As mobile phones leave the WAP-legacy behind and become true Internet browsers, sophisticated consumers are demanding the convenience of shopping for services and content using the built-in browser on their mobile phones. They are also finding it more convenient to buy additional content from inside an application installed on the phone. In order to do this a secure payment method is required.
Ericsson IPX has developed a method whereby users can transparently purchase items without the need to enter any information. Secure authentication is handled smoothly by the network operator, making the purchase process very simple. A single click is all that is required. This method ensures the highest possible purchase completion rate, typically 10-15 times higher than when a credit card is used on the internet. And a mobile site provides the enterprise with the opportunity to display lists of content, show thumbnails of items available for sale, and to sell information not suitable for delivery as an SMS or MMS. Furthermore, mobile internet purchases allow the consumer and the service provider to skip the SMS charges associated with premium SMS.
This allows service providers and publishers to bill a user brows¬ing a mobile web site or buying additional content in an application installed on the phone. Depending on a service provider’s needs, the feature can be used in three different ways through IPX hosted dialogues, White Label Billing or In-Application billing. These three methods all comply with local regulations and authorization is handled smoothly and seamlessly by the purchaser’s network.
Johan Rosendahl, Managing Director of Ericsson IPX, says “The application stores launched by different device manufacturers have shown that allowing service providers to sell additional services inside an already installed application creates a new revenue stream for operators and at the same time provides higher completion rates and the possibility to sell new items to new customers.”
The service has been launched across 60 mobile operators in 15 countries including the UK and US and supports purchase on all major handsets and platforms: including smart phones, T-Mobile G1, Sony Ericsson X1 and Symbian S60 handsets.
