Category: Mobile Security

The tech giant has now patented a tool that would display advertisements based on how much money a user has.

Reports are now showing that Apple has patented a new tool that would make it possible for mobile ads to display only products and services that should be considered affordable to the individual user of that device, according to their own banks.

This mobile marketing strategy would target people based on their incomes and credit card balances.

It is already common practice for marketers to obtain information about the kinds of products that smartphone and tablet users have the greatest likelihood of purchasing based on the sites that they visit and other interactions that they have with their devices. Physical location, gender, and age can all play an important role in decision making when it comes to the types of products and services that you will buy, and they will also impact the kinds of ads that will be displayed on your device screen. However, this type of information could soon have an even larger influence on the mobile ads that you are seeing than has been the case in the past.

The idea is that the mobile ads won’t just be for the types of things that we want, but for what we can actually afford.

After all, if someone has a budget of $100 available to them, then serving them a mobile advertisement for a $900 outfit won’t do anyone all that much good; not the consumer and not the advertiser.

Now, Apple has received a U.S. patent in order to try to repair this issue. They intend to do this by checking into the credit card balance of a user in order to be able to display mobile marketing that is more appropriate to their available funds. The description and illustration of the patent that was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, described it as a “method and system for targeted advertising of goods and services to users of mobile terminals.”

It looks as though it would have to be an opt-in program (though that is not necessarily confirmed), to ensure that those individuals will be shown mobile ads only for products and services that they will be able to afford, based on their own banking information.

MIC shows that mobile shopping is gaining ground among consumers

With the rise in smartphone ownership, mobile commerce is expected to become more prominent in Taiwan, despite the security concerns that many consumers and businesses still have. According to the Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC), many consumers in Taiwan are beginning to show favor for mobile shopping, which is accelerating the growth of the e-commerce space by a considerable margin. MIC notes that nearly 70% of online users in Taiwan have spent more on mobile shopping than through traditional e-commerce.

Security worries are not slowing the adoption of mobile commerce

While consumers are becoming more interested in mobile commerce, they are still concerned about the security of their financial information. Mobile shopping leverages this information to conduct transactions online in much the same way that e-commerce transactions are processed, but consumers see mobile platforms as less secure than others they may be more comfortable with. In the past, retailers engaging in mobile commerce have been targeted by malicious groups, which has lead to the financial information of many people being compromised. Despite this, however, mobile commerce continues to flourish, with Taiwan on its way to becoming a prominent market.

Consumers are happy with their mobile shopping experiences

A recent survey from MIC shows that the number of consumers that have participated in mobile shopping reached 62.5% at the end of 2014. Approximately 61.5% of these consumers noted that they had a positive experience with mobile shopping, and these people are more likely to use their mobile devices to shop for and purchase products in the future. Of the features that consumers like about mobile commerce, the ability to shop anywhere and at anytime, the convenient nature of mobile shopping, and the deals consumers can take advantage of are among the most attractive.

Taiwan’s mobile commerce market expected to continue thriving

Mobile commerce is expected to continue growing in Taiwan as more consumers gain access to mobile devices. Businesses are also beginning to take more interest in mobile commerce as they look for more effective ways to engage mobile consumers. Taiwan is emerging as one of the region’s most powerful mobile markets, and security concerns about mobile commerce are doing little to slow growth.