Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT): Will It Be the Death of Near Field Communications?

While that may be a means for it to ultimately save money on cashier salaries, it could provide the pathway for other retailers to follow. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is expanding the test program to 200 stores in 14 markets, and though the app is only available for the iPhone, it’s easy to see that (depending upon its success) it could eventually roll out to all 14,000 stores and be available across all smartphone platforms.

Stop & Shop supermarkets have offered a similar app for both iPhones and Android devices for several years, but Wal-Mart’s entry could be the thing that brings it mainstream. Because near-field communications has taken longer than expected to get up and running, just as widespread adoption looks to be within its grasp, Wal-Mart’s adoption of competing technology could be what kills it off.

Let me know in the comments box below if you think NFC will die on the vine or will be able to surmount what appears to be a very high obstacle thrown in its path.

The article Will Wal-Mart Be the Death of Near-Field Communications? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Rich Duprey owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Google, NXP Semiconductors , and Visa. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Google.

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