Report: Mobile payments on the rise worldwide

A new report from Mopay, a developer of mobile payment solutions, says mobile payment adoption nearly doubled in 2010 in North America, putting the uptake of the application on par with regions like Asia where it already is widespread.

The company—which handles digital goods purchased for more than 400 customers—attributed the growth in North America to improved carrier agreements, easier integration, optimized usability and growing general acceptance among consumers. Its numbers are based on data from its own mobile payments platform.

Some of the highlights of Mopay’s analysis include:

Though numbers from a mobile payment platform developer may not be perceived as being as credible as those from independent research, the data does at least provide a glimpse of the ever-increasing acceptance of mobile payments and the demand for more applications development and refinement in the sector.

In commentary posted on Mashable, Sam Shrauger, vice president of global product and experience at PayPal, makes a plea to the industry to shift the mobile payments conversation from that of technology platform and device functionality to consumer need:

…no one is asking the basic question: Why would people want this? And more specifically, what are people looking for in a payment system that will compel them to actually replace their physical wallets with a digital one? The shiniest, sleekest device and the best operating system in the world won’t get you anywhere if you can’t offer consumers a payment experience that they want and value … I’d like to issue a challenge to the industry: Let’s change the conversation and start talking about the customers for which we’re creating these products and technologies. Let’s talk about what might be right for them when it comes to a digital wallet and how we can make their lives better.