Mobile commerce helps makes NFC more popular
Most modern mobile commerce initiatives are based on the use of NFC technology. This technology allows for digital information to be transmitted over short distances and have proven very proficient in facilitating payments from mobile devices. The problem, however, is that only mobile devices that are equipped with NFC technology can make use of these mobile commerce platforms. These devices have been somewhat rare in the past, but the growing popularity of mobile commerce has forced device makers to bring new NFC-enabled smartphones to the market.
Report shows that sale of NFC-enabled devices jumped 300% in 2012
A new report from Berg Insight, a leading market research firm, shows that the adoption of NFC technology grew significantly in 2012. The report shows that global sales of NFC-enabled devices jumped by 300% last year, reaching 140 million units globally. Most of this growth is being attributed to consumers demanding to participate in mobile commerce. With demand rising, device makers have been working to release new smartphones that have NFC capabilities in order to accommodate the needs of consumers.
NFC gains ground despite lack of support from Apple
The report shows that NFC-enabled devices have become more abundance despite the lack of support for NFC technology coming from Apple. The company has an interest in mobile commerce, but considers NFC technology to be too insecure to justify its merits in the mobile commerce field. As such, Apple’s iPhone 5, which had been rumored to be equipped with NFC technology, had no NFC capabilities whatsoever. This lead many consumers to turn to Samsung, a company that has a strong interest in both mobile commerce and NFC technology.
NFC likely to continue growing alongside mobile commerce
NFC is expected to continue growing as mobile commerce grows. While NFC-enabled devices are becoming more abundant, many consumers still have concerns regarding the security of the technology. NFC has been becoming a popular target for hackers looking to exploit the financial information of consumers. Security concerns have been strong enough in some cases to drive consumers away from mobile commerce entirely.