Appstore could add momentum behind growth of mobile commerce
Early last month, Amazon announced plans to expand its Android Appstore to some 200 countries around the world. China, however, was not on the list of countries that Amazon had plans to expand into. These plans seemed to have changed in just under a month, as Amazon has announced that it has opened its Appstore in China, offering a bevy of applications to Kindle users and those with Android devices. Amazon’s apparent change of heart may be due to the promising mobile commerce opportunities that exist in China.
China proves to be favorable market for Amazon
China is home to a bustling e-commerce sector. According to Internet Retailer, a market research firm, Amazon’s e-commerce sales in China came in at $8.8 billion in 2012, approximately 5% of the company’s total online sales. Many of these sales came from mobile devices. Mobile commerce has been gaining a great deal of support from Chinese consumers, many of whom have shown strong favor for more convenient ways to pay for products that they are interested in.
Appstore expected to boost brand recognition and loyalty
By opening up its Appstore in China, Amazon is likely to find more traction among the mobile crowd. Consumers will have more access to the company’s products, particularly those designed for Kindle devices. The Appstore is also likely to drive brand recognition and consumer engagement, further solidifying Amazon as the dominating force in online retail in China.
Mobile commerce continues to gain traction around the world
China is just one of Amazon’s favored markets. The company has been showing a growing interest in mobile commerce as consumers around the world become more mobile. This can be seen in Europe and the U.S., as well as China. These markets have served to propel Amazon’s interest in the mobile commerce field, encouraging the company to engage a new generation of mobile-centric business that has begun a strong emergence around the world.
Personal data and how it is collected to cause problems for mobile payments
Data is extremely valuable in the mobile world. There are many kinds of data that can be considered valuable, from sales figures to marketing engagement, but the most important data in the mobile space is a consumer’s personal information. Typically, this information is considered private in the physical world, but is available in abundance online. Mobile payments, marketing, games, and a vast multitude of other mobile-centric activities collect this personal information for one purpose or another. Privacy is quickly becoming one of the most significant issues facing mobile consumers today.
Survey highlights consumer attitude concerning privacy
MEF, a global trade association, has released a new report entitled “Global Privacy Survey 2013.” The report highlights the attitude that consumers have regarding privacy and how their personal information may be being used in the mobile space. Data has helped the mobile world becomes more defined, providing developers with ways to create new, more intuitive mobile applications. Usually, these applications can either be purchased or attained for free, but a growing number of applications, especially those involving mobile payments, are beginning to exchange services for the acquisition of personal information.
Most consumers want to know how their data is being used
According to the survey, only 37% of consumers feel comfortable with sharing personal data with a mobile application. The majority of consumers consider knowing what kind of information an application is collecting to be important and 71% of consumers want to know how their information is being used. It is common for personal information to be sold to advertisers so that more targeted marketing campaigns can be fashioned. Mobile applications are not expressly required to inform consumers that their personal data is being collected in many countries around the world.
Mobile payments may not thrive if privacy is not addressed
Privacy is a major concern where mobile payments are concerned. Mobile commerce involves the trafficking of a consumer’s financial information, which, if stolen, can be exploited and cause significant monetary damage to a consumer. Mobile payments are becoming very popular among consumers, but if mobile commerce applications cannot become more secure, they may not have a future with consumers.
