Survey shows that consumers are participating in mobile commerce more readily in South Africa
South Africa may be on the verge of a commerce boom powered by the mobile sector, according to a new survey from Ipsos. The country has become home to a thriving mobile commerce market, where the growing number of mobile shoppers have begun to have a major impact on the retail industry. The survey shows that consumers are becoming more interested in shopping online, both from personal computers and from their mobile devices.
Consumers are using their mobile devices to shop for products online
According to the survey, approximately 22% of South Africa’s Internet users have shopped online, with another 48% claiming that they planned to do so within the coming months. The survey shows that a growing number of these consumers are choosing to do their shopping from a mobile device. Currently, half of South Africa’s consumers are shopping online with their mobile devices, with 94% using their smartphones to search for information on products that they are interested in and 62% using their devices to compare prices on these products.
Improving the online shopping experience is important for merchants
PayPal, which commissioned the report from Ipsos, notes that merchants need to improve their online experience in order to appeal to mobile consumers. The survey shows that 51% of consumers believe that their online shopping experience is not mobile friendly. This can lead to abandoned transactions and consumers opting to choose one merchant over another solely for the online shopping experience. Mobile shoppers noted that they prefer to shop with applications rather than do so on websites. Apps offer better brand engagement and promote loyalty, according to respondents of the survey.
Security remains a major concern for consumers
They survey also shows that consumers in Nigeria and Kenya are participating more in mobile commerce. These consumers have been purchasing products from South African merchants, taking advantage of online shopping in order to do so. The survey notes that security remains a major concern for consumers, which could be enough to slow the adoption of mobile commerce.
