Merchant

Total Merchant Services announced today that it has acquired Fanminder, a social and mobile marketing company based in San Francisco.

In North America, QR code-based mobile payment apps from Starbucks and LevelUp generate a code for each user, and the merchant scans the code to accept a payment. In Brazil, PicPay is flipping the model and making the consumer scan codes presented by the merchant.

Payments and social media have had a rocky relationship. Many companies that have tried to blend the two have failed or been forced to change their business model. Gumroad Inc., a startup founded by a 20-year-old veteran of Pinterest, says it gets it right.

Madison Dearborn Partners is buying a minority stake in EVO Payments International LLC and helping to fund the acquirer's international expansion and other growth initiatives.

Merchant Warehouse has announced that Combase USA has been certified as an integrated partner with the Genius ITX Customer Engagement Platform.

It's going to be a big year for mobile payments. Now that several mobile wallets are in consumers' hands, the companies behind them are refining their products. What do Apple, Isis, Google, PayPal and others have in mind for the near future?

Google's initial launch of its mobile wallet at a special event in New York last year was a flashy affair meant to showcase every feature and every partnership. Its approach this year is much more low-key, as is that of its rival Apple.

If things are truly bigger in Texas, then mPowa CEO Dan Wagner figures it's a good place for merchants to be able to accept credit card payments via mobile devices in those wide, open spaces.

With many of its legal questions and organizational issues addressed, the Merchant Customer Exchange has turned its focus to the technology that will drive its mobile commerce initiative.

vPromos Inc. and Merchants' Choice Payment Solutions is making vPromos' vPunc Rewards program available to more than 50,000 merchants across the country.