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IBM and Visa want all smart devices to be able to make purchases for you

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As technology grows, so do the options for making purchases. Already millions of people are able to buy things using PayPal or Apple Pay, but IBM and Visa want to expand that even further. Together, they want all connected devices to act as mobile payment systems.

By collaborating with Visa, IBM will use its own Watson Internet of Things (IoT) platform to allow businesses to quickly add secure payment options to any device connected to the internet. These days, that means anything from a car, to a ring, or even a shoe.

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With IBM’s platform, everything in life could be a little more convenient. Consider the modern car. With more cars connecting to the internet, a driver could be alerted when the car’s warranty or certification is soon to expire. Alternatively, if a specific part needed replacing, the driver could be alerted and a service appointment could be scheduled. Eventually, the car could even connect directly to a gas pump to pay for gas.

IBM and Visa: Turn Any Connected Device Into A Point of Sale with Watson IoT

In a smaller scale example, a runner might receive an alert from his shoes when it is time to be replaced. This alert could include recommendations for the best shoe and the best price from the best retailer. Other recommendations for equipment and nutrition could be offered based on performance and other metrics.

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“The Internet of Things is not only driving a more connected world, it’s changing the way we live, shop and pay, by moving data and the point-of-sale to wherever the consumer wants it to be,” said Jim McCarthy, executive vice president of Visa Inc.”With the power of Watson’s cognitive technologies and IBM’s leadership in IoT and security, they are the ideal partner to help us deliver secure payments to ‘virtually anywhere’ and on the enormous scale of the IoT.”

In the future, all Watson IoT customers will have access to Visa payment services via the IBM Cloud. This way, they can begin building personalized commerce experiences. Consumers can also rest easy knowing their account information is safe. Visa’s Token Service replaces sensitive information with a unique digital identifier that is used to process the payments instead. By 2020, IBM hopes to support payments and commerce on nearly 20 billion connected devices.

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Garrett Hulfish
Garrett Hulfish
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