A recent review of mobile payment research by Dahlberg et al. (2015) concludes that there is a need to synthesise this research area by studying contexts in which innovation is carried out and to integrate different aspects of research. This article aims to provide a proposal for how to achieve such integration and context orientation by building on previous studies and offering an additional review. Our systematic literature review of mobile payments research is focused on papers published during 2006–2016. The main objective is to examine how mobile payments research has been conducted from the methodological and theoretical perspectives. Our findings show that research on mobile payments is a multidisciplinary research. Three main themes in the research (in line with previous studies) are customer adoption, technological aspects, and business aspects. Moreover, research is mainly analytical based on a deductive approach. To meet the challenge formulated in the previous research, we propose and apply a socio-technical system framework to achieve synthesis and context-specific consideration in future research on mobile payments.

Started as SMS ticketing, today, mobile ticketing services become a platform for combined mobility solutions that integrate mobile ticketing, bike renting, car sharing, and parking payment services. Mobile ticketing services provide a number of benefits for public transport companies and passengers, however, in some Northern European countries, the share of mobile ticket sales does not exceed 10 percent. In this paper, we analyse business models of three types of mobile ticketing services (SMS, in-app, and “Be-In Be-Out” (BIBO)) in order to identify factors that negatively affect wider penetration of mobile ticketing. In order to do so, we use STOF (Service, Technology, Organisation, and Finance) model. The research reveals that there are a number of challenges related to service, technology, and finance domains of mobile ticketing. Due to this, with the help of price policy, many public transport companies push choices of their customers towards use of plastic travel card.

 Mobile payments are transforming the payments industry. These services open up the opportunity for non-banking actors to enter the market. In order to embrace this challenge, banks, traditional payments market players, are forced to launch mobile payments. However, in Europe and most developed economies, a big number of launched services get terminated soon after their introduction in the market. Hence, the ability of different actors to act locally calls for additional research.

The main objective of this thesis is to broaden knowledge and understanding about the ways mobile payment service providers address the opportunities and challenges of mobile payment services. In order to investigate this problem, this research (i) explores factors stimulating and hindering the introduction of mobile payments using perspectives of different types of service providers (i.e., banks, independent providers, direct operator billing providers, retailers, and public transport companies) and (ii) seeks to explain the importance of these factors for each type of provider.

The primary data collected using interview method. More than 40 industry representatives in six countries were contacted. The Service, Technology, Organisation, and Finance (STOF) model was used as a theoretical research framework. This is a business modelling framework that specifies a set of critical design issues that have to  be considered within each model’s domain.

Research findings highlight that the organisation domain is the key domain, which  affects all other domains and has an impact on the general viability of the business model. A comparison of the approaches used by different service providers to address each of the critical design issues helped to identify the factors that are most important within each domain. These factors stimulate or hinder development of a viable business model within each category of service providers.

This research contributes to a better understanding of challenges and success factors associated with the design of business models for new mobile services and uses the lens of the STOF model. The contributions to the academic research on mobile payments are: (i) collection and analysis of a rich empirical data set on mobile payment services implemented in six Northern European countries, (ii) discussion of a bigger picture by connecting research findings to the context of the existing payment system, (iii) extension  of knowledge on business models for mobile ticketing, and (iv) extension of knowledge on the value of mobile ticketing services in the business-to-business (B2B) context.

Uppkomsten av mobila betalningslösningar förändrar betalningsindustrin. Tjänsterna erbjuder möjligheter för nya aktörer att komma in på marknaden. Detta utmanar traditionella aktörer såsom banker vilka börjat att införa mobila betalningstjänster. I Europa och andra utvecklade länder visar det sig att ett stort antal av dessa nya tjänster dras bort från marknaden strax efter att de lanserats. Därför behövs fördjupad forskning kring olika aktörers förmåga att agera på lokala marknader.

Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling är att bredda kunskap och förståelse om hur tjänsteleverantörer hanterar möjligheter och utmaningar med mobila betalningar. Forskningen har fokuserat på att: (i) identifiera faktorer som stimulerar eller försvårar  lansering av betalningslösningar för olika typer av tjänsteleverantörer (banker, oberoende betalningsleverantörer, telekomoperatörer, detaljhandel och kollektivtrafikföretag) och  (ii) förklara inverkan av olika faktorer för varje typ av leverantör.

