Google Wallet was the one who drove the frenzy by mobile payments this year, allowing consumers with the Smartphone designed for that purpose, could make payments only by moving your mobile in front of a small reader next to the boxes of stores.
However, a new Gartner report is skeptical about whether the NFC will take off soon. He also claims that the growth of mobile payments will not be as explosive as they have projected, but it does not mean that the industry will not enjoy strong profits this year.
Gartner predicts that mobile payments in the world will reach 76% growth, reaching 86 million, while the number of people who make them will increase by 38%. Despite the striking numbers, the report notes show that it is not growing as expected.
In advanced markets, the report says mobile payments will be massive for at least four years. The biggest obstacle is the need to change user behavior and convince them to use their Smartphones to make payments, instead of cash or cards, said Sandy Shen, director of research at Gartner.
In the development zones, Gartner said that mobile payment does not yet exist and it is even unknown because the service providers have not adapted their strategies to the needs of the local market. It is expected that SMS and unstructured data of complementary services will continue to be the leaders in emerging regions, due to the limitations presented by mobile phones in these regions.
Another report from Juniper Research predicted last month that the number of smartphone users that would make payments through its terminals will reach 2.5 billion worldwide by 2015. He referred to the purchase of travel tickets and entertainment as the key areas to influence growth, along with other services such as mobile coupons and rewards programs.