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The author:(作者)归海一刀
published in(发表于) 2014/5/5 7:17:03
Mobile payments： ideal fullness， real skinny，

Mobile payments: ideal fullness, real skinny-mobile payment-IT news Mobile payments: ideal fullness, real skinny

Square,LevelUp, and Clinkle, they can demonstrate a basic fact, which is: do pay for this line really is not easy Ah!

On a Saturday morning, you're knocked out. You spend all day shopping, in order to go with the latest spring fashion trends, you have to buy many new clothes. When you walk around in the city centre, and may be stopped to buy a cup of coffee, grab a sandwich and buy a pack of gum. You may also walk into a hardware store, and picked a couple of nails, then go home and nailed to the wall a painting. Finally, you walk into a Wal-Mart or Target store and bought a brand new laundry basket. Well, all of these acts, all have in common?

The answer is that you just do every thing, is expensive. However, in the process, you have much chances, will hand over your Smartphone to pay pay for it?

Concepts of mobile payment has been out for three years, then you do in an actual retail store, using a smartphone payment? Now think about it, seems to be a lot of products are also blown out. Let us return to 2011, when, from the entrepreneur's mouth seems to pop up a lot and mobile payments-related technical terms, such as Smartphones, mobile wallet, QR, short distance wireless communication technology (NFC), and so on. Everybody feels that these technologies could soon revolutionize the way people pay transactions.

However, truly accept mobile payments to consumers and businesses, it is not an easy thing, but reality is always cruel.

For technicians, and they would tear tender, mainly due to two reasons, one is they thought, money, is essentially a data science and, secondly, with the advancement of technology, as well as the ubiquitous computer networks, they can provide a payment platform, and also to change the basic payments.

But in the end, each trying to enter the payment industry companies find an indisputable fact, and that is, payment of this line is not as simple as we think.

Four examples of striving in the payment industry

I would like to give you four examples, it can be said in the payment field is very competitive, and I would like to sell a guanzi, let us not to disclose the specific names of the four companies. However, the four companies all have different problems, and these problems, others want to bring trouble entering the paid area of the company.

When company a start, is a gaming company based on user location, and Foursquare have similar, but they can develop a tepid, and after a few years, the company began to transition into the payment industry, they have developed an App application, a merchant rules, and QR codes. Today, the company is still in development, but their size does not meet investors ' expectations.

Company b is in 5 years Qian established of, they let credit card paid became everywhere, the company development has a paragraph can connection user smart phone and tablet computer of reader, also, this company also raised has over 300 million dollars of funds, currently company b business development of very huge, products certainly also is by welcomes, but, while last year the company processing has 20 billion dollars of paid trading, And income of 550 million dollars, but in 2013 they remain at a loss, and losses of as much as $ 100 million!

Company c began at Stanford University a class assignment, the founder can be regarded as a child prodigy, and of course he's ambitious, confident can change the way people use your Smartphone to handle payment. Silicon Valley, the company received a seed round of financing of entrepreneurial history, but after the company ran into a controversy after another, although they made a lot of promises, and blowing their hype, but so far, the company even did not launch a product.

If the bricks-and-mortar businesses, no QR code scanner does not support short-range wireless communication technologies, smart phone made what changes, to provide pay dealing? company d has come up with a way. They raised more than $ 10 million Fund, and together with partners launched their own products. At first, venture companies and technology community cheered, but soon they find out that this company is just a transitional product, they must be able to provide a more reliable solution.

Everyone wanted to know who are the four companies it? well, now to find out. Company a is the LevelUp, they are headquartered in Boston, before into the area of payment, they developed a geographically based service SCVNGR game applications. Company b is the Square, their boss is also Twitter co-founder jiekeduoxi, the company provides a reader-based intelligent mobile payment system. Author is mocking the company c was actually Clinkle, the company was founded by Lucas Stanford graduates Duplan. Company d called the Loop, they create electronic dog and Smartphone shell, users can take advantage of the current POS systems available of electro-magnetic card scanner, you can make mobile payments.

These companies, every House has a problem. Square problems in revenue and earnings of the company; LevelUp needs a marketing technology platform, enabling meaningful business expansion; Loop is a transitional technology solutions to attract consumers; Clinkle, well, it should at least truth in their own way to develop a business. It can be said that all these companies are facing extraordinary challenges.

Mobile payments on this hard road is not alone in these companies. Google also entered the field of mobile payments, and developed a model based on NFC wallet, but they're not as it was supposed to be, for a larger breakthrough, of course, has not been able to occupy an actual retail store. Some network operators, such as T-Mobile,AT&T, as well as Verizon, they are using NFC technology to develop the Isis mobile wallet, but this product is basically dead. Payment technology eco-system as a whole, we find that the most basic operating principles are quite difficult.

LevelUp dilemma

LevelUp is located in Boston, in 2012, the company was famed. They unveiled a new mobile wallet platform, by scanning a QR code will be able to pay for local businesses. LevelUp's goal, is hoping to create a "0 charges" world, LevelUp companies hope to make each payment transaction cost becomes 0, and the vast majority of payment processing companies, such as Visa and MasterCard, their processing fee is around 2.75%. LevelUp company recruited a large number of sales team, development App application and its enormous, LevelUp, this App is an open platform that allows online retailers and online payment services.

However, after 1.5 years, you barely hear LevelUp company any special messages. Maybe by chance you can find this company still exists (of course, there might also be in the Boston area), but you found out in 2013, LevelUp, Chief Executive, Seth Priesbatch and his crew almost no achievements.

Last week, the visit LevelUp Priesbatch ReadWrite invited foreign science and technology media headquarters, he talked about the company's progress. The modest payment company very frank, released some figures, they admit there is no profit, and that in such a brutal market reality, the company has had to make some adjustments.

Here are some figures to LevelUp company reported:

· In the United States there are 14,000 merchants accept LevelUp, but some of them belong to inactive merchants

· LevelUp integration cooperated with 50 POS machine manufacturers

· On average transaction amount less than US $ 10

· Incentive and loyalty marketing programs based on LevelUp's request, every charge about 10% are intended to compensate, retailers ' credit

· LevelUp processing fee will be 2.5%, 10% converts the transaction amount of points, for example, if you paid $ 100 by LevelUp, of which 10% are converted to points, which is 10 credits, LevelUp 2.5 million dollars.

· In the United States, accept the LevelUp businesses in the food industry

· LevelUp handling approximately 600,000 transactions per month.

LevelUp, Chief Executive of Priesbatch estimates they will probably be next year before earnings, however, at the moment, LevelUp hopes to transform into a third-party payment services company.

Mobile payment woes

Every time I talk about mobile payment company, will ask the same question, that is the end consumer or merchant side, will also increase?

This question seems like asking first, the chicken or the egg.

If you want a widespread mobile payments, some powerful partners is essential, such as banks, payment processors, merchants, and technology companies like Google and Apple. Also need to have a strong sales force, entity merchant and POS providers accept mobile payments.

From the consumer side of extension is very, very difficult, embedded in the payment of company needs technology solutions to eliminate barriers in the middle. An analogy, if I can get a merchant using Square or LevelUp purse, and then to another merchant won't be, so I don't want to have to use these products. In addition to these difficulties, there are other potential obstacles, that payment is for Internet companies, such as Visa, MasterCard and United States express, etc, they are not willing to make mobile payments in the Bowl pie.

Many problems in mobile payment, but the most fundamental is this article mentioned at the beginning of that sentence: payment is not an easy thing. Promotion, income, consumers and businesses, partners, sales, advertising, there are people, these are changing the payments industry factors, of course, they also are obstacles to hinder the development of payment industry.

移动支付：理想丰满，现实骨感 - 移动支付 - IT资讯
移动支付：理想丰满，现实骨感

Square，LevelUp，还有Clinkle，他们都可以证明一个基本事实，那就是：做支付这一行真真的是不容易啊！

在一个星期六的早上，你外出逛了逛。你花了一整天逛街，为了能搭配最新的春季时尚潮流，你买了许多新衣服。当你在市中心里转悠的时候，可能会停下来买杯咖啡，吃个三明治，再买一盒口香糖。你也可能走进一家五金店，随手买了几个钉子，然后回家钉在墙上挂上一幅画。最后，你走进了沃尔玛或Target超市，买了一个全新的洗衣筐。好了，所有这些行为，都有什么共同点呢?

