Why Apple Pay is Being Blocked by Some Retailers

New mobile apps that make it easier to pay from your phone are certainly gaining traction with several major companies, but some stores are arguing that they won’t accept money from programs like Apple Pay. For those individuals who had already been using funds from Apple Pay and similar programs like Google Wallet, it came as a surprise when, apparently overnight, certain stores no longer accepted their payment.

CVS and Rite AId

Part of the reason behind this sudden block to Apple Pay is a preference from certain locations, like CVS and Rite Aid, for another program known as CurrentC. This serves as an alternative payment system through mobile, but the stores get something out of the deal, too. There are more customers in the system to start with because CurrentC is open and can even be accesses on smartphones that don’t have NFC chips.

Stores can also tie deals for frequent customers into the CurrentC usage and avoid Apple’s fees or credit card transaction fees as well. The program relies on QR codes, so despite the fact that there are advantages especially from the store’s perspective, but QR codes do not always read the first time. This might lead a customer to wonder whether his or her card is being charged multiple times, but there’s also the headache of having to do multiple scans of the QR code (calling into mind the phrase “convenient store” itself). This can be a timely and frustrating measure especially when the purpose of these alternative measures is to boost security and increase speed, among other things.

Why Apple Pay is Being Blocked by Some Retailers

Leaders at Apple certainly have a few things to say about the sudden blocking of Apple Pay at drugstores. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that there are a multitude of other retailers who would sign up for Apple Pay compatibility, essentially saying “good riddance to bad rubbish”.

When Apple Pay launched recently, more than a million credit cards were signed up to the service in just the first few days it was available. When compared with “contact free” payment methods, Apple Pay is already leading the way despite its relatively brief time on the market. Despite the fact that Apple Pay is already quite popular, the alternative service program touted by CVS and Rite Aid is picking up steam, too. More than fifty chains, including mega-sellers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart, are working to integrate that rival system into their own mainframe.

It seems that avoiding credit card transaction fees is the primary motivation for retailers to consider CurrentC and other contact-free payment methods. For each transaction, those retailers have to cough up between 2 percent and 3 percent of the purchase price. Eliminating the middle man of the credit card companies could result in significant savings for retailers who are always conscious about their bottom line.

Why having a brand strategy is important

Having a good brand strategy is the basic building blocks for any successful business. Utilizing a well thought out brand strategy can accomplish many things for a business or brand such as:

• Increasing customer loyalty
• Motivating the consumer to buy
• Validating your products or services
• Conveying your company message
• Hitting your consumers on a personal level

When you see the Nike logo you know what to expect straight away which is a top quality sports product, they have nailed how to create a well defined brand strategy. When I buy anything electrical I always ensure the brand is trusted and well known, I do this because the last time I bought a $9.99 toaster from a company I’d never heard, it ended up setting on fire within a few weeks of minimal use, I sadly didn’t get to eat any crumpets that day either.

www.AlllureApps.com

Using apps to diversify your brand strategy

There are many ways to create a good brand strategy for your business none more today so than using mobile apps. Hold on to your seats because what I’m going to say next will blow your mind. In 2013 alone it was reported that somewhere between 56 to 82 billions apps were downloaded with revenues between of $20-25 billion recorded. If you could capture even 0.01% of that market in 2013 by diversify your brand strategy, who knows how far your business could excel.

As technology become more advanced almost every new phone or tablet produced is capable of playing apps. During train or bus commutes to work people don’t want to read large newspapers which they can barely open in the crammed carriages instead they opt to use apps to play games, search for products to buy, check the latest news or browse websites. My baby nephew is only two years old, he can’t speak or use the potty but he knows how to play angry birds, the worst thing is he’s actually better than me at it! Mobile apps are going to be the future of marketing and reaching wider audiences in the next few years.

We are living in the information age, when before just having a company website and a Facebook page was considered good enough for a brand strategy, the smart businesses are now finding new ways to diversify their brand strategy to stay one step ahead of their competitor using mobile apps.

www.AllureApps.com

Are you playing catch up, or just need an update?

Every so often, we hear people mention technology is advancing too quickly; or something along those lines. These people are usually over the age of 50, and not the biggest fans of our fancy smartphones. Ironically enough, even they were once young too. When you’re young, you drive faster,  run faster, and probably eat your meals faster. Faster has always been better, and more so now then ever before. Technology is all about proficiency and speed; and we LOVE it!

