Category: Mobile Security

Focus on security may ensure growth of China’s mobile payments space

| January 20, 2016

Security is becoming a top priority for those involved in mobile payments

China’s mobile payments sector saw dramatic growth in 2015, and this momentum may hold throughout this year. The country’s mobile technology sector has been developing very quickly, with new devices becoming available and access to the mobile Internet expanding. As more consumers gain access to smartphones, they are beginning to rely more heavily on mobile payments services. As these services become more popular, China’s regulators are beginning to focus on security issues in order to ensure the continued growth of mobile commerce.

China’s mobile population is growing quickly

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology notes that there are more than 1.3 billion people in China with a mobile device. Many of these consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online and in physical stores. The problem, however, is that the mobile payments sector is becoming increasingly attractive to malicious groups that want to exploit consumer information. Security risks are causing concern among consumers, making them shy away from mobile payments services.

Focus on security may make consumers more comfortable with mobile payments

Mobile payments securityA greater focus on security may ensure the continued growth of the mobile payments industry by making consumers more confident in the services they use. To ensure security, some companies involved in the mobile commerce space are beginning to use new technology to protect consumers. Biometric technology, in particular, is becoming quite popular among these companies. This technology leverages biological information, such as a fingerprint, to protect consumer information that is stored on a mobile device.

Bringing mobile payments platforms into new service industries has become a priority

Beyond security, Chinese companies must find ways to integrate mobile payments into other service industries. This would ensure the expansion of the payments market and give consumers more access to platforms they may be interested in. As more organizations support mobile payments, both digital and physical, more consumers are likely to participate in this new form of commerce. Alibaba is expected to lead the expansion of mobile payments into new service industries with its Alipay platform and its focus on consumer security. Alipay accounts for some 400 million registered users, more than half of whom use the service quite frequently.

Mobile payments could see strong growth in 2016

| January 12, 2016

The mobile payments space failed to find mainstream success in 2015

Last year, mobile payments managed to gain momentum, but failed to become mainstream. Several companies, including Apple, Google, and Samsung, introduced new mobile payments services in 2015, but interest among consumers has been somewhat limited. Indeed, these consumers opted to use an existing platform provided by PayPal to spend their money on their mobile devices. While mobile payments may not have gone mainstream in 2015, this could change this year, as new services become available and companies begin offering better benefits to consumers.

Many consumers remain concerned about the security of mobile payments

One of the reasons that consumers have been avoiding mobile payments is because they are not convinced of its overall security. In the past few years, major retailers have reported major data breaches, which lead to the financial information of consumers being compromised. This has sown fear among consumers, who believe that mobile payments services may be exposed to exploitation. As such, they have shied away from services, despite the availability of new technology that ensures the protection of consumer information.

Consumers want to see more value from the services that they use

Mobile Payments - 2016 GrowthAnother problem that consumers have with mobile payments is that they do not see the benefit that services offer. While many services also function as a type of digital wallet, they do not consider the ability to store financial information valuable. Being able to take advantage of special deals being offered by retailers has added more attraction to certain mobile payments services, but consumers want more out of the products that they are using.

Supporting loyalty programs and improving security features may ensure the mainstream success of mobile payments

Companies involved in mobile payments may need to ensure that their services offer a worthwhile experience while also being able to keep consumer information safe. These companies will also have to show more support for loyalty programs, which have become quite popular among consumers. In doing so, these companies may be able to find more success in the mobile payments space in 2016.