Alibaba introduces new security feature to its popular Alipay application
Alibaba, one of China’s largest online retailers, has begun working to make mobile payments safer for consumers. The company’s Alipay application has become quite popular with those interested in mobile shopping, but consumers are beginning to express concern over the security of the platform. Because Alipay trafficks a large amount of financial information between consumers and businesses, the application’s ability to protect this information is quite important. In order to ensure that this information is safe, Alibaba has introduced a new feature to Alipay.
Alipay will now be able to scan fingerprints
The Alipay application is now capable of scanning fingerprints when it is used to make a payment. This feature is currently only available on the iOS platform because the latest iteration’s of the iPhone are equipped with biometric technology. This technology allows a mobile device to scan a fingerprint, which adds a new layer of security that is difficult to break through. Alibaba believes that fingerprints could be the key to truly secure mobile payments.
New feature may be well received among mobile shoppers
The new feature will allow users to authenticate a transaction with nothing more than their fingerprint. Transactions made in this way have a limit of $162 per day. If consumers want to spend more than that, they will have to enter in their account information manually as they typically do with Alipay. Financial information is used locally, without uploading any information to a third party. This ensures that the information being sent by a consumer is kept safe.
Demand for secure mobile services continues to rise among consumers and businesses alike
Alibaba has already establish a strong presence in the mobile commerce market. The company is managed to beat competition from others that are looking to establish themselves in the mobile world as well. Increasing the security of the Alipay application may help Alibaba find yet more success in the mobile space. Demand for secure mobile commerce services has been on the rise among consumers for some time.
BWild |
December 10, 2014
Even though consumers continue to worry that their private data is not entirely safe, they’re still shopping on smartphones.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has released the result of a recent study and data analysis that has revealed that there is a growing number of people who are looking to mobile commerce as a part of their overall shopping process, regardless of the fact that worries about privacy remain high.
The research showed that 7 out of 10 people will use their smartphones for information while shopping.
While not all of those activities involve actually making a purchase, these mobile commerce behaviors remain quite important to the process that will eventually lead consumers to a purchase decision. For instance, the CEA found that about 70 percent of mobile device using shoppers will conduct an internet search using that smartphone in order to learn more information about a product while shopping.
Over half of shoppers were found to have preferred mobile commerce for learning about products while shopping.
That 58 percent said that looking something up on a smartphone or tablet was preferable to speaking to an employee while in store. This was particularly true among male shoppers as well as among those between the ages of 25 and 44.
The CES report also pointed out that even though consumers were using m-commerce tools despite the fact that about 61 percent of them also expressed concerns about privacy, and 58 percent were worried about security when using their smartphones while they shopped inside a brick and mortar store.
The CEA directory of industry and analysis, Steve Koenig, said that “Quick and reliable access to product information, availability and comparisons are the driving forces behind this trend.” He also added that “Mobile is undoubtedly changing the way consumers shop, but also likely redefining the role of salespeople at retail.”
The report, entitled “Managing the Consumerization of IT: Mobile Access for the BYOD World,” showed the following additional key mobile commerce usage findings:
• 70 percent of consumers use smartphones to find product information as they shop.
• 69 percent use their devices for a general search online while shopping.
• 52 percent would visit a website specific to the store while shopping.
• 47 percent would visit an app specific to the store while they shopped.
• 46 percent would visit a website specific to a manufacturer while shopping.
