Retailers have to tighten up the mobile shopping experience

Friday, October 31, 2014 - 15:16 by Paul Tissington

This week PayPal executive, Rob Harper, told The Drum about the areas in which retailers are getting m-commerce wrong, with an understandable focus on the way that payments are handled in the portable marketplace.

With more people using their smartphones and tablets to pay for products via safe shopping online as well as in-store, Harper believes that it is important for retailers and payment companies alike to differentiate this experience from the traditional cash and card payments with which consumers are familiar.

Digital wallets associated with mobile devices can, theoretically, achieve much more than a standard credit or debit card, especially given the flexibility that comes with having built-in NFC chips in most modern smartphones. Such tech means that customers can make online purchases as well as making payments at bricks and mortar stores, without having to register information, create accounts or carry around several separate cards to get the job done.

Harper put emphasis on the need to diversify and enrich the payment experience in the mobile market, rather than sticking with the tried and tested approaches found with incumbent methods. This should mean that the lines between safe shopping online and the high street are blurred, since consumers are now looking for even greater continuity across platforms.

Consumers in the UK still encounter problems when they attempt to make purchases, whether online or in-store. And Harper argues that the biggest obstacles often come at the checkout when it is time to make a payment, which is why enhancing mobile tools can be good for customers and retailers alike.

This is yet another instance of shoppers leading the way, forcing retailers to play catch-up. Trends are being forged by consumers because m-commerce has empowered them in a way that has never been seen before.