Baby steps for m-wallet

Like Chris Skinner just wrote in his blog, there is a war on m-wallets. But what is really m-wallet fuzz all about? There have been and there still are several players who want to create mobile wallet, which  one will replace current leather folder from our pocket. 

There are brilliant ideas how and what it could contain, but still only execution and purpose to use wallet matters. Sometimes in the mobile wallet world we try to build too perfect solution at once but making even basic services not well executed. And by this I mean, it has to be easy to use, there has to be several places where to use and it has to be give some benefit for merchant why they accept mobile payments. Sometimes this merchant point of view is forgotten. 

If merchant wants to accept m-wallet, it has to be as easy as ABC. No or minimal installation and all the data goes inside their current system with minimal investment. 

So to me in ideal world, m-wallet would be this:

• Easy to pay on my preferred method (card, invoice or direct debit)
• Security on payments
• Online identity card
• No hidden charges

For a merchant this would be:

• No or minimal integration for back end systems
• Makes cost reduction when not handeling cash
• Reliable and 
• All different m-wallet schemes work together

But like in real world, all of these are just nice requirements and in real world we need first easy solutions. For this reason I would like to see following development to make things happening.

1. Create masses for most needed solution (timeframe T+ 360 days)
   Creating masses comes from solutions like PayTag, where easy to enter but most used solution is first implementented with same time solution for merchant who needs to do or invest minimal amount of money for current backend system. For customer perspective, idea is not to target on one device model with latest technology but on broaden models where everyone can start using without any new investment.
2. When masses start to use services, broaden basic service offering (1 Y + 720 days)
   When merchant sees mass transaction and benefits for current wallet, they are ready to invest more on getting more crucial customer data for their backend systems. For customers accepting more payment options makes them using m-wallet more. That could be MyBank online payments or local online bank transfers.
3. Create niche targeted market messages for consumers and other services (3 years and more)
   When consumers use m-wallet as daily replacement of leather version, then it is time to create more niche services, where customers are ready to pay.

Building a new service model is not easy and it takes time to change how end customers behave.