Business
Target is the latest retailer to decide it needs its own mobile payment system
IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES/JOE RAEDLE
Mobile payment is supposed to simplify the checkout process by eliminating the need to fumble around with cash or credit cards.
But how much time does it actually save when every store runs on a separate app?
Target became the latest retail chain to announce plans for an in-app store payment option this week, following in the footsteps of big box rivals Walmart and Kohl's.
The service is expected to launch later this year, initially for holders of Target's REDcard only,according to Recode, which broke the news on Tuesday.
A company spokesperson declined to elaborate on what such a system might look like, but it will likely build on Target's existing mobile app and its popular coupons app Cartwheel.
Target currently lets customers use Apple Pay when shopping in its app, but it has resisted expanding the option to its stores.
From a retailer's perspective, there are a few clear advantages to offering a proprietary mobile payment system over a more universal one like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay.
A brand-specific service makes digital sales promotions and loyalty programs easier to disseminate and cuts down on transaction costs.
It also allows companies to more efficiently organize data on customers and their behavior into a single hub, an important asset for brick-and-mortar retailers facing increasing competition from data-savvy online stores.
But juggling different apps for each shopping destination can be a headache for pretty much everyone else. Consumer surveys show that this sort of fragmentation is one of the most common reasons people cite for avoiding the switch to mobile wallets altogether.
These retailers hadn't always planned to go their separate ways. Target, Kohl's and Walmart were each previously part of a consortium of big box chains convened to back an Apple Pay competitor (though the idea was born long before Apple Pay even launched) called CurrentC — mostly as a way to avoid credit card processing fees.
But after a raft of security breaches and technical problems, the effort flopped as badly as many had predicted it would, and each company was left to its own devices.
In its wake, some members, like Best Buy and Rite Aid, chose to start accepting Apple Pay, while Walmart blazed the trail for others to strike out on their own.
Meanwhile, battling business interests and entanglements among telecoms, banks, retailers and tech companies made it so customers could never be entirely sure where any given mobile payment form would be accepted.
That environment doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.
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