Can Taxis Navigate Through Ride-Hailing Enthusiasm?

As technology evolves and customers increasingly expect exceptional service, both offline and online, many merchants recently made moves to ensure they’re providing consistent in-store, mobile and online shopping experiences by offering new products and services created by developers.

From app-to-app marketplaces to products being launched, there has been no shortage of innovation on display across the developer space recently. The innovations are intended to improve the overall shopping experience for consumers, while also helping merchants take another step forward by bolstering their omnicommerce strategies.

Around The Developer World…

The September PYMNTS.com Developer Tracker’s news section features many stories highlighting the latest updates from around the developer ecosystem, including some companies that launched new applications and formed partnerships to benefit consumers.

China’s Alipay and Ingenico partnered to enable Chinese tourists in Europe to buy items via the mobile wallet. Thousands of European merchants can now accept in-store payments from the Alipay app. The French payments software company, which offers global digital and in-store payments, said the partnership with Alipay will benefit the estimated 12 million-plus Chinese tourists who visited European countries last year because most of them previously had to pay for products and services using cash or other payment methods.

Meanwhile, Ibotta launched an app-to-app marketplace that rewards consumers for making purchases using other applications on their smartphones. Several companies, including DoorDash, Groupon and Hotels.com, have partnered with the cash-back shopping platform on the marketplace initiative. After triggering a reward in Ibotta, customers are directed either to a retailer’s app to make a transaction or the app store to download a merchant’s app if it’s not already on the consumer’s mobile device.

Customers weren’t the only ones to see new apps and services recently. FunnelWise announced it has launched an app on the Salesforce AppExchange marketplace with the intention of helping companies connect with consumers. FunnelWise’s CRM software was built on the Salesforce App Cloud, and the app has supplied Salesforce users with information related to several areas, including conversion, goals and projecting future revenue.

Aside from innovative products and services being introduced to the market, this month’s Developer Tracker features a PYMNTS interview with Jason Diaz, CEO of Frontier Payments, about how his company was able to help taxi and limo drivers process cashless payments using various business solutions.

Here’s a sneak peek:

Similar to how PayPal developed payment solutions specifically for eBay, Diaz said Frontier Payments created its solutions just for the transportation industry.

Rather than dabbling in multiple payment areas early on, Frontier Payments found its footing by processing payments in the taxi space.

“I think one of the things people don’t think about is … if you’re everything to everyone, you’re nothing to no one,” Diaz said. “PayPal would have never existed without eBay. With the transportation industry, taking the payments is only half the battle. The other half of the battle is paying out the cab driver.”

Taxi drivers can receive payments from the company either instantly by using a free PayCard or in two days via direct deposit. Drivers also can get cash from one of the company’s 2,500 check casher partners. Frontier Payments also built a funding platform to support the PayCard plan.

“For us, payments isn’t just about getting paid, it’s also about getting settled, and that’s pretty complicated within our target market,” Diaz said.

The latest Developer Tracker features the latest news and analysis, as well as 140 providers, including several additions to the directory.

To download the September edition of the PYMNTS.com Developer Tracker, click the button below…