New shopping startup could make mobile shopping easier
Numerous companies are trying their hand in the mobile commerce market, but few are taking steps to introduce more convenience to this space. Mobile payments have become quite popular because of their convenient nature, but one company wants to take this convenience to a new level. Curbside, a shopping startup backed by $9.5 million in seed and Series A funding, aims to make the mobile shopping experience easier for consumers.
Curbside partners with retailers to make it more convenient for consumers to shop online and pick up products
Curbside plans to facilitate mobile shopping through its retail partners, of which Target is included. The Curbside application can be used by consumers to shop from an existing inventory provided by the company’s retail partners. Products can be purchased directly through the app, and Curbside will pick up these products so they can be retrieved by the shopper on the same day. The app uses geolocation technology to alert retailers where a customer has arrived at a store. Retail associated will then deliver purchased products directly to a consumer’s vehicle.
Retailers have had trouble engaging mobile shoppers in the past
Curbside may be a good way for retailers to engage mobile consumers more effectively. The convenience that the service offers is expected to be well received among consumers, but Curbside is currently only available in a very limited area. In partnering with Target, the company hopes to begin expanding more quickly in the coming years.
Retail industry must adapt to the interests of mobile consumers
Mobile commerce has become a powerful force in the retail industry. Many retailers are trying to engage the growing number of mobile consumers that want to make use of services that are specifically designed for their smartphones and tablets. This has proven to be a difficult task, however, and many retailers have had trouble engaging mobile consumers effectively. Companies like Curbside could be a major benefit for the retail industry, providing them a way to connect with mobile shoppers without having to develop a completely new mobile commerce solution.
Digital commerce is here to stay and as more people get their hands on mobile devices, the issue of security is becoming more important. Most people have no problem buying things online, so they don’t take time to worry about security. It only takes one misstep to fall prey to exploitation, however, and that could have serious financial consequences. There are some ways you can protect yourself, of course, and it might be worth your time to make sure you’re safe online.
- Be Careful About What You Share
Sharing anything online should be done with caution. Information isn’t always safe, and there are malicious groups out there that would use any information you provide for personal gain. Be careful about sharing personal info with third party groups that claim to represent retailers and be especially cautious about who you share your mobile device with. When you hand over your mobile device, the person using it could easily access any financial information you have stored on it.
- Watch Out For Suspicious Sites
Not all websites are safe. Some exist for the sole purpose of stealing your information by disguising themselves as reputable e-commerce portals. One way to ensure the legitimacy of a website is to look at its URL. If you’re going to make a transaction online, look for the “https” at the beginning of a URL. This means that the site is encrypted, meaning that it has some degree of legitimacy. Even sites with an “https” can be fraudulent, however, either because they’ve been compromised by a malicious group, or for a wide range of other reasons. When in doubt, you can always search a company’s reputation on the Internet.
There are many dangers that lurk in the digital world, and not all of them are readily apparent. Being suspicious of something doesn’t mean you’re being overly paranoid, it just means that you’re being safe. You can find out a lot about a company by looking them up online. If there’s a lack of information online, that may be a sign of trouble. If you’re dealing with an organization you don’t trust, make sure you record all purchase information. This could come in handy if you have to combat a fraudulent charge in the future.
Being safe online can be a time consuming process, but the consequences for not protecting yourself could be much worse than you imagine. For the most part, buying things online is simple and not dangerous in any way, but taking the time to protect yourself could help you avoid problems in the future, especially if you ever attempt to purchase from a company you’re not familiar with.
