Bringing PIN Debit to the Web is one of the last frontiers for e-payments. It's hugely popular in the bricks and mortar world, more secure than the current platform, and because of that security, enjoys interchange fees that are SIGNIFICANTLY lower...quite an enticing proposition for Internet Retailers. Previous attempts to bring PIN debit to the web have proved futile...HomeATM's prospects are nothing but fertile... Here's a recent article from eCommerce Times discussing why:
E-Commerce: Fertile Ground for Venture Investors
By Kevin Kemmerer, E-Commerce Times
Even in a down economy, there is money to be made for those who know where to look. One such area of golden opportunity is the e-commerce sector. Many of the same factors that are dampening consumer spending in the brick-and-mortar world -- gas prices, for instance -- are driving shoppers online, notes Safeguard Scientific SVP Kevin Kemmerer.The U.S. economy is in a funk, but that doesn't mean opportunities for venture investors have dried up. E-commerce is one sector that will see continued growth opportunities even in an economic downturn.
In fact, industry observers say growth and revenue opportunities for e-commerce ventures -- such as alternative payment options, are as attractive as ever.Trends Converge
It's also a global industry, unrestrained by borders.
As the number of Internet users around the world rises, so too does the number of Internet shoppers and the amount they spend.
E-commerce remains appealing to consumers and interesting to VCs for several reasons. Increased Internet adoption, low-cost broadband, ubiquitous smartphones, increasingly sophisticated e-marketing technology and stronger security are driving consumers to shop online.When they shop, they typically find the goods they want at prices that local retailers find hard to beat. Better still, orders are delivered to consumers' doors for much less than the cost of a tank of gas.
It's a perfect competitive mix for today's current economic environment.
Fueling this rising tide are innovative companies that are identifying unmet needs (PIN based transactions are extremely popular in the bricks and mortar world.) or technological gaps in the global e-commerce infrastructure -- and then filling them with sophisticated new services or technologies. Some of the areas of highest activity:* Security
Consumers lost a total of US $49.3 billion to identity theft last year, and the figure continues to climb. Online businesses are under increasing market and legislative pressure to keep shoppers' information safe. The opportunity for tech companies is to develop superior techniques for keeping sensitive information out of the hands of cyber-thieves. Clearly, conventional tools for dealing with viruses, phishing attacks, spyware and other malicious software aren't doing the job. Demand from consumers, merchants and financial institutions is sustaining healthy investment opportunities in young companies with a focus on security. (Editor's Note: PIN based transactions are the most secure transactions)
* New payment methods
With U.S. consumer debt at all-time highs, adjustable-rate mortgages squeezing homeowners, and food and fuel prices setting records, consumers are more willing than ever to consider alternative ways to pay.
This goes double for merchants, who are competing aggressively for buyers' loyalty and dollars.That's opening doors for technology innovators, who are rolling out alternative payment systems that are interest-free, incentivized, more secure than credit cards, or all of the above.
PayPal was an early entrant into this space, but the success of firms like BillMeLater indicates that there's still plenty of room for innovation. (Editor's Note: Exactly why HomeATM has spent the last 8 years designing, testing, and now ready to release it's Internet PIN Debit Platform!)
This represents an interesting area for investors looking to get a piece of the multibillion dollar payments industry.
Javelin Strategy and Research forecasts that online debit payments will grow to $93.9 billion by 2012, see chart on rightEditors Note: One of the last frontiers for innovation in the payments space is... unarguably...web-based PIN debit. Here's why...along with links to various articles/posts explaining each...
- Fact: It provide retailers with a significantly lower interchange.
- Fact: It provides consumers with a more secure transaction.
- Fact: It is the consumers preferred method of payment.
- Fact: It is the fastest growing segment of credit and debit
- Fact: PIN on the net is Virgin Territory...(talk about the potential for "net profit")
* Advertising technology
Internet advertising represents just 10 percent of global ad expenditures. Even so, that makes it a $21 billion industry -- one that's growing faster than any other advertising sector. Advertising as a whole is transitioning from print, radio and television to the Internet. This is a major media shift, and it will create great opportunity for startups all along the marketing infrastructure portion of the value chain. This will be most notable in the technology that facilitates more sophisticated targeting of ads. While analyst forecasts of the near-term online ad market vary, there's no doubt that the upside, in the long term, is huge.
Instability in major areas of the U.S. economy is certainly cause for concern, but that doesn't mean venture capitalists are rolling up their welcome mats and bolting the doors. The venture industry is surprisingly resilient, thanks in no small part to its ability to ferret out bright spots of opportunity where others fear to tread.
These days, that means keeping a keen eye on expanding demand for e-commerce services and technologies. These sectors have defied downturns in the past and will likely continue to do so in years to come.
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