One tap for pizza, same day book orders, 1 billion coupon users

New app “Push for Pizza” does exactly what you’d expect

The app has one button. Press it, and a pizza arrives minutes later.

A new app offers a take on popular food delivery services like GrubHub reimagined for the era of Yo-like one-tap mobile apps. Push for Pizza does exactly what the name implies: open the app, tap the only button on your screen, and a pizza arrives at your door minutes later. Users can configure their favorite pizza restaurant and preferred order ahead of time, and the app remembers details like delivery address and form of payment preferences. With Push for Pizza, available on the iOS App Store now, users can order their favorite pie with absolutely minimal cognitive effort.

Can chat app Line reproduce its Japanese success in the States?

Popular Japanese chat app Line is looking to extend its influence to the United States. Pioneers in the messaging space who introduced popular features like jumbo-sized emoji “stickers,” Line aims to become the de facto messaging solution for both consumers and brands to communicate. The company makes most of its revenue on paid stickers, which feature popular cartoon characters invented exclusively for use in the app who emote a wide range of feelings. The messaging market in the United States has yet to find a dominant player, but Line will have to compete with existing products like Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp, Apple’s iMessage, and Google’s Hangouts for customers’ attention.

Barnes & Noble partners with Google for same-day book deliveries

Retail bookstore giant Barnes & Noble announced a partnership with Google this week that will provide same-day delivery of books through Google’s Shopping Express service. Currently limited to select metropolitan areas like San Francisco and, recently, New York City, Barnes & Noble’s new capability will allow it to challenge online retailers like Amazon in a much bigger way. Now, Shopping Express customers will be able to order a book in the morning and crack it open that same afternoon, another play by brick-and-mortar bookstores as they work to find innovative ways to overcome ecommerce competitors.

Mobile coupons could see 1 billion users by 2019

Good news for Groupon: a recent study suggests that mobile coupon usage could reach more than 1 billion people in the next five years. The prediction comes as mobile companies are increasingly investing in mobile coupon platforms, with Google’s integration of Offers into Google Wallet and Apple’s continuing support of Passbook since iOS 6. As mobile devices continue to advance and gain new sensors for transactions and location awareness, NFC and iBeacon can continue to help retailers and restaurants communicate with customers and offer them rewards.

Google pushes websites into tighter security standards

This week, Google announced its intention to factor HTTPS encryption into its search algorithms, meaning that websites who adopt the stronger security will benefit in Google rankings. HTTPS layers the SSL/TLS encryption protocols onto traditional HTTP transmissions, giving standard web communications SSL’s added security benefits and preventing transmissions from being tapped or intercepted by third parties. The move comes after years of Google advocacy for the standard, including a call for “HTTPS everywhere” at the company’s I/O developer conference this year. The announcement is another in a string of security-conscious moves by major internet players, and should encourage widespread adoption across the web.