What do you never leave the house without? For me it’s my phone, my wallet & my keys. Previously I would have included a book in that list, but with e-readers I’m no longer worried about being stuck on a bus with nothing to entertain myself with, I have a virtual library to choose from right there on my phone. And now Google are looking to remove one more item from my list – the need for a physical wallet may soon be a thing of the past.
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Google have just launched Google Wallet, a Near Field Communication (NFC) app that allows you to pay for purchases using just your Android phone. Pretty neat, huh! The launch follows a successful trial of the software that Google have been carrying out in New York and San Francisco since May. At the moment Google Wallet is only available on the Nexus S 4G on Sprint, and only in the US, but if it works out it will certainly be expanded from there. The discerning consumer no longer needs to be weighed down by wallet or purse – simply tap your phone to a PayPass reader in store and the cost of your purchase will be debited from your Citi Mastercard or Google Prepaid Card. Personally I can’t wait till it hits the UK!
Google Wallet, as an NFC app, is meant to be used in physical stores but this does not mean that it doesn’t offer exciting opportunities for developers. Google wallet works with Google Offers and with store loyalty cards to enhance user experience and to make for a more seamless consumer journey. There is lots of scope for developers to start thinking about how to use this, especially for their retail clients. Imagine you’re making an app for a restaurant chain – well here’s another way to make your app even better!
Meanwhile, Google Wallet already has a main rival. Isis, a multi million dollar mobile payment platform set up by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile will launch next spring. Jaymee Johnson, head of marketing in Isis, is quoted in PCMAG as saying: “It’s safe to say that when Isis launches we’ll have multiple payment networks, multiple issuers, multiple handsets, multiple operating systems, multiple manufacturers.” Expectations are already high that the iPhone 5 will be one of these handsets – NFC is expected to be an integral part of the next iPhone launch.
Will this spell the end of the purse? Who knows… but it’s going to be exciting to see how Google Wallet, and its soon to be competitors, might change the face of retail payment.
Now all I need is an app to open my front door and I can leave my keys behind as well.