答案就是，你刚才做的每件事儿，都花钱了。可是，在这个过程中，你有多大几率，会掏出自己的智能手机去支付买单呢?

移动支付的概念已经推出有三年时间了，那么，你在实体零售店里使用过智能手机支付吗？现在想想看，似乎不少产品也是吹的天花乱坠。让我们回到2011年，当时，从创业家的嘴巴里好像一下子冒出了许多和移动支付相关的技术术语，比如什么智能手机啦，移动钱包啦，二维码，近距离无线通讯技术(NFC)，等等。大家都觉得，这些技术很快就能彻底改变人们支付交易的方式了。

不过，让消费者和商户真正地接受移动支付，并不是一件容易的事情，而且，现实总是如此残酷。

对于技术人员来说，他们之所以想要颠覆人们的支付方式，主要归结于两个原因，一是他们认为，钱，本质上来说就是一个数据科学;第二，随着技术的进步，以及无处不在的计算机网络，他们完全可以提供一个支付平台，并以此改变人们最基本的支付行为。

然而到最后，每一家试图进入支付行业的公司都发现了一个不容争辩的事实，那就是，支付这一行不是想象中那么简单的。

在支付行业里努力奋斗的四个例子

笔者在此要举的这四个例子，可以说在支付领域里都是很有竞争力的，笔者在此先卖一个关子，暂且不透露这四家公司的具体名字。不过，这四家公司都有不同的问题，而这些问题，一样能给其他想要进入支付领域里的公司带来麻烦。

公司A起步的时候，是一家基于用户地理位置信息的游戏公司，和Foursquare有些相似，但是他们发展的不温不火，在经过几年时间之后，该公司开始转型进军支付行业，他们开发过一款App应用，一套商户规则，还有二维码。时至今日，该公司仍然在持续发展，但是他们发展的规模并没有达到投资人的预期。

公司B是在5年前成立的，他们让信用卡支付变得无所不在，该公司开发了一款能够连接用户智能手机和平板电脑的读卡器，此外，这家公司还募集了超过3亿美元的资金，目前公司B业务发展的非常庞大，产品当然也很受欢迎，不过，虽然去年该公司处理了200亿美元的支付交易，并且获得了5.5亿美元的收入，但是他们在2013年仍然处于亏损状态，而且亏损达1亿美元之多!

公司C一开始只是斯坦福大学的一项课堂作业，该公司创始人可以算是一个神童，当然他也雄心勃勃，自信可以改变人们使用智能手机处理支付的方式。该公司获得了硅谷创业历史上最大的一笔种子轮融资，但之后该公司就陷入一个又一个的争论里面，虽然他们自己做了不少承诺，而且外界也把他们吹的天花乱坠，但是到目前为止，这家公司连一款产品都没有发布过。

如果一家实体商户，没有二维码扫描器也不支持近距离无线通讯技术，那么智能手机该做出什么样的改变，来提供支付交易呢?公司D想出了一个方法。他们募集了超过1000万美元资金，并与合作伙伴一起推出了自己的产品。一开始，风投资本公司和技术社区都欢呼雀跃，但是很快，他们发现这家公司提供的不过是一个过渡性产品，他们必须要能够提供一套更加可靠的解决方案。

大家是不是很想知道上述四家公司都是谁呢?好吧，现在来揭晓答案。公司A就是LevelUp，他们总部位于波士顿，在涉足支付领域之前，他们开发的是基于地理位置服务的SCVNGR游戏应用。公司B就是Square，他们的老板也是Twitter联合创始人杰克多西，该公司提供了基于读卡器的智能手机支付系统。笔者嘲讽的公司C，其实是Clinkle，该公司是斯坦福毕业生Lucas Duplan创立的。公司D名叫Loop，他们开发了一款电子狗和智能手机壳，用户可以利用当前POS系统里现有的电磁卡扫描器，就可以进行移动支付了。

