By Chuck Martin
The convenience factor may be a hidden, driving force behind mobile commerce.
A new study relating to security strikes me as at least one indicator that making something easy for a consumer can trump the associated risks.
The Consumer Mobile Insights Study conducted by Harris Interactive found that almost half (48%) of consumers use mobile devices to check their account status or balance and about a third (34%) buy via mobile.
This may seem logical knowing what we all know about current mobile behavior from countless studies.
However, the mobile insights research commissioned by Jumio found that more than three-quarters (83%) of consumers worry about identify theft and many of them (26%) actually have been a victim of online or mobile fraud.
However, rather than cutting back on mobile use, more than half (60%) expect to increase their use of mobile for purchasing and for what they deem to be other important activities.
The reality is that many consumers won’t be negatively impacted, so while they may say they worry about certain factors, they still plan to use their mobile devices for an increasing number of commerce-related activities.
In some ways, this increases the pressure on retailers, brands and marketers. While consumers worry about such things as security, they still plow ahead, placing the burden of security and privacy squarely on the shoulders of those providing the goods and services.
Many of the large brands totally get this and some, such as those in financial services, have this as part of their cultural DNA.
Consumers today are busy and being connected all the time can intensify that busyness. Mobile allows them to do more, or at least do it in more places and at more times, since they’re always on the network.
It makes sense that they would lean toward convenience, which is part of the power of being an untethered consumer.
Mobile commerce behavior may come down to what people do rather than what they say.
Chuck Martin is editor of mCommerce Daily at MediaPost and writes the daily MobileShopTalk. He is author of “The Third Screen,” “The Smartphone Handbook,” and the soon-to-be-published “Mobile Influence.” He is CEO of Mobile Future Institute and a frequent mobile keynote speaker around the globe.
