Square has decided to throw in the towel on the
Square Wallet app it introduced in 2011. Originally designed to help customers
quickly pay for items at local merchants using only a smartphone, Square Wallet
ultimately failed to catch on. Even support from coffee giant Starbucks wasn't enough to bring the app mainstream
adoption. Many people were trapped in their routines and kept paying for their
morning lattes with the regular Starbucks app, never even noticing there was an
alternative.
With Wallet failing to match the momentum of
Square's credit card reader — a proven hit with small businesses — the
company is revising its consumer strategy. Today it's pulled Square Wallet from
the App Store and Google Play and quickly replaced it with Square Order,
another mobile wallet app that first went into testing several months ago. The formula isn't all that different from
Square Wallet, but it's been streamlined and simplified without the cruft.
REPLACING ONE WALLET APP WITH ANOTHER
Square Order lets you order ahead at local
businesses and skip the lines when you eventually head to pick up your
purchase. The new app will automatically notify you when your order is ready,
and the company notes that its service can be used by businesses both big and
small. Whole Foods is participating in San Francisco, one of two cities where
you can use the app starting today. New York City is the other launch market,
and the company is asking users to make suggestions on local businesses they
think would make a good fit.
Square will continue to support Square Wallet for
existing users. In an emailed statement to The Verge, a
spokesperson said, "We have customers using Wallet every day and we're not
abandoning them." Square also says it "will be building the
magic of Wallet into Square Order." So if any features you liked were lost
in the change, there's a chance they'll eventually return. Square Order and
other consumer projects like Square Cash clearly represent the road forward, and that white, plastic card reader remains
hugely popular and visible across the US. But right now, there's still a landing page for Square Wallet at Starbucks — a reminder
of just how challenging mobile payments can be. Even for the company that built
its business around them.
No comments:
Post a Comment