Commerce over mobile devices such as cell phones is accelerating in the U.S., according to data released earlier this month by Nielsen Mobile.
According to the report, more than 9 million U.S. mobile subscribers say they have used their mobile phone to pay for goods or services, and half of all data users (49%) say they expect to participate in mobile commerce in the future.
Among the findings presented:
• As of the first quarter of 2008, 3.6% (9.2 million) of U.S. mobile subscribers use their phone to pay for goods or services
• Men are more likely than women to use their phone for commerce: 4.5% (4.9 million) of men and 3.0% (4.3 million) of women say they have made a purchase using their phone
• Adults ages 25–34 are the most likely to have made a purchase using their phone: 5.4% (3 million) of adults ages 25–34 have made a purchase, compared to 3.6% of all mobile subscribers
• 49% of mobile data users who have used one or more data features on their phone–such as text messaging or the mobile Internet–within the past 30 days, say that it is likely they will conduct mobile commerce in the future
But Nielsen’s study also reveals that security is the number one concern among those mobile data users not yet participating in m-commerce:
• 41% of data users who do not participate in mobile commerce say security is their biggest concern
• 23% say they worry about being charged for the airtime
• 21% say they don’t trust that the transaction will be completed
The findings come from Nielsen Mobile’s monthly Mobile Insights survey of more than 30,000 US wireless subscribers, with similar data available internationally.