have an operational range of 4-10 cm (2-4 in.).
ISO/IEC 14443 is the primary contactless smart card standard being used for transit,
financial, and access control applications. It is also used in electronic passports and in
the FIPS-201 PIV card.
49
http://www.nfc-forum.org.
preserved.
ISO/IEC 7816 is an international standard with 14 parts. ISO/IEC 7816 Parts 1, 2, 3 and
12 deal with contact smart cards only and define various aspects of the card and its
interfaces, including the card’s physical dimensions, the electrical interface, and the
communications protocols. ISO/IEC 7816 Parts 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, and 14 are
relevant for all types of smart cards (contact as well as contactless).
Each payment type has its own standards and specifications and its own certification
requirements. The NFC Forum and Smart Card Alliance partners in developing this
blueprint can provide more information.
8.3 Association of Retail Technology Standards

The Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) was established in 1993 to
support the rapid implementation of technology within the retail industry by developing
standards to facilitate integration of software applications and hardware devices. ARTS
has developed a widely adopted logical data model, 18 XML schemas, 35 device
standards, and 8 RFP templates (Figure 68).
Figure 62: ARTS Standards
8.3.1 Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Blueprint

ARTS provides standard messages for use when integrating applications. These standard
messages enable SOA, which allows a retailer to purchase only those services needed to
run that retailer’s business. To help the retail community get the most out of this

preserved.
architecture, ARTS created an SOA blueprint, 50 the goal of which was to provide retail-
specific ideas for successful implementation of SOA in the retail segment.
8.3.2 Cloud Computing Blueprint
While SOA identifies the services required to perform specific functions, so-called cloud
computing provides the cost effective infrastructure needed to run those services (Figure
69). The consolidation of information required to execute retail planning, acquisition,
moving, and selling activities effectively requires significant computing capability. The
cloud can provide these services as elastic resources that can be used in current or new
applications, in a wide variety of application types, and by all types and sizes of
organizations and companies. ARTS created the ARTS Cloud Computing for Retail white
paper, 51 similar to the SOA blueprint, to explain the technology from a retailer’s
perspective.
ARTS provides standardized messages to communicate between the various SOA
services located in the cloud computing environment.
Figure 63: SOA Platform and Services on a Cloud Infrastructure
8.3.3 ARTS Data Model

The ARTS Data Model version 1.0 was released in 1996 to create standard data names
and structures to enable master data management and make integration of disparate
applications easier. Today, the model contains over 600 tables and 4,500 elements in a
50
Association for Retail Technology Standards, SOA Blueprint for Retail, Version 1.1, July 4, 2008.
51
Association for Retail Technology Standards, Cloud Computing for Retail” Version 1.0.0, Decl 12, 2009.
preserved.
relational model that describes retail business functions and the retail process. It serves
as a guide for retail IT support, a database design for new applications, and a repository
for data storage.
8.3.4 ARTS UnifiedPOS
The ARTS Unified Point of Service (UnifiedPOS) is a standard APIspecification that is
platform independent (language and operating system neutral) for connecting 35 POS
devices, such as scanners, magnetic card readers, and printers, to POS terminals. New
devices required to connect mobile phones to POS are or will be included in UnifiedPOS.
The API specification is intended to enable interoperability between standard applications
and standard devices from multiple providers. The specification defines an architecture
for application interfaces to retail devices and a set of retail device behaviors sufficient to
support a range of POS solutions.
8.3.5 ARTS XML
The ARTS XML was created in 1999 to develop and maintain standard XML schemas
based on the structures and data elements within the ARTS data model to integrate
applications within a retail enterprise. There are 18 schemas in the ARTS inventory; the
following schemas are relevant to mobile retail:
• POSLog enables rapid integration with POS applications. Retailers planning to
implement mobile payment, coupons, and discounts will find that POSlog is a
required standard.
• Digital Receipt was recently updated to display receipts on mobile devices and
contain additional data.
• Payment defines payment as a service; it can now be removed from the POS
application, making it easier to use on mobile devices and still comply with PCI.
• Retail Transaction Interface defines services for ease of integration with POS and
allows multiple services/applications to use a common set of business rules.
• Product Content Management (PCM) supports the communication of images
(digital assets) between manufactures and retailers or any parties.
• Stored Value is a set of XML messages that support debit/gift cards, purchase,
redeem, recharge, and similar functions.
• Time-punch defines data messages to support recording associate work time, log
in, change assignments, log out, and similar functions.
• Associate Management identifies employees and records all relevant information,
including profiles and employment histories.
• Inventory tracks inventory by item by physical location, with all levels of
summary available
• Item Maintenance defines information about products from unique item (EPC) to
summary categories (styles and SKUs). Retailers planning to scan a bar code and
display product information will want to investigate the Item schema.
More information about ARTS standards is available at www.nrf-arts.org.

