Category: Mobile Commerce

M-commerce is too challenging and too slow for many consumers

M-Commerce Slow for ConsumersA recent study has shown that many shoppers are turned off of the struggles from going mobile.

The latest m-commerce study released by Jumio Inc. has shown that many retailers may not be taking the right approach to selling their products and services over the mobile channel.

The research showed that many consumers give up on their purchase before the transaction is complete.

The study was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Jumio. It determined that over two out of every three (68 percent) smartphone and tablet owners have tried to make an m-commerce purchase using their mobile device. However, it also found that two thirds of those (66 percent) had not finished their purchase because of the struggles that they faced in using their devices to try to checkout.

M-commerce is bringing people to the checkout, but not taking that final step to complete the purchase.

According to the Jumio CEO and founder, Daniel Mattes, “Businesses invest a great deal to get consumers to the point of sale in their mobile apps, but there are a lot of obstacles keeping users from taking their purchase across the finish line.” He added that from the point of having to type in all of their personal information once or multiple times in the very small text boxes in the checkout screens, “to concerns over the safety of data, users are bailing out at checkout. Brands can’t afford to lose shoppers in those final moments of the transaction.”

The Mobile Consumer Insights study by Jumio for 2013 also presented a considerable lesson that was that the m-commerce checkout process needs to be much faster to give it any value to consumers. Almost half – 47 percent – of the consumers who took part in the survey said that they gave up on making a purchase because it took too long to get through the checkout process. An additional 41 percent also mentioned that it was too difficult to checkout using their device, be it a smartphone or tablet.

Mattes said that consumers are demanding an m-commerce checkout process that is much simpler and more streamlined than is the typical experience right now.

Tablets coming to dominate mobile commerce

Mobile Commerce tablets win over smartphonesTablets are overcoming smartphones in mobile commerce

Mobile payments may be becoming more common as more consumers become reliant on mobile technology, but whether tablets or smartphone are more favored for online shopping has remained something of a mystery for some time. Smartphones have long held a dominant presence in the field of mobile commerce as many consumers often use these devices while shopping to search for and purchase products. A new report from Forrester Research, a leading market research firm, suggests that tablets may soon replace smartphones for this purpose.

Consumers prefer tablets

According to the report, 30% of tablet owners in the U.S. use their device for mobile commerce. Comparatively, the report shows that only 13% of smartphone users have made a purchase through their mobile device. The report suggests that consumers favor tablets because of the larger screens features on such devices. The larger screen allows for better control and navigation, providing a more enjoyable shopping experience overall.

Report predicts growth of mobile commerce

The report from Forrester Research also forecasts mobile commerce sales for this year and through 2016. Currently, the report does not factor in sales made through tablets and only accounts for those made through smartphones. The report predicts that mobile commerce sales will reach $12 billion this year. Sales will increase exponentially over the next few years and reach $27 billion by 2016. This growth is largely driven by the expanding availability of mobile devices. Tablets are expected to contribute significantly to mobile commerce sales in the future. Forrester research predicts that 45% of mobile consumers will be tablet owners by 2016.

Study suggests that tablets will drive mobile commerce sales in US

Another study conducted by eMarketer, a market research firm, suggests that tablets will drive the majority of mobile commerce sales in the U.S. this year. This study predicts that tablets will become the primary mobile commerce platform among consumers, representing some 71% of mobile spending by 2017.