Updates

We’re always seeing updates; updates are basically a better computing version to do a task/command more efficiently and/or quicker.  Updates are now taking place on every computing device we own and live with. Updates are also a way to make outdated technology and programs extend their lifespan for their users. But eventually we all get sick of the old devices. Its just what we’ve been programmed to do, no pun intended. The reality of the matter is, cleaver targeted marketing has truly altered our opinions; or maybe it really is time for the new iPhone, or Galaxy s5.

The overuse of tech devices and time consumed with devices in our face is on the rise year by year. Weather we’re at work, at home, lounging, or on the go, we tend to have our mighty devices with us. We are constantly fighting our inner urge to reach for our phones, just to hit the screen button and triple-check if we missed a message or call. Well, at least we now know what time it is; better luck in a few minutes I guess. But since you’re here, just check-in with your friend on social media, because I’m sure they are all fascinated by your free-spirited lifestyle and those professional model selfies (FYI “Selfie” is currently showing as a misspelled word, how long do you think that’ll last?); update required Microsoft Word!

I’m sure The Chainsmokers would agree… The Chainsmoker – SELFIE

Moral of the Blogs, don’t become the outdated person in the room. Stay updated with your Tech game.

http://www.allureapps.com/2014/04/03/celebrate-anniversary/

Do you celebrate your Anniversary?

Today, Allure Apps, a leading Mobile App Development company specializing in Business and branding Mobile Applications are celebrating our official 1-year anniversary.

Headquartered in sunny Los Angeles, CA, the Allure Apps group has managed to position itself strongly on both the American Market and also Internationally with several clients in various parts of the world. I guess good work travels fast..

With recent developments of productive and beneficial features for various industries, we have managed to grasp the market with our easy to understand and most importantly affordable pricing giving any business owner the opportunity to extend their services onto the Mobile App Platforms.

When we set out to launch Allure Apps, our mission was and still is to simplify the Mobile App process for the majority who lack the knowledge of the technical side of Apps; a very beneficial additions to any business. With that key concept in mind, we have developed Apps for clients across all major Mobile App Platforms worldwide. With the surge in Mobile products, Apps are the most convenient and common way to reach your clients, and Allure Apps is here helping companies do just that.

Our first official year has been nothing short of remarkable! All our clients are now mobile, and we hear their feedbacks constantly letting us know how they are experiencing a new flow of traffic to their products and services ever since they became Mobile with Apps. So don’t hesitate, and give us a call. We would love to make you Mobile as well with our very affordable monthly plan structure.

To see some our most recent Apps/Clients, you can download the following Apps for free from the Apple App store.

Jillisa Lynn – Artist App (connects to iTunes, IMDB, Videos, Photos, etc.. – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jillisa-lynn-app/id800050885?ls=1&mt=8

Ballin For Peace – Charity App to keep inner city kids away from drugs/gangs - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ballin-for-peace/id796774901?ls=1&mt=8

Traffic Ticket Pros – Lawyer App – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/traffic-ticket-pros/id649108750?ls=1&mt=8

Nezhad Law Firm – Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nezhad-law/id832209564?ls=1&mt=8

Rosenthal Estate Winery App – Wine Tasting App - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rosenthal-estate-winery/id836381689?ls=1&mt=8

MARCH MADNESS has begun, but its gone even MADDER this year.

Thanks to the well know Multi-Billionaire Warren Buffett!

“Warren Buffett, together with his company, Berkshire Hathaway, are offering $1 billion to any person who can correctly pick the winners of all 63 games in this year’s NCAA men’s college basketball tournament. Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are partnering with Quicken Loans, owned by fellow billionaire Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, to offer the ‘Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket.’ Gilbert is listed at #384 of Forbes’ list of billionaires with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion.”

To fill out a bracket, visit Quicken Loans Billion Bracket

That a One in 4,294,967,296 chance of winning. Those odds may be against you, but there is still a chance! And that’s all you need sometimes. So watch your ESPN analysts, tune in to some of the March Madness, and you never know, you just might be that “One” that does what may have seemed impossible. A quote sticks with me, not sure who originally said it, “Everything seems impossible until it is done.”

So who do you have in your Final Four? (Comment Below) Who’s your team and are you still going to pick them to go far even though a Billion dollars is on the line..? Maybe we all should put a little “fanism” aside when filling out our brackets, or maybe this is the year your underdog team pulls through and surprises the country.; and you believed in them all along, and may get rewarded some serious cash for Loyalty. You never know, just a few thoughts to ponder. As if you didn’t have enough to think about with the addition of this years billion.

And if you’re not the March Madness guru, Quicken will still award a whopping $100,000 each to the 20 most accurate “imperfect” brackets for use in buying, refinancing or remodeling a home. I’m not a greedy person, I’ll take $100,000 for something I enjoy doing every year anyways. Time to soak in the Madness and root for the games like a Billion dollars depends on it!

