Mobile commerce is exploding in Australia

Report highlights the potential future of the mobile sector in Australia

InMobi has released a new report concerning mobile commerce activity in Australia. The report shows that many people are growing accustomed to the idea of paying for goods and services using their mobile devices. A growing number of people are using their smartphones and tablets to shop online and retailers are taking steps to begin accepting mobile payments in physical stores. In the coming years, Australia may become home to one of the most active mobile commerce markets in the world.

86% of consumers have plans to shop online from a mobile device in the next 12 months

According to the report from InMobi, almost 86% of Australian mobile consumers have plans to engage in some form of mobile commerce within the next 12 months. This is an 11% increase over the number of people that said they would participate in mobile commerce in 2013. Approximately 34% of consumers noted that mobile affected their purchasing decisions in a significant way. These people have been responding to mobile-centric initiatives and marketing more than others.

Mobile accounts for a large portion of overall media consumption among consumers

The report shows that the average consumer spends nearly 7 hours a day on media consumption, with mobile accounting for 23% of this consumption. Nearly 55% of mobile consumers throughout the country are now using their devices as their primary entertainment source, playing mobile games, interacting on social media platforms, and participating in other mobile-centric activities. The popularity of mobile technology has exposed these people to the idea of mobile commerce and many consumers have shown favor for it.

Security remains an issue that many people are concerned about in the mobile commerce space

Mobile commerce is still relatively new. As such, there are many risks and challenges that exist in this sector that have not yet been addressed. Security is the most serious problem facing mobile commerce currently. While several platforms have offered adequate security solutions to consumers, many more feature lackluster security that can place a consumer’s financial information at risk of exploitation.