上述这些公司，每一家都有问题。比如Square公司的收入和盈利存在问题;LevelUp需要通过一个销售技术平台，实现有实际意义的业务扩展;Loop其实是用了一个过渡性的技术解决方案招揽消费者;Clinkle，好吧，至少应该按照自己的方式实实在在地去开发一项业务。可以说，所有这些支付公司都面临着非同寻常的挑战。

在移动支付这条艰苦的道路上，并非只有上述这几家公司。谷歌也进军移动支付领域，并且开发了一款基于NFC的钱包，但是他们没有如人们期待的那样，获得较大突破，当然也没有能够占领实体零售店。还有一些网络运营商，比如T-Mobile，AT&T，以及Verizon，他们也利用NFC技术开发了Isis移动钱包，但是这款产品基本上已经死掉了。在整个支付技术生态系统里面，我们发现，绝大多数基本业务原则都是相当困难的。

LevelUp的困境

LevelUp公司位于波士顿，2012年，这家公司曾经名噪一时。他们推出了一款全新的移动钱包平台，通过扫描一个二维码就能在本地商户内进行支付。LevelUp公司的目标，就是希望能够创造一个“0手续费”的世界，LevelUp公司希望让每次支付交易的成本变为0，而绝大多数支付处理公司，比如Visa和万事达卡，他们的手续费率都在2.75%左右。LevelUp公司招募了一支人数庞大的销售团队，并且对其开发的App应用投入巨大，LevelUp这款App是一个开放的平台，能让零售商们在线上线下提供支付服务。

不过，一年半之后，你已经几乎听不到LevelUp公司什么特别的消息了。也许偶然你能发现这家公司还存在(当然啦，在波士顿地区可能还存在)，但是你发现在2013年，LevelUp公司首席执行官Seth Priesbatch和他的员工几乎毫无建树。

上周，Priesbatch邀请了国外科技媒体ReadWrite造访LevelUp总部，他谈了公司的进展。这家规模不大的支付公司非常坦诚，公布了一些数字，他们承认自己目前还没有盈利，而且表示在如此残酷的市场现实面前，公司必须要进行一些调整了。

以下是LevelUp公司公布的一些数字：

·在美国有1.4万家商户接受LevelUp，不过其中有部分属于未激活商户

·LevelUp与50家POS机厂商进行了合作整合

·平均交易金额不到10美元

·根据LevelUp的激励与忠诚度营销项目要求，每笔手续费内约有10%是用来补偿零售商户信用的

·LevelUp的手续费率为2.5%，另外将10%的交易金额转换成积分，举个例子，如果你通过LevelUp支付了100美元，其中10%会转换成积分，也就是10个积分，另外LevelUp会赚2.5美元。

·在美国，接受LevelUp的商户都在食品行业

·LevelUp每月处理约60万笔交易。

LevelUp公司首席执行官Priesbatch估计他们可能在明年之后会盈利，不过，就目前来看，LevelUp更希望能够转型成为一家第三方支付服务公司。

移动支付的窘境

当笔者每次谈论移动支付公司时，都会问一个相同的问题，那就是在消费者这一端，或是在商户这一端，也会同样出现增长吗?

这个问题似乎就像是在问先有鸡还是先有蛋。

如果想要大范围推广移动支付，那么一些有实力的合作伙伴是必不可少的，比如银行，支付处理商，商户，以及像谷歌苹果这样的科技公司。另外还需要有强大的销售力量，让实体商户和POS提供商能够接受移动支付。

从消费者这一端大范围推广是非常非常困难的，身处在支付领域的公司需要有技术解决方案去扫除中间的各种障碍。打个比方，如果我能在一个商户使用Square或LevelUp钱包，然后到另外一家商户就用不了了，那么我肯定不愿意使用这些产品了。除了这些困难之外，还有其他潜在的障碍，那就是支付网络公司，比如Visa，万事达卡，美国运通，等等，他们并不愿意让移动支付在自己的碗里分一杯羹。

移动支付存在的问题很多，但最基本的还是本文开头提到的那句话：支付不是一件容易的事儿。推广，收入，消费者和商户行为，合作伙伴，销售，广告，还有人，这些都是改变支付行业的因素，当然，他们也都是阻碍支付行业发展的障碍。

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