Forskningen baseras på primärdata insamlad från intervjuer med drygt 40 aktörer i sex länder. Som teoretiskt ramverk används den s.k. STOF modellen (Service, Technology, Organisation, and Finance) som är ett verktyg framtaget för analys av affärsmodeller. Den anger olika kritiska faktorer och problem som bör beaktas inom affärsmodellens olika domäner.

Resultaten pekar på att “Organisation” är den viktigaste domänen i affärsmodellen, denna påverkar de övriga domänerna samt affärsmodellens allmänna bärkraft. En jämförelse av de strategier som olika tjänsteleverantörer använder för att hantera kritiska designproblem har använts för att peka ut de faktorer som är de viktigaste inom varje domän.

Denna forskningen bidrar till en bättre förståelse av utmaningar och framgångsfaktorer i samband med utformningen av affärsmodeller för nya mobila betalningstjänster. Bidragen till den akademiska forskningen om mobila betalningslösningar är: (i) insamling och analys av ett brett empiriskt material om mobila betalningslösningar i sex nordeuropeiska länder, (ii) en diskussion av helhetsbilden genom att koppla forskningsresultaten om nya betalningslösningar till det befintliga betalningssystemet,  (iii) utökad kunskap om affärsmodeller för mobila biljetttjänster, och (iv) breddad kunskap om värdet av mobila biljetttjänster inom business-to-business (B2B).

Mobile payments are new services enabled by evolution of information and communication technologies. These services can be provided by different types of actors both banks and non-banks. The understanding of capabilities and limitations of different service providers to act in local markets requires further understanding. Implemented research seeks to extend knowledge in this area. I have implemented research focused on approaches used by different types of service providers including banks, independent providers, operator billing providers, retailers, and public transport companies in six Northern European countries.

Exploratory part of the research aims to address the following research question: What factors stimulate and hinder the introduction of mobile payments? The main objective of this report is to present primary data collected during the research through interviews with contacted companies.

The collected primary data is classified and organised using the STOF (Service, Technology, Organisation, and Finance) model. Evidence is presented in tables. This primary data is further used for explanatory study. At the same time, this data can be used by other researchers studying the same area. The collected data is reach in facts and presents the overview of different strategies. 

Within the field of mobile payments, the market segment for mobile ticketing services is expected to grow, driven by the public transport sector. Although a large number of studies have explored the value of mobile payments to customers (ie service end users), there is a lack of research exploring the value of mobile payment and mobile ticketing for business customers (ie transport companies and retailers). This paper aims to address this gap and to explore the kinds of value that mobile ticketing services create for public transport companies. The research considers mobile ticketing services in six Northern European countries. The research findings suggest that within the business-to-business context, mobile ticketing services create multiple dimensions of value, namely enhanced technical functionality; financial value; better working environment; operational value; and reputational and customer relationship value. For passengers, meanwhile, value takes the form of convenience and service enhancement. These benefits are factors driving adoption of mobile ticketing and mobile payment services by public transport companies.

Started as SMS ticketing, today, mobile ticketing services become a platform for combined mobility solutions that integrate mobile ticketing, bike renting, car sharing, and parking payment services. Mobile ticketing services provide a number of benefits for public transport companies and passengers, however, in some Northern European countries, the share of mobile ticket sales does not exceed 10 percent. In this paper, we analyse business models of three types of mobile ticketing services (SMS, in-app, and "Be-InBe-Out" (BIBO)) in order to identify factors that negatively affect wider penetration of mobile ticketing. In order to do so, we use STOF (Service, Technology, Organisation, and Finance) model. The research reveals that there are a number of challenges related to service, technology, and finance domains of mobile ticketing. Due to this, with the help of price policy, many public transport companies push choices of their customers towards use of plastic travel card.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons behind the slow adoption of mobile payment services. The expectations of the main groups of stakeholders – the mobile service providers, the retailers, and the consumers – of the service in the retail industry in Sweden are examined. Design/methodology/approach– The authors use a qualitative case study of stakeholders’ expectations. The conceptual research framework is based on the theory of diffusion of innovations, the technology adoption model, and network externalities. The proposed framework was tested and validated by empirical findings. Findings– One of the key findings of the research highlights that acceptance of a mobile payment service depends on the ability of mobile payment providers to build networks of both retailers and consumers simultaneously. The service will attract these stakeholders if it meets their expectations in the best possible way. Another finding is that mobile payment services do not meet expectations on an enhanced purchasing process. This is the area for future service improvement. Research limitations/implications– The main limitation of this study is that only a few retailers were contacted. Practical implications– First of all, criteria from the developed research framework can be used as a guide for mobile payment service development. Second, when developing and providing a mobile payment service, mobile payment providers need to have a good understanding of the needs and expectations of retailers and consumers. Originality/value– Stakeholders’ expectations have not been a focus for research in previous studies. This is a new research object.

