6 Evolving Merchant Mobile Wallet Strategies

August 19, 2016 9:12 AM

Web development.

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Merchants aren't letting banks do all the innovation in mobile payments. Several companies are forging ahead with their own unique takes on app-based payments.

CVS Caremark Corp. signage is displayed outside a pharmacy in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., on Thursday, April 7, 2011. CVS Caremark Corp., created in a takeover four years ago that has left investors with underperforming stock, could be worth $25 billion more if the company split itself up. Photographer: Eliot J. Schechter/Bloomberg

Eliot J. Schechter/Bloomberg

CVS

CVS, already known for innovative mobile experiences like 3D Shopping, unveiled CVS Pay this month. The new mobile payment system is meant to streamline the entire experience of picking up pills at the pharmacy by providing ID and prescription information through the same app.

Person paying with credit card at gas pump, motion blur

Phillips 66

The gas chain signed on with Chase Pay to build the foundation of a totally refreshed mobile app lineup. As part of its integration, Phillips 66 is upgrading the three mobile apps associated with its brandsMy Phillip 66, My 76 and My Conocoso consumers using Chase Pay to check out can simultaneously learn about promotions, sign up for and earn Kickback Points.

A Starbucks Corp. logo hangs outside one of the company's coffee shops in Hamburg, Germany, on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013. While Germany's economic strength does continue to support the region's recovery, the European Commission last week cut its forecast for euro-zone growth in 2014, anticipating 1.1 percent expansion instead of the 1.2 percent forecast in May. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Starbucks

Starbucks, already known for converting over a fifth of its in-store payment volume in the U.S. to mobile, is pushing ahead with new features such as order-ahead and Chase Pay. Most recently, the Seattle-based coffee chain brought its mobile payment system to China, where it has 2,200 stores.

Walmart

Walmart Pay is an evolution of Walmart's mobile shopping strategy. The payment system ties into the company's main app, which is regularly used by 20 million consumers, according to Walmart. Despite this audience, however, the payment component itself is off to a slow start, due in part to cashier confusion and low consumer interest.

Shopper Laura Steele pushes a shopping cart as she leaves a Target Corp. store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015. Target Corp. will walk away from Canada less than two years after opening stores there, putting an end to a mismanaged expansion that racked up billions in losses. Photographer: Kevin Van Paassen/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Laura Steele

Kevin Van Paassen/Bloomberg

Target

Not to be outdone, Target is reportedly planning its own system called Target Pay. Like Walmart Pay and the Starbucks app, Target Pay would rely on bar code readers instead of NFC. This gives Target a bit of a home field advantage, as its stores were the original launch platform for the bar code-based Starbucks app.

Serban Simu watches the dollars tick-off as he fills his car at a Berkeley, California Chevron station April 30, 2004. ChevronTexaco Corp., the second-biggest U.S. oil producer, said first-quarter earnings rose 33 percent to the highest since the 2001 merger that formed the company as record gasoline prices doubled refining profit. Photographer: Noah Berger/Bloomberg News.

Noah Berger/Bloomberg News

Chevron and GC Express

The nationwide gas chain Chevron and the smaller Caro, Mich.-based GC Express are separately working with Verifone on accepting mobile wallets at the pump. Chevron's project is being done in collaboration with Visa to accept all major third-party mobile wallets, whereas GC Express is working with the local Team One Credit Union to specifically promote its mobile banking app.

Mobile payments

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