Tag: gartner

Mobile commerce continues to see strong growth throughout the world

The mobile commerce space is beginning to become more attractive to merchants throughout the world. More consumers are beginning to use their smartphones and tablets to shop online and in physical stores. These consumers are taking advantage of services offered by Apple, Samsung, and a variety of other companies. Notably, mobile payments services have been growing in popularity because of their increasingly secure nature, with some services having proven that they can effectively protect consumer information.

Retailers are planning to launch their own mobile commerce platforms

As mobile commerce expands, the number of merchants becoming involved in the mobile space is also growing. Driven by market demands, Walmart recently announced that it will be launching its own mobile payments service. Target has also revealed plans to develop such a platform in order to effectively connect with the growing number of mobile consumers. Both companies see a great deal of promise in the mobile commerce space and intend to capitalize on the growth of this sector in the coming years.

Consumers are still concerned about the security of mobile payments services

Despite the fact that the mobile commerce space is growing, many consumers are unconvinced that mobile payments services are worthwhile. According to recent analysis from Gartner, the majority of shoppers in the United States simply believe that traditional forms of commerce are adequate enough for their needs. Others believe that security faults exist in the mobile commerce space, leaving them exposed to serious digital threats.

Mobile commerce saw spectacular growth in 2015

Last year, mobile commerce saw significant growth, especially during the holiday season. According to a report from eMarketer, some 9.6% of the mobile population in the United States, an estimated 23.2 million people, made a mobile transaction in 2015. The mobile commerce space is beginning to attract a variety of merchants, many of whom have been looking for ways to connect with mobile consumers in a dynamic fashion. This trend is expected to continue into the future, especially as the demand for mobile commerce support continues to grow.

The number of businesses and shoppers using their smartphones to pay is rising more rapidly.

According to the results of a recent data analysis by Gartner, there are more consumers and businesses, alike, that are starting to try out mobile payments and wallets app, to test the technology for themselves.

That said, there are also a growing number of offerings showing up in the mobile wallet app market.

Among those making the most noise is Apple Pay, which was launched by Apple in October 2014. That said, it is far from alone in the mobile payments sphere, as Android Pay has also been released by Google. Samsung Pay was launched by Samsung Electronics Co to throw its hat into the ring. Moreover, there are quite a few that are currently in development. Among the most notable is CurrentC, which is the mobile wallet being created by a consortium of restaurants and major retailers.

That said, individual retailers are also starting to come up with their own mobile payments offerings.

Over the holiday season, Walmart announced that it was developing a mobile wallet service that would allow its shoppers to pay for their purchases at the store using their smartphones, charging the purchase to any major credit card or to one of the brand’s gift cards. This feature is going to be worked into the existing mobile app from the company.

Similarly, Target also announced that it would be adding a mobile wallet feature to its mobile application. That announcement caused quite a bit of confusion, as Target is one of the businesses in the aforementioned consortium, and the retailer was certain to make it clear that it had no intentions for exiting that group.

Until now, mobile wallets haven’t really been all that popular among consumers, but they are reaching the point in which they are beginning to pick up a bit of steam. Gartner research director, Penny Gillespie explained that “When you ask consumers about mobile payments, they pretty much tell you they’re not interested — not everyone, but the majority of buyers.” She also went on to say that one of the main reasons is that consumers are essentially satisfied with their current payment options, including credit and debit cards, checks and cash.