Mobile payment services are expected to be the next step of the electronic payment evolution. However, the level of penetration in European countries is lower than expected. The focus of most academic research has been in two main areas: (i) mobile payment adoption by consumers and (ii) technical aspects of the service. Consequently, a number of themes remain under-researched. In order to expand knowledge on reasons that affect the wider penetration of mobile payments, challenges related to the introduction of mobile payment services in the market have been explored in this thesis.

More specifically, this research has addressed two problem areas: (i) why mobile payments have not been widely adopted by merchants; and (ii) what effects that the introduction of mobile payments has had on the business networks of the involved actors. As an example, we use the mobile payment services applied in the Swedish retail industry. The study is focused on the main groups of stakeholders – the mobile payment providers, the retailers, and the consumers.

First, this study has helped to identify what different stakeholders expect of mobile payments and how these services correspond to their needs. In order to analyse the expectations of stakeholders, we have developed an analysis framework based on the theory of diffusion of innovations, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and the theory of network externalities. The analysis highlights the expectations of stakeholders and helps to understand what kind of mobile payment service merchants expect and are willing to adopt. One key finding is that existing mobile payment services for retailing could be further improved in order to ensure an enhanced purchasing process for consumers.

Second, the research has explored the impact of mobile payment services on the business networks. In order to analyse the relationships and cooperation between business actors, and changes in business strategy and network structure, we used the approach proposed by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group. The performed analysis illustrates the following changes in the structure of business networks for the traditional payment solutions (bank cards): (i) emergence of new business actors (i.e. independent mobile payment providers); (ii) new roles and activities of business actors; and (iii) exclusion of traditional business actors (i.e. banks) from the mobile payment systems.

All these changes lead to increased complexity of relationships and increased level of interdependence between business actors within the networks. The following changes in the strategies of involved actors have been identified: (i) mobile payment providers seek to achieve a control over the business network; (ii) the retailers affect strategies of the mobile payment providers; (iii) the marketing strategies of business actors include cross-marketing in different sectors. All these changes result in additional value and enhanced quality of service for consumers.

In order to analyse a complex and multidisciplinary area such as mobile payments, it is beneficial to use more than one analysis approach. A combination of different complementing methods helps to explore different aspects of the phenomenon and provides a more comprehensive overview of several research aspects.

This work contributes to the academic research of mobile payment service adoption by merchants through proposing a theoretical analysis framework. More specifically, the research addresses a new area – expectations of retailers when new solutions are introduced. The framework consists of the following criteria and aspects: technological feasibility, economic benefits, lower service costs, added value of services, network externalities and the problem of critical mass, and finally, ease of use. This framework helps to identify what merchants can expect of mobile payment services.

Another area of contribution is the analysis of the effect that mobile payments make on the actors and business networks of traditional payment services. The introduction of new services results in emergence of new business actors, a need to establish new relationships, and increased complexity of a business network. Moreover, in order to succeed, cooperation between all network actors is needed. As a result, business actors have to adjust their services and strategies according to needs of others.

The main objective of the ongoing study is to investigate obstacles ans driving forces affecting organization adoption of innovation. In order to that an example of the mobile payments applied in the Swedish retail industry has been used. The main analyzed factors are: adopter characteristics, supplier marketing activity, perceived innovation dcharacteristics, social network, and environmental influences.

The analysis of case study findings helped to estimate some common trends in the adoption of mobile payment services by retailers. As a result, the analyzed factors were categorized as obstacles or driving forces to adoption of the mobile payments.