Infographics is a technique to display lots of data and information in a graphical way so as to be able to easily comprehend the information and interpret the facts. Knowing how complex information about mobile payments could be, I was very happy to read about "The most important Mobile Payment Infographic Ever", (Read here). It surprised me to find out that there are now five types of mobile payments, so I decided to investigate.It seems that there are something magical about "five types", as the mobile payment industry has been categorized into five types frequently:
- In a very interesting and informative study performed by Simon-Kucher and Partners about consumer readiness for mobile payments (Read here).
- In a recent survey of executives conducted by KPMG on when mobile payments will be mainstream (Read here)
- In the topics of a course about the basics of mobile commerce offered by MobiBlueprint (Read here)
- Even Cindy Krum in her book on mobile marketing seems to believe that one can find five types of mobile consumers (Read here).
2 comments:
Hannes,
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your post. Thanks for the feedback.
The title of our infographic was intended to be a jab at those who are expending a great deal of energy hyping their study, survey, technology or product. It was also meant as a parody of the many (usually terrible and/or inaccurate) infographics that are so popular these days, especially within mobile payments. So if it was a "mispresentation," any misrepresentation was intentional and meant to be for humorous effect.
That being said, there was a serious point to the infographic as well. As editor of Mobile Payments Today I see a lot of claims about products and technologies made in the tech press that are simply inaccurate. There is considerable confusion in the marketplace about the basics of mobile and payment technology and companies are taking advantage of it because the tech press doesn't know enough to ask the relevant questions or cry foul. They don't seem to know anything about payments. The infographic was our way of saying, "Let's figure out a framework for discussions before we start crowning a company as a 'Mobile Payment Leader' or 'The Future of Mobile Payments,' or before we start comparing companies that have nothing in common."
One of the nice things that has happened with the infographic is that many have begun to use it as a starting point for discussions on how their company or product fits within the mobile payment discussion. Even those who disagree with our categories or the way we define a certain type of mobile payment are using the infographic to say, "This is wrong and here's how it should really be done." Or some have said, "This infographic is wrong because it needs another category for our product." That's great! If the legacy of the infographic is that we spur some discussion that clarifies the market then it will have done its job.
Maybe it's not the "most" important mobile payment infographic to everyone. But if it's at least "important" because it helps someone make some sense of what's going on in the mobile payment market, and understand it a little better, then I'm happy with that. Besides, it will always be the most important mobile payment infographic to me. :)
Warmest regards,
James Wester
Editor
Mobile Payments Today
Hannes,
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your post. Thanks for the feedback.
The title of our infographic was intended to be a jab at those who are expending a great deal of energy hyping their study, survey, technology or product. It was also meant as a parody of the many (usually terrible and/or inaccurate) infographics that are so popular these days, especially within mobile payments. So if it was a "mispresentation," any misrepresentation was intentional and meant to be for humorous effect.
That being said, there was a serious point to the infographic as well. As editor of Mobile Payments Today I see a lot of claims about products and technologies made in the tech press that are simply inaccurate. There is considerable confusion in the marketplace about the basics of mobile and payment technology and companies are taking advantage of it because the tech press doesn't know enough to ask the relevant questions or cry foul. They don't seem to know anything about payments. The infographic was our way of saying, "Let's figure out a framework for discussions before we start crowning a company as a 'Mobile Payment Leader' or 'The Future of Mobile Payments,' or before we start comparing companies that have nothing in common."
One of the nice things that has happened with the infographic is that many have begun to use it as a starting point for discussions on how their company or product fits within the mobile payment discussion. Even those who disagree with our categories or the way we define a certain type of mobile payment are using the infographic to say, "This is wrong and here's how it should really be done." Or some have said, "This infographic is wrong because it needs another category for our product." That's great! If the legacy of the infographic is that we spur some discussion that clarifies the market then it will have done its job.
Maybe it's not the "most" important mobile payment infographic to everyone. But if it's at least "important" because it helps someone make some sense of what's going on in the mobile payment market, and understand it a little better, then I'm happy with that. Besides, it will always be the most important mobile payment infographic to me. :)
Warmest regards,
James Wester
Editor
Mobile Payments Today
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