Tag: mobile payments

Apps remain the favored mobile commerce tool for consumers

| December 24, 2015

PayPal survey shows that retailers are beginning to focus more heavily on young consumers

Retailers are likely to focus more on young consumers in the coming years as mobile commerce becomes more prevalent. A recent survey from PayPal found that some 59% of smartphone shoppers are between the ages of 18 and 34. These consumers are also more likely to conduct their mobile shopping through an application rather than a mobile website. Apps are seen as more convenient by many consumers and they offer a better shopping experience.

Consumers have strong interested in NFC technology

The survey from PayPal found that 47% of consumers prefer to shop through apps rather than mobile browsers. Notably, those preferring to shop with their smartphones noted that the feature they are most interested in seeing in the future is the ability to tap a phone to a payment terminal to make a purchase. This may be good news for companies that are investing in NFC technology, which is used in the mobile commerce space to transmit digital information over short distances.

China is leading the way when it comes to mobile shopping

Mobile Commerce - PayPal SurveyPayPal’s survey found that China is home to the largest mobile shopping population. Approximately 68% of Chinese consumers shop online, either from a mobile device or a computer. The United Arab Emirates and Turkey follow behind China, with healthy online shopping activity. The most commonly purchased product purchased by China’s mobile shoppers were leisure products. In the United States, consumers used their mobile devices to purchase food and drink more than any other product category.

Retailers are beginning to focus more on apps rather than mobile websites

While consumers reported that mobile-friendly websites would encourage them to shop more frequently, they still prefer applications. Apps are often seen as more secure and capable of meeting the needs of consumers. Retailers have been working to improve their mobile websites, but a growing number of these companies have begun relying on apps in order to effectively engage consumers. Some retailers are also beginning to develop their own mobile commerce apps, hoping to secure a new generation of mobile shoppers.

Innovation may power growth in the mobile commerce sector

| December 23, 2015

Innovation could change the way people use their mobile devices to shop

Continued innovation may power the growth of mobile commerce. The sector is still in a relatively nascent stage, which makes it prime for innovation. Retailers, in particular, may bring new things to the mobile commerce sector as they continually seek out better ways to engage consumers. Target has reportedly begun developing its own mobile payments service, which it intends to launch at some point next year. Retailers are not the only ones bringing new services to the mobile commerce space, of course, as social media companies have also begun doing so.

Pinterest is showing more support for mobile commerce

Pinterest has been working to better support mobile payments, making it possible for users to purchase Pins they are interested in. The social networking site is now notifying users when products they are interested in drop in price, making them more financially attractive. This has proven particularly popular during the holiday season, but Pinterest has had trouble promoting mobile commerce among its user base overall. Forrester Research suggested that the launch of the company’s mobile commerce initiative was “weak” due to the limited inventory that merchants have.

New technology is making mobile shopping more convenient and secure

Mobile Commerce - Innovation to power growthIntroducing new services and features to the mobile commerce sector has made consumers more interested in the concept of mobile shopping. Notably, consumers are quite interested in services that they consider to be convenient. Security is also a major issue for many consumers, which has lead to the introduction of new security technologies that are designed to improve the mobile payments space as a whole. Biometric technology, in particular, has become a powerful tool for keeping consumer information safe.

Companies are looking to improve their mobile commerce platforms

Many companies involved in the mobile commerce space have been testing new services in an effort to make mobile shopping easier and more attractive to consumers. As more innovation comes to the sector, services that already exist are likely to improve, offering consumers better options when it comes to shopping and purchasing products with their mobile devices.