If both Google and Apple are talking Near Field Communication, there must be something to it. So what’s with the technology behind NFC?

Computerworld gives a pretty solid inside look. And it turns out that, as usual, our friends in Japan have already been using it casually for… ahem… “ever” (ie. longer than two months. Which is, of course, in tech-speak “forever”).
In the near future the technology will serve its purpose in the POS arena. It is very convenient for the end user and helps merchants to keep costs low. A process as simple as fishing the credit card out of the pocket.

Security

With the technological aspects covered, let’s look at the security issues we have to deal with: Identity fraud is one of the major pains, a multibillion-dollar crime causing U.S. retail merchants fraud losses of $191 billion annually alone (Javelin Strategy & Research 2009). The costs caused by fraud are enormous for retailers and are dampening consumer confidence when it comes to online shopping.

Intermediate Steps

The way it looks at the moment, the cause for concern seems justified. Complementary solutions are still missing to create a secure connection between the credit card and the NFC chip. A simple step in between to validate the card would make the whole process much more of a secure mobile solution.

Near Field Communication has a bright future ahead, with one in six mobile subscribers worldwide likely to own a device enabled with NFC capabilities by 2014 according to Juniper Research. Interesting times!

Sounds like a costly coalition, doesn’t it? Here are some things to keep in mind when paying for the presents for your loved ones that we found on the UK Telegraph website. Play it safe when you do your Christmas shopping (applies to all other shopping occasions as well, obviously).

First up, the safest way to buy is actually the credit card. Why? In the UK, you are protected as a customer through the Consumer Credit Act 1974. That means, if the online shop you are buying from goes bust before your goods are delivered and can’t reimburse you, your credit card provider will be liable for your costs.

When using credit cards for your online shopping, keep a few things in mind.
- The actual page you are asked to put your credit card number in, has to begin with ”https” rather than just ”http” to indicate that you are on a secure page.
- You will always be asked to enter the Secure Code additonally to your credit card number.
- Credit card companies will never ask you to send them your details.
- See if you can check the seller’s rating on shopping websites to get an idea, how trustworthy they are.
More pointers and the whole article can be found here.

Happy Christmas shopping everyone!

The female shopper is the quintessential public image. According to widespread opinion, fueled by popular media, women shop till they drop, for all sorts of reasons. Many of us are a critical and tend to question that matter-of-fact.

So we dug a bit deeper and stumbled across a whitepaper from AOL, dishing out numbers when it comes to female buyers, online buyers in particular. This is interesting, as public opinion sees the typical female shopper as someone lugging fifteen oversized bags while drinking a frappuccino and carrying both a small dog and a big smartphone around.

But think again.

As far as demographics go, the widespread online shopper is a mom. Mothers manage the financial aspect of the typical US household and have started to make the most of the convenience of online shopping. A whopping 84% of mothers at work spend between 15 and 30 minutes a day shopping online. Cool stats.

Read the article here.