The roadblocks to mobile shopping

The survey shows that roughly a third of people think that phones are too complex, and that they wouldn’t shop via cell phone because of that. This will be a fear naturally alleviated over time. In the U.S., the ever-important 18 to 27 demographic was nearly twice as likely to shop via mobile phone than the 43 to 61 demographic. I actually find this to be lower. Many times, newer technologies are embraced at a torrid pace by a younger crowd, while it’s shunned by elders. But for an 18-year-old to be only twice as likely to use mobile shopping than a 61-year-old is a good sign. Then again, they’re the extremes of the survey, so I’d think the number is a bit larger between those two ages specifically. Key line from the report:

“Retailers and wireless providers will need to clearly state the benefits that consumers gain by divulging their locations — and that their information is secure and kept private. As with loyalty cards, consumers are willing to allow retailers to collect information about them and their purchases in exchange for a discount.”

Interesting. So people aren’t really concerned about giving away their location and other information. They’re more concerned with a negotiation, it seems. “This is valuable information,” they say, “And we’re risking plenty by giving it up. So what are you going to give us in exchange?” Legitimate, yes. However, it seems that this isn’t a fear of giving out information, per se, but rather a fear of not being compensated. Mobile shopping has worked in Japan for a while now. In 2006, mobile shopping — excluding ringtones and other mobile content you see in the U.S. — totaled $5.3 billion, $2.4 billion of which was spent on retail goods. Surely, with potential numbers like that, retailers are clamoring to get onto the mobile platform. The question is, when will shoppers be ready? [The always-excellent mocoNews.net]]]>