preserved.
8.4 GS1
GS1 US is a not-for-profit global standards organization that assigns and manages
standard identification numbers to identify products, cartons, locations, and other entities.
These numbers are usually represented as the familiar bar code or electronic tag called an
EPC. GS1 standards enable the unique identification of products, services, locations,
logistics, and assets in the business-to-business community around the world. ARTS
partners with GS1 US to ensure that GS1 standards are included in ARTS business and
technical guidelines. 52
GS1 has recently launched an initiative to provide the B2C ecosystem of access to trusted
product data on entry of a GTIN.
52
For information on GS1 Identification Numbers, see
http://barcodes.gs1us.org/dnn_bcec/Standards/IdentificationNumbers/tabid/81/Default.aspx
preserved.
9. TERMS AND ACRONYMS

Term Definition
1-D bar code Linear (one-dimensional) bar code representation of data as widths (lines)
and spacing of parallel lines, such as a product’s universal product code.
2-D bar code Two-dimensional bar code representation of data in a geometric pattern
that is easy for mobile cameras to read. QR-Codes, GS-1 2D, and AZTEC
are 2-D bar codes.
2FA See two-factor authentication.
ACH Automated Clearing House
aggregator Entity that can aggregate messaging services between mobile network
operators and the retailer (for example, Open Market or mBlox).
API application programming interface
application (app) Small, dedicated-purpose software program designed to help a user
perform one or more specific tasks.
BI business intelligence
Bluetooth Proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over
short distances (using short length radio waves) from fixed and mobile
devices. Bluetooth can connect several devices, overcoming problems of
synchronization.
BREW Application development platform created by Qualcomm that can
download and run small programs for playing games, sending messages,
sharing photos, and the like. Application developers who use BREW can
easily port their applications between all Qualcomm devices.
browser-based Application that is hosted in a browser-controlled environment (e.g., a Java
application applet) or coded in a browser-supported language (such as JavaScript,
combined with a browser-rendered markup language like HTML) and that
relies on a Web browser to render the application executable.
CLDC connected limited device configuration
cell phone See mobile phone.
cloud computing Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and
information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, as is
the case with electricity and the electricity grid. These resources are
sometimes referred to as the cloud.
common short code A 3-7 digit “phone-number” used by companies to send and receive SMS
(CSC) and MMS messages that enable a simple action across multiple carriers in
a given geographic area. Common short codes are also known as short
codes and short numbers.
CRM customer relationship management
CSC See common short code.
CSS cascading style sheet
EMEA Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

