Category: Mobile Payments

Report shows that Europe has become a hotbed for mobile payment and shopping activity

Idealo, a price comparison service based in Germany, has released a new report that highlights mobile commerce in Europe. The report has compiled information from 50 of Idealo’s partners across 6 European countries. The information involves mobile site traffic, the design of mobile shopping sites and applications, and the use of mobile commerce applications. The report shows that the United Kingdom, in particular, is seeing a great deal of activity when it comes to mobile shopping and payments.

United Kingdom leads the way in mobile shopping, with many retailers offering mobile-centric services and support

The report suggests that consumers in the United Kingdom have the greatest advantage when it comes to mobile commerce. Some 86% of shops in the country support mobile payments in some way, either physically or digitally. Many of these stores have websites that are optimized for mobile use and offer mobile applications that offer rewards to those that use them regularly. As such, the United Kingdom is leading the way in mobile commerce activity.

Other European countries fall behind due to the slow adoption of mobile commerce among retailers

France and Spain are also seeing a great deal of activity in their mobile space. Approximately 74% of the retailers in both countries are supporting mobile shopping. In other European countries, such as Germany, Italy, and Poland, mobile shopping is not yet fully supported. Some retailers have been slow to embrace the concept of mobile commerce because of concerns regarding security or the belief that mobile shopping is nothing more than a novelty that will loss popularity in time.

Despite progress, the mobile shopping space is still faced with many challenges that could be difficult to overcome

While mobile commerce is making progress in Europe, there are still many challenges to overcome. One of the most significant challenges has to do with how mobile websites are built. These websites are vital to engaging mobile consumers, but few retailers are designing responsive sites that provide consumers with a favorable experience. A poor experience can drive people away from mobile commerce.

One of the most attractive aspects of mobile commerce is its convenience. Smartphones and tablets let people make payments for goods and services wherever they happen to be at any given moment, and these people don’t even have to use a credit card or any kind of physical currency. Many mobile commerce platforms have been able to thrive because of their convenient nature. In the advent of wearable technology, that convenience could be taken to a new level.

Wearable devices, such as smart watches and glasses are on the verge of becoming quite popular with tech-savvy consumers. Few of these devices are currently available, but that is likely to change in the next few years. Current wearable devices are somewhat lackluster in their features, but devices being released in the near future will behave very similar to modern smartphones. They will be able to use a wide range of applications, some of which will change the way people see the physical world around them. They will also have access to mobile commerce platforms.

Unlike smartphones, wearable devices will be controlled in a more intuitive way. For smart glasses, voice controls and modest head and eye movements will be used to activate the features of a device. These devices will also be equipped with image recognition technology that could also be used to activate certain features. This could make commerce significantly more intuitive and responsive to consumer interaction. When someone can look at a product and make a purchase with nothing more than a blink of an eye, that is the epitome of convenience in the mobile commerce space.

Wearable devices aren’t perfect, of course. Using a simple gesture to make a purchase could lead to many problems, such as unauthorized transactions. This is not something that app developers are unaware of, and many are taking steps to ensure that their mobile commerce platforms will not be abusive in this way.