Mobile payments and mobile commerce in general is a hot topic these days, with nearly every major player making a move in some form or fashion.  Consumers want a seamless experience, and while we’re not there yet, the reality is right around the corner.

Diving deep into the world of mobile payments, Portio Research has published a comprehensive 110-page research report covering all facets of the technology as well as current and future trends.  Mobile commerce is one of the fastest growing segments of the mobile industry these days, with Portio pegging the worldwide face value of purchases made using mobile phones at $68.7 billion in 2009, reaching $633.4 billion in 2014.

Meanwhile, over the same period, the number of mobile users who pay for goods and services using their mobile phones will increase a staggering 600% from 81.3 million to 490 million, according to the report.  With these kinds of numbers, it’s easy to see why nearly every operator and stakeholder in the mobile ecosystem is scrambling for a mobile commerce strategy.

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Flush with numerous smartphone services that it offers consumers who own its devices, Nokia will soon be better able to serve mobile marketers too. Today the Finnish mobile phone giant said it will purchase Motally, whose mobile analytics service offers in-application tracking and reporting and helps app-creators better develop their products according to the way users engage.

We’ve written about Motally, based in San Francisco, several times this year. Its import APIs allows for the uploading of bulk data directly to Motally for processing, making it especially useful for platform providers who want to send large quantities of data for analysis on behalf of their user base. Its two-way mobile app communications allow developers to make changes in real-time without having to resubmit their app to app stores and go through the strenuous process of re-approval. In short, Motally makes it possible for marketers to create the most effective mobile campaigns possible–and then measure their success.

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Another day, another LBS app enters the space.  Today, Kima Labs — a startup founded by two Amazon veterans — announced a new LBS app dubbed “Barcode Hero,” which uses the same game-mechanics as Foursquare, but does so for product categories instead.

In an attempt to “make shopping more social,” Barcode Hero works by allowing a user to take their phone into a store, launch the app and start scanning the barcodes of items they’re interested in.  Doing so unlocks points and rewards such as dukedoms and kingships for various product categories.  Instead of becoming the “mayor of Starbucks” in Foursquare, you become the “duke of smartphones” for example.

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The art of incorporating smartphones into the retail experience is just beginning to take hold, with rich mobile engagement taking hold of almost every aspect – from checking-in to receive relevant offers and coupons to a host of other location-based services.

While everyone has been focused on the “check-in,” a brand new LBS startup has its sights set on the “check-out” instead.  AisleBuyer is combination LBS plus mobile commerce app that turns the entire retail experience — from receiving relevant offers upon entry to checking-out and paying for your items — completely interactive.

Here’s how it works: A consumer downloads the app and opens it up at their favorite store.  They use the smartphone’s camera to scan the barcodes of items they want to purchase or simply research.  Upon scanning, the app shows you comprehensive product information like pricing, customer reviews, etc., but more importantly, provides an opportunity for the retailer to insert personalized special offers and incentives based on what the user just scanned and other variables.

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On the heels of our post earlier today regarding a panel discussion at the eTail 2010 summit over mobile apps vs. the mobile Web when it comes to a mobile commerce strategy, Adobe has published a new survey that should shed some light on the debate.

Adobe’s “Scene7 Rich Mobile Commerce Survey” was conducted from July 6 to July 23, 2010, to identify businesses’ strategic and tactical plans for mobile commerce over the next year.  The survey received 446 responses from representatives at leading enterprises worldwide – with most coming from North America.  Of the respondents, it found that 80 percent of companies were planning, or had already deployed a mobile website, compared to the 8 percent of respondents that were interested in applications.

Granted, Adobe has a vested interest in the mobile Web over mobile apps — as its Flash technology is more prevalent and accepted there — but the survey still sheds an interesting light.  The survey uncovered four key areas of focus for businesses’ mobile strategies: promotions, commerce, product information and branding.   Seventy-five percent of respondents named promotions as the core of their mobile strategy, validating the mobile channel as an important method to drive traffic and support multi-channel commerce.

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I use PayPal a lot.  In recent years it’s become a primary form of payment for me both on and offline, but one place I can’t use PayPal so easily is to purchase apps on my Android device.  That may soon change, as it’s been rumored that PayPal and Google are in talks over using the now-ubiquitous payment technology in the Android Market.

Bloomberg is reporting that people familiar to the matter say PayPal is close to including its payment service within the Android software, making it easier for users to purchase apps and providing app developers another way of getting paid.  It may also help Google’s fight with Apple over their respective app-store ecosystems.  Android devices are already outselling iPhones, but Apple still dominates the app space.

Apple’s prime advantage is that iTunes users can buy apps with one touch because their payment information is already stored.  Google offers similar features through its Checkout service, though it isn’t as popular as iTunes or PayPal, creating hassles for new users.  By adopting PayPal, which has 87 million active accounts, Google may attract more paying customers.  In addition, PayPal has put heavy emphasis on mobile as of late, and that innovation could play well for the future of the Android Market.

At the eTail 2010 social media and mobile commerce summit, it was indicated that the mobile commerce market is worth roughly $2.5B today, with that number set to double each year over the next few years.

Mobile commerce in general was dissected during a special panel where topics ranged from the current state of the industry to growth potential and even emerging best practices.  Some panelists represented brands that already utilize mobile commerce initiatives, with many stating that while the shift to mobile continues, it doesn’t seem to be shifting focus away from traditional eCommerce.  “We did notice incremental growth at Lacoste,” said Maryssa Miller, former director of ecommerce at Lacoste, New York.  “After we launched an mcommerce-enabled app in April, we didn’t see regular Web site sales decrease.”

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