Author: Stephen

Survey finds that holiday shopping is driving growth of mobile commerce

| November 24, 2015

Inside Secure finds that consumers are using their mobile devices to get their holiday shopping done

A new survey from Inside Secure shows that holiday shopping is having a major impact on mobile commerce. The survey found that 51% of holiday shoppers prefer using a mobile app when they are purchasing products. Doing so is seen as more convenient, as they are able to avoid large crowds when shopping online or accelerate the checkout process when they visit physical stores. Using mobile devices in physical stores, however, is less popular among consumers than using these devices to shop online.

Security concerns keep some consumers away from mobile commerce

According to the survey from Inside Secure, many consumers do not use their mobile devices to pay for products in physical stores because they have security concerns. Some 70% cited identity theft and payment fraud as the reason they avoid mobile commerce in physical stores. Shoppers have also expressed concerns regarding their privacy, as past cyber attacks focused on retailers have highlighted how easily some malicious groups can acquire consumer information and exploit this data for personal gain.

Mobile shopping is on the rise as holiday season approaches

Mobile Commerce Survey - Holiday ShoppingWhile consumers have concerns regarding security, many believe that mobile commerce is the wave of the future. The mobile commerce space is experiencing healthy growth, powered by the holiday shopping seasons of past years. This year, some 39% of mobile consumers are planning to make an in-store purchase with their smartphones, an increase from the 33% that did so last year. A greater portion of consumers are planning on purchasing products online, using their mobile devices as their primary shopping platform.

Younger consumers are more comfortable with mobile commerce

Notably, the survey found that mobile commerce is most popular among those between the ages of 18 and 44. This demographic tends to be more comfortable with mobile technology, having had a great deal of experience with smartphones and the digital world. The survey also found that iOS users are more likely than their Android counterparts to participate in mobile commerce over the holiday season, making use of Apple’s new mobile payments service, Apple Pay.

Google may bring mobile payments support to Maps

| November 19, 2015

Google Maps may have mobile payments functionality in the future

Google continues to make moves in the mobile payments space, working to introduce a new feature into Google Maps that will allow consumers to make purchases through the service. Many people use Google Maps for directions, but they have also begun to use the service to find local stores. An updated version of Google Maps will include mobile payments support, something that a growing number of consumers have been asking for over the past several months.

New update for Google Maps is being tested

The update is still in early development, with Google testing a variety of new features that could make Google Maps more valuable to consumers. One of these features involves finding out gas prices at local stations. Another will include additional information concerning hotels, allowing consumers to determine whether or not certain amenities are available at a hotel they may be interested in. Google is looking to incorporate Android Pay into Maps, allowing consumers to make purchases directly from the service. Such purchases would likely be hotel stays or, potentially, making a payment in advance for products offered at physical stores.

Google continues to move ever deeper into the mobile payments space

Mobile Payments - Google MapsGoogle has been involved in the mobile payments space for some time, having initially supported mobile transactions through Google Wallet. The Wallet service is still available, working alongside Android Pay, but Wallet is relatively unpopular among consumers. Android Pay, however, is quickly becoming a favorite with those that are interested in mobile payments. The service has proven to be quite convenient, allowing consumers to make purchases whenever they please. The service is also receiving strong support from retailers that wish to engage mobile consumers more effectively.

Maps may be an underrated mobile payments platform

Google Maps is a massively popular service, but relatively few people consider its potential as a mobile payments platform. Whether or not Google will actually introduce mobile payments support to Maps is still undetermined. The company has, however, been showing a great deal of support for mobile payments in recent years, believing that this sector will see magnificent growth in the coming years.