Several UK retailers have gone live with mobile checkout technology that lets customers use their handsets to buy through adverts, direct marketing and Web sites.
The system has been developed by Mobile Money Network (MMN), a joint venture formed last year by vendor Monitise, retailer Best Buy Europe and Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone.
The service, dubbed Simply Tap, requires a customer to download a free iPhone or Android app and then go through a one-off registration process, providing their card details and delivery address.
Users can then make purchases at participating retailers by entering the Simply Pay codes placed by the firms in stores, in advertising and on Web sites.
Simply Tap & Buy from Simply Tap on Vimeo.
As well as Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy Europe, Thorntons, Goldsmiths, thehut.com, Pretty Green and moreTvicar.com have all signed up to the service's launch.
John Milliken, MD, MMN, says: "This initial launch phase is all about gathering as much intelligence as possible. We expect to learn an enormous amount about how consumers want to use their mobiles to shop. We are already developing the second version of the app where you can expect to see image recognition as a major feature."
The partners are putting together a major push for the new service, promising a seven figure marketing campaign that will span social and digital channels with nationwide support from Carphone Warehouse.
Nick Holland, senior analyst, Yankee Group, argues: "Mobile payments are about far more than a financial transaction and this service will enable retailers to capitalise on the fusion of physical and virtual worlds using mobile technology as a conduit."