17,000 consumers polled on their interest in mobile commerce systems
Acxiom, a multichannel marketing services company, has released the results of an online poll in which more than 17,000 United Kingdom consumers participated in. The poll focuses on the level of interest consumers have in mobile commerce. In the UK, mobile commerce is becoming more popular, with a growing number of retail brands moving to adopt NFC technology and mobile commerce systems. While companies have shown an obvious interest in mobile commerce, consumers have been torn on the issue, with many unwilling to partake in contactless payment systems.
Some respondents eager to participate in mobile commerce
According to Acxiom’s poll, approximately 20% of respondents said they were open to using their mobile devices as a payment platform. These consumers would use these devices to pay for goods and services and partake in a variety of other services, with some going so far as saying they would actually download advertisements. If Acxiom’s findings are extrapolated throughout the UK’s mobile population, more than 6.8 million people could be considered willing to adopt mobile commerce.
Security continues to be a serious concern
Acxiom notes that most consumers show favor for mobile commerce without any extensive knowledge in the concept or what goes into making contactless payments possible. Despite a lack of comprehensive knowledge, many consumers are unwilling to adopt mobile commerce due to security concerns. The threat of financial information being stolen along with a smart phone or by some intrepid hacker is too great for some consumers to ignore. Security continues to be one of the most significant challenges facing mobile commerce, apart from increasing the availability of NFC-enabled mobile devices.
Some consumers willing to share personal information
According to Acxiom, 15% of respondents to the poll said they would be happy to share their personal information with retailers as long as there was a high level of transparency. Consumers would have to know exactly how their information was being used but retailers could reward this initiative by giving consumers access to opportunities such as discounts on their favored brands.
