It took a while before shoppers were willing to punch in their credit card numbers to complete a transaction on a Web site. But just as U.S. consumers have warmed up to the convenience of shopping online, mobile devices are poised to take off as the next big platform for retailers. But it’s still very early in the game.
eCommerce Guide takes a look at the latest from market research firm eMarketer, which profiled the nascent mobile commerce market and highlighted some of the biggest consumer objections that retailers need to overcome.
Using mobile devices to access the Internet is fast-becoming a way of life in the U.S. More than 80 million U.S. mobile phone owners will access the Internet via their handset this year, according to research firm eMarketer.
That’s almost 35 percent of all mobile phone users and almost 27 percent of the U.S. population. But online shopping on mobile devices is not necessarily following the same fast track growth curve.
According to the eMarketer’s report, “Mobile Commerce: Ahead of Its Time,” mobile phone users say they would make more purchases if the process were not so cumbersome, products were easier to find and their devices supported secure credit card transactions. Web-enabled mobile phone users are much more likely to use their devices to get weather forecasts, read news, find movie times and bank online than to buy products, according to eMarketer.
“We’re at an early stage, but the market for mobile e-commerce is definitely accelerating,” Jeffrey Grau, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the report, told InternetNews.com.