Mobile Tap-and-pay Starts to Take Off

U.S. consumers spent about $8.7 billion in checkout lines last year using their phones, estimates researcher Emarketer. Retailers and banks are pushing out their own payment apps to cut swipe fees, get valuable data on people’s buying habits, or both. “Every one of the top 11 issuers of credit and debit cards by the end of next year will have their own version of Pay,” says Richard Crone, chief executive officer of Crone Consulting. “Same for retailers.” Here’s the current state of play. � Olga Kharif

22m shoppers use Walmart’s app