A recent report from MEF has shown that uptake is driving a broad range of activities over this channel.

The Global Consumer Insights Series on Mobile Money has now been released by the MEF, and it has revealed its belief that mobile payments are among the primary drivers in m-commerce as well as the consumption of a broad range of other types of content over that channel.

The report was based on an analysis of data from 13 different countries.

This included the answers to survey questions from approximately 10,000 respondents. This data pointed out a number of global and regional trends in the uptake of mobile payments and the ways in which this adoption was stimulating growth across other areas in this channel. The report showed that last year, 15 percent of users of mobile media had made some kind of digital purchase over a smartphone or tablet.

Wallets were the most popular form of mobile payments that were used by the respondents.

The largest group of those that had used these digital transactions (representing 7 percent of the total number of respondents) had used mobile wallets, particularly those that used NFC technology to verify and complete the transaction.

The research from this report was conducted along with On Device Research. It has underscored the importance of users of smartphone based money to the overall m-commerce marketplace. They pointed out that the individuals who are already using digital transactions over smartphones and tablets are 26 percent more likely to make a purchase over their mobile devices.

Worldwide, a tremendous 91 percent of those digital money users also made some kind of purchase over their gadgets in 2013. Comparatively, among all mobile consumers, 65 percent did the same.

Users of mobile payments are also the ones who spend the largest amounts on individual purchases. In fact, they have a 10 percent lower likelihood of making a purchase of a low value. Moreover, their purchases are 14 percent more likely to be within the mid-value range. That said, they are not only more likely to make more purchases, but they also take part in a broader range of activities over that channel, such as scanning QR codes (12 percent more likely), make a charitable donation (11 percent more likely), or use location based services (10 percent more likely).

This low cost technology can help to improve efficiency overall, including both smartphones and tablets.

The managing director of TBS Enterprise Mobility, Steve Reynolds, has been making technology news with his announcement that mobile devices will “transform fleets in 2014,” as they are employed to help to boost efficiencies further than they already are.

This makes it looks as though smartphones and tablets are on their way in to fleet management in an important way.

Reynolds has explained that as the costs of these mobile devices drop, but their durability rises, this trend will “drive a shift in the industry from paper-based to automated processes.” The most recent data available has indicated that in the United Kingdom, about 61 percent of the adult population is currently a smartphone owner, and that this number is rising. This also suggests that the majority of the workforce is becoming increasingly familiar and comfortable with the use of smartphones and tablets.

This makes 2014 the easiest time in history for deploying mobile devices and enterprise apps.

According to Reynolds, “More and more, blue collar and task-oriented staff are coming to expect to carry out their work supported by user-friendly consumer devices.” In this same vein, smartphones and tablets are expected to take on a growing role when it comes to processes that take place in the field. Their low price point makes this mobile development a practical and realistic opportunity for businesses of this nature.

This year, it is already expected that the global sales of these gadgets will reach the 1.7 billion mark. Reynolds has predicted that with the combination of all of these factors, there will be a notable spike in the adoption of smartphones and tablets by businesses, this year, “transforming fleet management.”

Mobile app development companies will also be interested to note that it isn’t just the hardware that will be increasingly embraced by fleets. Cost cutting through improved efficiencies could also be improved through applications and gamification. That said, as there are already approximately two million downloadable apps across all operating systems at the moment, this could mean that the competition will be fierce in this new category.