preserved.
Term Definition
EMV Standard for interoperation of chip cards (cards with an integrated circuit,
or IC) with IC-capable POS terminals and ATMs for authenticating credit
and debit card transactions. The EMV standard defines the interaction at
the physical, electrical, data, and application levels between IC cards and
IC card-processing devices for financial transactions.
ERP enterprise resource planning
ESB enterprise service bus
feature phone A low-end mobile phone that has less computing ability than a
smartphone; sometimes referred to as "dumb phones." Feature phones
can often run simple applications based on Java or BREW.
geofence Virtual boundary for a real-world geographic area. When a location-aware
device (such as a phone equipped with GPS) enters or exits a geofence,
the device receives a notification.
gift registry Mechanism for requesting items from others on special occasions, such as
weddings, graduations, and similar celebrations. The list compiler does not
intend to purchase these items but wants others to do so.
GPS global positioning system
GUI graphical user interface
handset On a telephone, the device the user holds to the ear to hear audio. Modern
handsets typically contain a microphone as well; in early telephones the
microphone was mounted on the phone itself, which often was attached to
a wall at a convenient height for talking. Handsets on such phones were
called receivers, a term often applied to modern handsets. On a mobile
phone, the entire unit is a radio transceiver that communicates through a
remote base station and is referred to as a handset.
high availability A system design protocol and associated implementation that ensures a
certain degree of operational continuity during a given measurement
period. Availability refers to the ability of the user community to access the
system, whether to submit new work, update or alter existing work, or
collect the results of previous work.
HTML, HTML5 hypertext markup language, hyper-text markup language version 5
HTTP hypertext transfer protocol
HTTPS hypertext transfer protocol secure
IMAP Internet message access protocol
IVR interactive voice response
Java Programming language that is not operating–system dependent. Java
applications can in theory be run anywhere.
JavaScript Object Lightweight, text-based open standard designed for human readable data
Notation (JSON) interchange derived from the JavaScript programming language.
Java specification Formal document that describes proposed specifications and technologies
request (JSR) for adding to the Java platform.
JME, J2ME Java Micro Edition
JSON See JavaScript Object Notation.
JSR See Java specification request.
KPI key performance indicator
LBS See location based services.
preserved.
Term Definition
location based services Feature that relies on knowing the approximate location of a mobile device.
(LBS)
m-commerce The full shopping experience on a mobile device, including product
selection, shopping basket, payment, checkout, and transfer of product or
service from retailer to consumer.
MEF mobile enterprise framework
MIDP mobile information device profile
microSD card Small, removable memory card commonly used in mobile phones, portable
media players, and other handheld devices. See also SD card.
MNO mobile network operator
MMS See multimedia messaging service.
MO mobile originated
mobile device Handheld wireless, portable device such as a media player, mobile phone,
e-reader, or tablet.
mobile marketing Set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage
interactively with an audience through any mobile device or mobile
network.
mobile operations Business process or transaction carried out using a mobile device. The
device must be capable of receiving a custom application developed by the
retailer.
mobile network operator Telephone company that provides services to mobile phone subscribers.
(MNO) MNOs are also referred to as mobile phone operators and cellular
companies, among other synonyms.
mobile payment Payment for goods or services initiated from a mobile phone or similar
device, such as a personal digital assistant or smartphone.
mobile phone (cell Handheld device connected to a mobile network operator that can make
phone) and receive calls and send and receive messages. Different mobile
phones can have different capabilities. See also smartphone and feature
phone.
mobile retail Use of a mobile device for the purpose of performing retail business
processes as a customer, an associate, or a business partner.
mobile wallet An electronic wallet that is stored on a phone. A mobile wallet can be
thought of as a data repository that holds enough consumer data to
facilitate a financial transaction from a mobile handset, and the intelligence
required to translate an instruction from a consumer into a message that a
financial institution can use to debit or credit bank accounts or other
payment instruments.
mobile Web application Web site that has been revamped to accommodate the limited screen size
available on a mobile device.
MSISDN Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number
MT mobile terminated
Multimedia Messaging Standard way to exchange multimedia messages with a mobile phone.
Service (MMS) MMS extends the core ability of SMS and is most often used to send
photographs, for example.

