PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
The majority of online shopping today (Cyber Monday) will take place using a desktop PC, according to new research.
In a survey of more than 15,000 consumers across 15 major global markets, Ovum found that 68 per cent of respondents globally prefer to use a PC or laptop when shopping online. Only one in five use their mobile phone and 14 per cent use a tablet. Ovum said that PC is "the king" when it comes to Cyber Monday shopping.
The reluctance to use a mobile device stems from perceptions that services are not secure (accoring to 49 per cent of respondents) or that personal data might be misused (47 per cent).
“The implications of these findings are profound for the growing mobile commerce ecosystem, as when it comes to digital commerce, consumers clearly still feel more comfortable with their PC and laptop,” said Angel Dobardziev, principal analyst at Ovum.
“This shows that operator strategies that factor in rapid adoption of mobile commerce services need a reality check. Furthermore, the industry must design services that build on users’ comfort with e-commerce over the PC and extend it to the m-commerce domain.”
The survey also found that half of respondents have no interest in trying mobile payments over the next 12 months, and fewer than two in 10 make m-commerce transactions on a regular basis (excluding checking bank balances, which 35 percent use regularly).
Younger consumers in the 16 to 34 age bracket are almost twice as likely to be users of mobile money services as those aged over 35.
“There is no doubt that eventually we’ll see mobile devices used for the majority of our online services, but in the m-commerce sector there is still some way to go. To succeed, service providers will need to carefully understand and effectively address the subtle differences that concerned consumers have with using mobile money and mobile commerce services,” added Dobardziev.
