The ongoing land-grab by Apple, Google and Microsoft doesn’t just impact Amazon, as I explained in my post, The Death of ‘Open.’ It threatens the livelihood of anyone who wants to court customers on the internet.
A collection of retailers, including big-box brands like Wal-Mart and Target aren’t willing to cede control of mobile payments to Google Wallet. So they’ve joined forces to establish their own mobile payments alternative, as reported in today’s Wall Street Journal. The effort is called the Merchant Customer Exchange, or MCX.
This is just the start. Watch for more initiatives like this from companies who don’t want to be an after-thought when we’re shopping from our smartphones and media tablets.
… and speaking of the internet land grab, the New York Times reports that Google is buying Brommer’s. Will Apple and Microsoft respond by purchasing their own travel guide brands? Lonely Planet? Fodor’s?
The impact? Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt would be wise to take a cue from Wal-Mart and Target and find a way around the big three …
