Author: JT

Mobile security confidence will be key to m-commerce adoption

A recent study has shown that customers are not interested in shopping over smartphones until they feel safe.

Businesses that are hoping to be able to take full advantage of what m-commerce has to offer are, according to a recent report based on a study, going to need to do a better job at showing consumers that they can trust in mobile security.

Many smartphone owners simply do not feel that it is safe enough to share their details to buy over these devices.

Though many people are still looking at products on their smartphones, in addition to other shopping behaviors such as comparing prices, they are still much more comfortable making purchases from their laptops and desktops than they are using m-commerce, simply because they do not yet have faith in mobile security. This, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance and PayPal’s results of the 2013 National Online Safety Study.

The report suggests that mobile security should be a prime focus for convincing consumers to use m-commerce.

Mobile Security and mobile commerceWhat the report revealed was that 36 percent of respondents were feeling mobile security concerns when it came to shopping over their smartphones and tablets. However, at the same time, only 22 percent of the participants had taken the precaution of installing a protection app into their device beyond whatever was included in the manufacturer initially installed. There were far more game apps installed than those meant for protecting the device.

According to the National Cyber Security Alliance executive director, Michael Kaiser, “Many people just start using a mobile device without always taking the time to implement safety or security measures.” He added that by making sure that mobile security software has been installed and that it includes a program that can wipe out the data the phone contains if it is ever lost or stolen, and by locking the device with a password, greater peace of mind can be achieved.

Aside from mobile security, there were also large concerns identified regarding the risk that someone else would be able to make a purchase with their device if it was ever lost or stolen. That said, only 34 percent locked their devices with a pin or password.

Mobile commerce strategy from Groupon now includes Ticket Monster

This acquisition, which was for a reported $260 million, is an effort to expand in the Asian market.

Groupon has just announced its acquisition of Ticket Monster, along with its Q3 results for 2013, as a part of the reveal for its latest strategy for mobile commerce growth, particularly within the Asian marketplace.

They have purchased the company with its specialty in both local and travel offers in this region.

The purchase was for $260 million in both cash and stock. This helps Groupon to obtain a more solid mobile commerce foothold on the local and travel market in the Asian region. The Korea based online company also specializes in product offers. Ticket Monster was first launched in 2010 and its deal with Groupon is expected to close in the first half of next year.

At the moment, Ticket Monster Is owned by LivingSocial, but this mobile commerce deal will change that.

Mobile Commerce - Groupon Aquires Ticket MonsterTicket Monster has experienced year on year billings growth that has been steady and consistent, as its annual figures have come in at $800 million. It was the mobile commerce success, however, that caught the eye of Groupon and that drew it for purchase. The reason is that more than half of the Asian company’s purchases originate from smartphones or tablets. The company currently boasts over 1,000 employees and has over 4 million active customers.

This mobile commerce deal has arrived just as the Q3 financial data was released by Groupon. Its daily deals service during the period that ended on September 30 raked in a record nine million downloads of its app, bringing its overall total to 60 million. This has also helped to contribute to the fact that over half of the sales made in North America are completed by way of smartphones and tablets.

Moreover, mobile commerce at Groupon makes up 40 percent of its total global processed sales. Its active consumers showed a year over year rise by 10 percent, reaching 43.5 million, total. Clearly, this channel has become exceptionally important to the company and it is aiming at progressing in that direction with this latest acquisition.