preserved.
Term Definition
native application Application written for a specific operating system that does not run within a
browser. Native applications typically contain more features and are able
to use a platform’s many capabilities.
NFC Near Field Communication
Objective-C Reflective, object-oriented programming language that adds Smalltalk-style
messaging to the C programming language. Used primarily on Apple's
Mac OS X and iPhone OS.
operating system (OS) The software on a computer that manages the way different programs use
the computer’s hardware and regulates the ways that a user controls the
computer. The combination of the operating system, the hardware
architecture, and other components (such as the user interface) is often
referred to as a platform.
OS See operating system.
OTA over the air
PCI payment card industry
PKI See public key infrastructure.
Plain Old XML (POX) Term used to describe basic XML as opposed to complicated, multilayered
XML specifications such as those that define Web services.
platform See operating system.
POS point of sale
POX See Plain Old XML.
PSMS premium billing SMS
PSP payment service provider
public key infrastructure Hardware, software, people, policies, and procedures used to create,
(PKI) manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates that address
the problem of protecting private information that must be transmitted
publically.
QR code Matrix code (or 2-D bar code) created by Japanese corporation Denso-
Wave in 1994. The "QR" stands for "quick response," as the creator
intended the code to be decoded at high speed.
QR codes are common in Japan, where they are currently the most
popular type of two-dimensional codes. Most current Japanese mobile
phones can read this code with their cameras.
REST Lightweight request/response architecture that leverages HTTP methods.
RF radio frequency
RFID radio frequency identification
SaaS See software-as-a-service.
SD card Non-volatile memory card format developed by Panasonic, SanDisk, and
Toshiba for use in portable devices. It is widely used in digital cameras,
digital camcorders, handheld computers, netbook computers, PDAs,
media players, mobile phones, GPS receivers, and video games.
secure element Storage location in a mobile phone for information that needs robust
protection, such as information authenticating the identity of a payer.
There is no consensus on where the secure element should reside;
candidates include a SIM card, a secure memory card, an embedded
smart card chip, or an external device attached to the phone.
preserved.
Term Definition
service oriented Flexible set of design principles applicable to systems development and
architecture (SOA) integration. A deployed SOA-based architecture provides a loosely-
integrated suite of services that can be used within multiple business
domains.
shopping list List of items needed to be purchased by a shopper. Shopping lists are
typically not shared, but are intended strictly for the shopper’s personal
use.
short code See common short code.
Short Message Service Communication service that allows the exchange of short text messages
(SMS) on a mobile device. The term SMS is often used as a synonym for all types
of short text messaging.
short number See common short code.
SIM subscriber identity module
SOA See service-oriented architecture.
smart card A pocket-sized card (or other form factor) with an embedded integrated
circuit that can be either a secure microcontroller or equivalent intelligence
with internal memory or a memory chip alone. The card connects to a
reader with direct physical contact or with a remote contactless radio
frequency interface.
smartphone Mobile phone that can handle data as well as voice signals. Smartphones
offer advanced computing ability and connectivity, allowing the user to
install and run more advanced applications based on a specific platform.
Smartphones run complete operating system software, providing a
platform for application developers.
smart poster Posters, collateral, advertisements, or similar materials that include a small
and inexpensive NFC tag that can contain information or a link to a Web
site that an NFC-enabled phone can read by touching.
SMS See short message service.
SOAP (Simple Object Protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the
Access Protocol) implementation of Web services in computer networks. SOAP relies on
XML as its message format.
social media A group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and
technological foundations of Web 2.0, and allow the creation and
exchange of user-generated content (for example, Facebook).
software-as-a-service Software that is deployed over the internet and/or is deployed to run behind
(SaaS) a firewall in your local area network or on personal computer. With SaaS, a
provider licenses an application to customers as a service on demand,
through a subscription or a “pay-as-you-go” model.
SSL Secure Socket Layer
tablet Complete computer contained entirely in a flat touch-screen that uses a
stylus, digital pen, or fingertip as an input device instead of a keyboard or
mouse.
TLS transport layer security
triangulation Process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it
from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring
distances to the point directly.

