Experts predict m-commerce will ascend to new heights in 2014

A new report from Prentice Capital has estimated that four out of five consumers could be carrying out safe shopping online from mobile devices this year, according to Hedge Week.

This correlates with another study published recently, in which InMobi found that around 80 per cent of consumers are gearing up to dabble in m-commerce activities at least once in 2014, with many doing so for the first time.

Smartphones and tablets are not just a new form of shopping platform to help people find and purchase items online, but are also becoming prevalent when used in conjunction with traditional retail environments. 

Almost half of the respondents to the survey said that they commonly choose to pop out their portable device when they are on the high street, to help decide whether or not to buy a particular item. Researching and comparing prices is also popular, with smartphones empowering people to do this on the move.

One interesting thing about purchases made by mobile devices is that people are generally willing to spend smaller amounts through their portable device than they might when committing to purchases on a desktop or laptop PC.

This means that m-commerce sites are better geared towards impulse purchases rather than the sale of expensive products and services via safe shopping online.

Of course, with more people deciding to pick up their mobile and search for shopping opportunities, there will be growing pressure on retailers to live up to consumer expectations and deliver an m-commerce experience which is both convenient to use and thoroughly secure.

Concerns over safety when shopping from a mobile could be one of the main reasons that people are hesitant to do so, which is why consumers deserve to be reassured by retailers.