 Allure Apps

Tags: 2014, Allure Apps, Apps, Basketball, BBall, Billion Bracket, Bracket, Bracketology, Buffett, College, College Basketball, Madness 2014, March, March Madness, March Madness 2014, March Madness Bracket, March Madness brackets, NCAA, NCAA Basketball, ncaa Bracekt, Quicken Billion, Quicken Loans, Warren Buffett

http://www.allureapps.com/2014/03/17/march-madness/

Yo Momma! The next FUN App of the Apple App Store

Looking for a silly App that gets your juices flowing? An app with one thought in mind; to make you and your friends laugh. Yo Momma Button App is now in the Apple App store and who knows, maybe it’s your cup of tea.

Simple “Yo Momma” jokes have been in circulation since we could remember, and now with the technology craze that we are surrounded by, why not have an App for that? There seems to be an App for everything else…

Yo Momma Button App was created by a couple of close friends who just loved making Yo Momma jokes (we don’t condone it, but hey, a joke is a joke.. as long as somebody laughs). So go ahead, download it, makes those uncomfortable jokes with your dearest friends and see what their reaction will be. Sometimes a simple one-liner is all we need to get our mood up again, or to enhance the glorious day we are having.

The App features a variety of funny ways to say “Yo Momma”, along with translations of the term so you can make Yo Momma jokes even when you are on vacation… There is nothing like knowing another language, well even if it is just a couple words; its better than none.

You can simply find the App in the Apple App Store under “Yo Momma Button” but should also show up under “Yo Momma”, or simply click the following link appsto.re/us/qjzFV.i 

Allure Apps is a Mobile App Development company specializing in Business and Branding App for a wide range of industries from businesses, restaurants, attorneys, musicians, non-profits, and pretty much anybody that wants to extend their services and products across the Mobile App Platforms (Apple, Android, and Windows). But we also like making creative and innovative App ideas come to life for our clients. So, keep the inquiries coming, we would love to take the adventurous ride with you while making your App idea a reality; just like the good people we helped make Yo Momma Button App.

Enjoy!! And let us know what you think of it…

www.AllureApps.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yo-momma-button-full/id796758608?ls=1&mt=8

Have you seen the Trending Topics sidebar on Facebook?

We all use some sort of social media these days.  I use mine for business networking and building our company brand. Some use social media to stay connected with their friends, others use it to tell the world what they are eating and other daily life events. Regardless of what you use it for, there is one thing in common; it’s addicting. Twitter has always had their “trending topics”. Trending Topics shows you the popular topics and hashtags that are being talked about currently. On twitter, you could always see what the hot conversation topic is at the moment and with hashtags chime in anytime.  As of today, Facebook is cashing in on the Trending Topics concept of social media. Recently, Facebook activated their use of hashtags into the social media site and now they are included a Trending Topics bar on the top-right screen when you sign in. On Facebook, You’ll see stories from people and pages who’ve shared them with you or have shared them as Public.

Before the Trending Topics sidebar, we had to actually read through everybody’s posts on your timeline to really see what was going on in the news. Sometimes when I wanted to know if there was some breaking news or major sports game, or earthquake (to my fellow California residents) I would just log into Facebook and read some posts from my friends. As of today, I could just click on the sidebar and read posts from EVERYONE who is posting in regards to that Trending Topic.  It makes it interesting to really know what people are thinking, and not just the people on your friends list. I am curious to see how it will be with the Superbowl, or another huge sporting event, a major breaking news story, weather, etc…

The real question about the trending topics is how are you going to use them, relate to them, or if you’re simply amused by them?

Leave us your thoughts…

http://www.allureapps.com/2014/01/23/trending_topics/

Allure Apps Custom Mobile Apps Services and Products

As we kick off the 2014, we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce our product and services; we are a Mobile App Development company based out of sunny Los Angeles, California. We specialize in building custom Mobile Apps for a wide range of industries, businesses, and brands. Sure we can make games and other gadget apps, but our calling is to help businesses expand their presence across all Mobile App platforms (Apple, Android, and Windows).

When we initially launched our company, the idea was to make Apps more affordable; we realized that most App Development companies were charging lump sums ranging from 7k to as high as 45k to create custom Mobile Apps for franchises and corporations. These same companies were then charging additional fees for upkeep, updating, hosting, and general IT work that goes into keeping your app in tip-top working form. Taking nothing away from their products and services, but we knew these were some ridiculously high prices for the average business or brand to afford and budget for. Sure its not difficult for major corporations to dish big bucks, but we wanted the smaller companies, musicians, and entrepreneur’s to have the same fair shot in succeeding as the big guys do.