preserved.
Term Definition
trusted service manager Entity who securely distributes and manages a service provider’s services
(TSM) to the mobile network operator’s customer base. The trusted service
manager provides the single point of contact for service providers to
access their customers, and also performs life-cycle management services
for NFC applications.
TSM See trusted service manager.
two-factor authentication Use of any two of the three possible methods to authenticate that an
(2FA) individual is who the individual claims to be. The three possible methods
are something an individual knows (a secret, such as a PIN), something
the individual has (a possession, such as a passport), or something unique
to the individual’s physical makeup, such as a fingerprint (referred to as
something the individual is ).
UICC universal integrated circuit card
Unstructured Mobile phone capability generally used for mobile banking in developing
Supplementary Service countries where WAP is unavailable. In most countries, WAP is used for
Data (USSD) mobile banking and now mobile payment
UPC Universal Product Code
USSD See Unstructured Supplementary Service Data.
WAP wireless application protocol
WCSS wireless application protocol cascading style sheet
WebKit A layout engine designed to allow Web browsers to render Web pages.
The engine provides tools to display web content in windows and
implements browser features such as following links when clicked by the
user, managing a back-forward list, and managing a history of pages
recently visited.
Web template Tool used to separate content from presentation in Web design and for the
mass production of Web documents. Web templates can be used by any
individual or organization to set up a Web site.
Wish list List of items that the list compiler would like to purchase if possible. Wish
lists can be shared with others.
WPKI wireless public key infrastructure
XHTML extensible hypertext markup language

preserved.

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Mobile Retailing Blueprint

Mobile Retailing Blueprint

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page ii

Mary Scoggan Yum! Brands

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page iii

The Association for Retail Technology Standards

GS1 is a leading global organization dedicated to the

NACHA supports the growth of the ACH Network by

NRF's mission is to advance and protect the interests

The NFC Forum was formed to advance the use of

The Retail Advertising Marketing Association (RAMA),

The Retail Solutions Providers Association is the only

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page iv

Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation,

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page v

3.5.2 Case Studies ......................................................................................................................................... 49

6.1.3 Benefits and ROI ................................................................................................................................ 130

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page viii

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page ix

FIGURE 44: NFC COMPATIBLE CONTACTLESS STICKER ............................................................................................. 106

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page x

1.1 Consumer Opportunities

Brick and mortar

Figure 1: Available Retail Channels

To achieve universal consumer acceptance, mobile processing must be standardized

1.2 Opportunities Within the Retail Establishment

Mobile Mobile Mobile

Figure 2: Mobile Retailing Classifications

1.3 How This Document Can Help

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 3

dissemination of mobile-related best practices and the development of standards and

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 4

2.1 What is Mobile Retailing?

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 5

Access Points Consumer Employee/Mgr

Figure 3: The Retail Store of the Future

2.2 Mobile Devices Defined

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 6

Figure 4: U.S. Device Type and Operating System Mixes

Table 1: Smartphone Features

Two-way e-mail Useful for delivering receipts and coupons.

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 7

Near Field A wireless peer-to-peer and reader/writer feature available in selected

2.3 Mobile Application Technology

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 8

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 9

2.3.3 Downloaded and Native Applications

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 10

Figure 6: Thin Client Architecture

2.4 Mobile Retail and Social Media

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 11

2.5 Mobile Retail Application Categories

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 12

• Mobile operations (described in Section 6)

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 13

The more complex applications require integration to back-end systems (like e-

contactless payments from his customers’ NFC-enabled mobile phones or contactless

• Mobile payments statistics

Figure 7: Worldwide Smartphone Market Share

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 16

Figure 8: Market Shares of Smartphone Operating Systems Worldwide and in

Copyright © 2010 National Retail Federation. Page 17