Author: Dan Gendro

Results from a recent study are showing that content and shopping will rise in African countries.

The outcomes of an MEF study have revealed that industry leaders in the three participating countries feel that mobile commerce and content are on their way up, and that this channel will experience a strong future.

This is particularly true among the study participants in Kenya who expect considerable revenue growth.

One in three respondents to the African Growth Market Study, which examined mobile commerce and content, stated that end-user revenues over this channel have risen by a greater amount than had been anticipated, last year. This revealed considerable optimism for the future of the market, though it was not surprising to many who have already been witnessing some of the most rapid growth in m-banking and money transfers among smartphone users in the world.

The insight from the study also went on to identify some of the influence of m-payments in mobile commerce.

Within the studies, it was revealed that the main source of end-user revenue was made up of 30 percent mobile commerce, 37 percent social networks, but also a very large 53 percent m-banking.

For this reason, beyond mobile commerce, mobile payments are being seen as a substantial opportunity. The growth in this sector is being seen as the largest and fastest, currently estimated at 87 percent. This is followed by marketing over this channel. As the adoption of smartphones rapidly grows in this region and businesses build their confidence in it – and shrink their confidence in traditional downloadable content such as games and ringtones – other broader areas are starting to take off.

The CEO of MEF, Rimma Perelmuter, discussed the mobile commerce report by saying that it “provides an industry-wide snapshot on mobile activity and opportunities in Kenya today as part of our regional roadmap of activities, following the launch of our dedicated MEF Africa office in association with Vodacom in late 2012. Kenya is a market of great interest to our members and as the study clearly demonstrates a showcase for success, particularly in mobile money.”

The mobile commerce survey was supported by Nation Media Group and was conducted by MEF, along with KPMG

Focus on mobile identity is growing due to popularity of mobile commerce

Mobile identity is becoming more important to businesses, especially as more consumers around the world begin to rely on smartphones, tablets, and other devices in their daily lives. Market research firm ResearchMOZ has released a new report concerning the growing importance of mobile identity and how businesses are beginning to invest more heavily in biometrics and other such technologies. The report cites the growth of mobile interactions and mobile commerce as the influence behind higher investments in mobile identity.

Companies begin taking security more seriously

Mobile identity is an aspect of security that has become quite important in the world of business as more companies around the world begin to participate in mobile commerce and offer mobile-centric services. Companies are beginning to invest heavily in mobile identity infrastructure as it is being seen as an efficient and economic form of fraud detection and prevention. Mobile identity largely relies on the use of biometric technology, such as fingerprint scanners, to make things like mobile commerce more secure for consumers.

Mobile commerce security too sparse for some consumers

Mobile commerce, in particular, could have a lot to gain from businesses focusing more heavily on mobile identity. Mobile commerce has struggled with security issues for much of its existence. Many consumers that have shown interest in shopping for and purchasing products with their mobile devices have expressed concerns regarding the security of their financial information. Mobile commerce has become a popular target for hackers, many of whom are finding it relatively easy to exploit the financial information of consumers. A lack of security can expose companies to significant liability issues, especially when financial information is involved.

Companies seek to make mobile commerce safer

The report notes that companies like Google, Groupon, and Vodafone have made mobile identity a top priority. This is due to the involvement that these companies have in mobile commerce. As businesses begin to invest more heavily in mobile identity, better security systems are expected to begin emerging. Many of these security systems are expected to leverage biometric technology in some way.