We have created a structure allowing almost anyone to have the same advantages of a CUSTOM MOBILE APP for a fraction of the price. How did we do it? Simple, we do everything in-house; everything from our creative graphics design team to our multi-talented programmers are committed to evening out the playing field and help the middle class grow once again in our economy. Your Business and/or Brand can now have all the same technological advantages as any of the major corporations do.

OUR SERVICES:

• All custom designs
• Business analysis
• Strategic features and options industry specified
• Approval process by you every step of the way, to ensure 100% satisfaction
• Develop and Code
• Debug/testing
• Submission to marketplace for approval
• Host
• Update/upkeep

Our structure is simple, easy to understand and consumer friendly. We have an initial affordable design fee; this is for us to build you your Custom Mobile Apps based on your desires and wants, with our helpful advice and experience along the way. Once your App is complete and live ready for download, monthly payments will begin; starting at just $99 a month.

Check out our site,

Allure Apps is very easy to get in touch with: We’re across all Social Media platforms, multiple way to reach out through the site or simply email us,

info@AllureApps.com

The exciting CES is back in Vegas!

As most of you are aware, CES is the single biggest electronic show in the nation. Once a year we have all the major brands and innovative technologies displayed for the public to see.. for a hefty priced entrance pass ($700-1600). I think most would agree, they would rather use that money towards buying older model products rather than the opportunity to look at the new ones coming out; maybe that’s just me.

This years highlights compile of UHD and Curved TV’s, Notebook PC’s and adaptive keyboards, fitness and health devices, and other innovative technologies.

The TV’s seem to be taking the majority of the attention, as they usually do. Just about every TV maker is expected to show off some Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV’s, also know as 4K, we are told they have 4x times the resolution of today’s 1080p high def TV’s. These TV’s are incredible to look at, the colors displayed are said to be better than real life it seems. But the major issue is, there isn’t any content to view on them just yet making them irrelevant until we produce content that justifies the extra dollars you would be spending on these new TV’s.

The other is the curved TV displayed by Samsung; this TV actually bends up to 20 degrees using the remote control. Samsung’s Dave Das told the press the screen will create a more immersive experience. Very impressive!

Notebook PC’s with adaptive keyboards are also drawing in crowds; Lenovo introduces variety of new tablets and notebooks including the new 14-inch Carbon X1, which weighs only 2.8 pounds, making it lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. The fascinating feature is the adaptive keyboard, where the function keys chance, depending on the application you’re using.

If you’re going to CES, enjoy and comment about your experience; if you’re not going to attend CES, I’m sure you’ll be exposed to everything that was displayed soon enough.

The Allure Apps team.

http://www.allureapps.com/2014/01/09/ces/

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What is SEO? And how can it benefit you in 2014?

By now, I’m sure everyone has heard how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can be beneficial to your businesses and brands, but nobody has a full understanding of what it really is and how it works. We all hear various theories, practices, and even get direct advice from some of our friends and business relationships all to help us generate more leads on our websites. But the truth is, there are many aspects of SEO that are in the gray area and undefined.

The first and most important thing to consider is, you want to register your company on as many directories as possible; this will give your company the base it needs to build a great SEO campaign off of. The next step is going through your websites keywords, Meta tags, and Meta descriptions and appropriately set them up (you can Google tips and advice on how to select the most effective words for your industry).  I know there is an argument going around in the tech world in regards to this, how it’s not effective since Google changed their algorithm, but I say,  “It can’t hurt!” And last but probably the most important is to Blog, blogging keeps you relevant, informative, and if done with strategy can generate hits on your site.

This is a very general introduction to SEO, how it’s done and to what extend is an art form on its own, as nobody has a step-by-step playbook of exactly what to do and how to do it. SEO companies will try to sell you on all sorts of promises, collect thousands of dollars without having to prove anything, because as we all know, SEO is not instantly obtained. Moving up in Google’s organic search takes time, commitment, and repetition and hopefully you’ll see some results within 6 months to a year.

Be careful who you hire for your company’s SEO needs, consider doing it yourself is probably the most effective route. The one thought I would like to leave our readers with is this, Interview several SEO companies, really pick their brains about exactly what they will be doing for you? How many times a day/week/month? Where are they submitting your blogs? And last, do your homework on their clients, maybe even try to reach out to them and see if you can get some information.

Good luck everyone, and we’ll see you on the Net.

Allure Apps Team