Intuit, a software company that develops financial and tax preparation software and related services for small businesses and known for their GoPayment services, announced their collaboration with AT&T this week to provide easier and quicker business transactions for small businesses by accepting credit and debit card payments virtually anywhere, anytime.  It’s another step towards a standardized mobile payments sector, with AT&T finding more ways to extend this industry to end users.

The two companies have collaborated to offer Intuit GoPayment forAT&T, a mobile application and credit card reader that helps small businesses of all sizes process credit or debit card payments using their smartphone or tablet.  Intuit GoPayment for AT&T comes with automatic signup and pre-approval for the majority of AT&T customers.  It is available via AT&T’s nationwide small business sales force and call centers.

“Intuit GoPayment for AT&T comes with automatic pre-approval for AT&T customers, helping small businesses speed up the on-boarding process and enabling them to make credit and debit card transactions within minutes,” said Ebrahim Keshavarz, AT&T vice president of Small Business Product Management. “This offer is just the first step in AT&T and Intuit working together to benefit small businesses by helping them broaden their payment capabilities, save money and, ultimately, better serve their customers.”

The idea here is to help small businesses grow their business, increase sales and attract new customers. The mobile payment app and credit card reader is especially suited for mobile retailers and mobile service providers, such as photographers, hair stylists, locksmiths, and landscapers.

The need for mobile apps to help us with our finances is growing as fast as the demand for mobile devices.  Some other mobile apps that help us manage our expenses are: Mint, the financial management tool, which released an app especially for the iPad, and PageOnce Money & Bills, which allows you to track your frequent flyer miles, rewards, mobile minutes, text and data usage, simplifying your daily financial transactions.

Mobile payment tools for small businesses in particular are part of a growing breed targeting a special need in this sector, and enabling more transactions in real-time.  Square is a leader in this space, with a few recent innovations that’s solidifying its place in the market.  The industry as a whole is rapidly evolving, meeting needs beyond the mobile transaction itself.  New ins for personal finance and marketing are helping to flesh out this industry, working towards a full-service loop that addresses the many needs associated with achieving a transaction.