Tag: cyber monday

Mobile shopping to see major growth during holiday season

| November 21, 2012

 

Mobile ShoppingThanksgiving may be the holiday for mobile shopping

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching. Both days are very important for physical retailers and online businesses as sales made on these days can more than make up for an entire year of lackluster performance. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been major holidays for the retail industry and e-commerce respectively, but the growing prevalence of mobile commerce and technology may establish a similar day that could be a major boon for mobile shopping.

More consumers showing interest in mobile shopping

Thanksgiving is a well known holiday in the U.S. As such, the holiday typically means that traditional brick and mortar stores are closed for business. Online retailers, however, remain open throughout the holiday, providing consumers with services that they might not be able to find from physical stores. According to data from IBM/Coremetrics, 15% of U.S. consumers used their mobile devices to visit retail sites on Thanksgiving in 2011, up from the 6.5% that did so in 2010.

Digitas survey shows growing support for mobile commerce and e-commerce

This trend is expected to continue this year, with the possibility of mobile traffic increasing by as much as double for some retailers. Companies like eBay already have plans to begin offering deals on Thanksgiving day, rather than wait for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. According to a recent survey from Digitas, a provider of integrated technology and marketing solutions, shows that many retailers are preparing to serve mobile consumers on Thanksgiving, following the same route as eBay in offering mobile applications that will assist with online shopping.

Survey shows shopping from computer is easier than from mobile device

The Digitas survey does shed some light on the problems facing mobile shopping, however. The survey notes that approximately 76% of the 2,059 respondents surveyed say that shopping from a computer is much easier than from a mobile device. Many consumers attribute the difficulty associated with mobile shopping to the small screens of most mobile devices. Nonetheless, consumers are still likely to heavily participate in mobile shopping during the holiday season.

National Cyber Security Alliance survey highlights mobile security

| November 19, 2012

 

National Cyber Security Alliance predicts consumers becoming more concerned over security

Black Friday is widely known mobile securityas a day when retailers offer major deals and discounts on a wide variety of products. As the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is the most important day in the retail industry, in terms of business. The following Monday is known as Cyber Monday, largely due to the fact that a wide range of electronics go on sale in a move that is very similar to what occurs in the retail industry on Black Friday. A new survey from the National Cyber Security Alliances and McAfee suggests that these two shopping holidays could mean major security issues for consumers.

Data breaches leave many consumers leery of mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is expected to play a major role in t his year’s holiday shopping. More consumers have access to smart phones and other mobile devices as well as mobile payment platforms that make it easier to purchase goods. These platforms could be a major boon for some shoppers that have trouble finding the products they want, or those than want to avoid long lines and make a purchase quickly and efficiently. The survey from the National Cyber Security Alliance shows that the vast majority of these consumers do not feel safe while they are online on their mobile devices, however.

National Cyber Security Alliance survey shows majority of consumers do not feel safe online

The survey notes that 90% of mobile consumers do not feel safe when shopping online through their mobile device. The National Cyber Security Alliance notes that over the past year, one in four consumers received notifications from businesses that informed them that their personal information has been lost of compromised due to data breach. These data breaches have left many consumers wary of online shopping and mobile commerce. While many consumers are still inclined to participate in mobile commerce, the survey suggests that these consumers should take steps to ensure their information is protected.

Consumers can take steps to protect their information

There are several ways consumers can keep their financial information safe without relying on other companies to do all the work for them. One way is to ensure that a smart phones or mobile device is free from all malicious content. This can be done using anti-virus software that is made specifically for mobile devices. Keeping an eye on what kind of information companies collect through mobile transactions is also a good way to know what information may be put at risk. Consumers can control what information they share, thus mitigating any risk they may face.