The Disrupter Series

Smartphones are increasingly an ever-present part of our lives. They are also changing the way that we shop for goods and services. You can shop on your tablet in front of the television, compare prices on your phone as you browse in a store, and pay without ever pulling out your wallet. Consumers have access to more information; often, more competitive options are at the tip of their fingers. There has not been this big an upheaval in how consumers pay for goods and services, from groceries to haircuts, since computers replaced the manual imprinters in the 1980s. In 2014, 22 percent of mobile phone owners reported making a purchase with their phone; 39 percent used their phones to make a purchase in the store. When you finish shopping, you may be able to pay by tapping your phone at checkout or clicking the PayPal checkout button on a mobile Web site. When you want to send your friend money for the concert ticket they bought for you, all you need is their email address or their mobile phone number. These mobile payment options include protections not available with cash and are easy to use for consumers who may be more likely to have their phone in their pocket than carry the exact change with them.