POS and Retail

Apple Pay's NFC-based mobile pay system doesn't automatically equate to a marriage between the retailers' point of sale and the contactless communication technology.

The device, known as Clover Mobile, allows merchants to perform a variety of business functions, including scanning inventory and taking payments, using a mobile tablet. Earlier versions of Clover, called Clover Station, were designed to be affixed to a countertop.

The recent announcement from Apple, that it is now diving head long into mobile commerce, was universally embraced by many of us in the industry.

Verifone is changing its logo and marketing to signal the many pivots it is making to provide a broader range of services to merchants that must embrace mobile and digital technology to stay relevant.

Apple Pay is still new to the scene, but it's already forced a number of other online and mobile wallets to change course. Some are rethinking their technology, while others are trying to find the best way to build on the buzz Apple created.

The Peterbrooke Chocolatier has a new recipe for mobile payments: it's blending Apple Pay with NCR's order-ahead and mobile point of sale technology to engage its customers in a new way.

About 60% of the first cards loaded onto Apple Pay are Visa cards, and the card network plans to build on this beginning in an aggressive mobile commerce strategy, according to CEO Charles Scharf.

The Merchant Customer Exchange is facing harsh scrutiny after some of its merchants shut off all Near Field Communication capabilities to show allegiance with the merchant mobile wallet over Apple Pay.

Apple Pay was supposed to deliver a victory blow for Near Field Communication payments, but its launch seems to be doing as much damage as good for the cause of NFC.

Poynt Co., a startup headed by former Google and PayPal executive Osama Bedier, is looking to take advantage of the EMV hardware upgrade schedule to entice merchants to switch to its new app-based payment terminal.

Total System Services is close to beginning tests of new products and merchant services, and is already seeing a benefit from last week's launch of Apple Pay. But in prepaid, a significant business for the processor, TSYS is still awaiting new rules from the government.

A number of large retailers are pushing back against Apple Pay, making clear the power merchants wield in the developing mobile payments market.

InComm is adding add over 15,000 locations to its Vanilla Reload network, which allows prepaid card users to reload their general-purpose reloadable card accounts by swiping the card at the point of sale.

Walmart and Best Buy were up-front about their disinterest in Apple Pay; CVS and Rite Aid followed after the fact. Reportedly, these Merchant Customer Exchange participants are placing their bets on the group's upcoming CurrentC wallet, but there's another reason they may want to distance themselves from Apple Pay.

Apple Pay has launched to considerable buzz, but the technology giant has done little to communicate where its new mobile wallet can be used, leaving its partners to fill the void.

Private equity firm LLR Partners acquired a stake in Phreesia Payment Services as part of a $30 million investment.

U.S. Bank has been trying to get iPhones to make contactless payments for a long time, but most of its efforts didn't pan out. The launch of Apple Pay and the rapid advancement of mobile technology may breathe some new life into the bank's old ideas.

Online art marketplace Etsy is offering a mobile card reader, Sell on Etsy Reader, to its sellers for free, allowing them to transact in-person.

Transactions have long been free for consumers, but Ashe Pay is betting that consumers are willing to pay a $1 monthly fee to be part of a network that allows instant payments to vetted merchants.

A big part of the EMV migration is awkward for restaurants in the U.S., but Apple Pay may ease the discomfort, said Harbortouch CEO Jared Isaacman.