Pyrim Technologies Inc., a mobile commerce consultancy, today announced the release of what it calls the Mobile Commerce Matrixes. The tool is designed to help companies who are developing consumer-facing products get a better understanding into the scope, scale and state of mobile payments in the context of the mobile commerce ecosystem. 

The MCM has two components: 

1. Consumer-Facing Solutions Matrix: This matrix lists over 100 consumer-facing, mobile commerce solutions. Each is fully described and mapped to the mobile commerce ecosystem. This matrix, which is built in Microsoft Excel, has five key features:
   1. The Matrix is structured to make it easy for the end-user to see, in a holistic manner, how various industry segments are embracing mobile payments and commerce. 
   2. The Matrix employs legends to make it easier for the end-user to understand certain solution profiles at a glance.
   3. The Matrix utilizes text pop-ups throughout that explain the ecosystem, the solutions, legend designations, etc. (300-plus pages of data are embedded in these pop-ups.)
   4. The Matrix includes a Highlights section in which market forecasts, statistics, news items and opinion pieces are mapped to the mobile commerce ecosystem.
   5. The Matrix includes a Solutions News section in which relevant news items for a given solution are mapped to that solution.
2. Systems & Infrastructure Matrix: This matrix maps over 200 mobile commerce systems and infrastructure suppliers to an infrastructure-specific version of the mobile commerce ecosystem. This matrix is also built in Microsoft Excel and has the same features as the Solutions Matrix.

"If you really want to understand mobile payments, then you have to look at it in the context of the entire mobile commerce ecosystem," Steve Gurley, Pyrim's CEO, said in a statement. "If you fail to do this, then you fail to truly understand the value that mobile payments can provide. This, in my opinion, has been a major problem within the mobile payments industry."

Among the questions Pyrim said it seeks to answer with the MCM are: 

• What does the mobile commerce ecosystem look like, and what role does mobile payments play within the ecosystem? 
• How does mobile payments interact with the other elements of the ecosystem? 
• Which consumer-facing solutions use mobile payments in connection with the ecosystem? 
• Of those solutions that use ecosystem-enabled mobile payments, which payment models do they use and what value do they contribute? 

Pyrim releases an updated version of the MCM the first week of each month. Each monthly release can be purchased for $29.99 at www.pyrim.com/mcm.

The MCM is explored more in depth in the following video: