A study by research organisation Vanson Bourne reveals that 89 per cent of retailers believe mobile commerce will soon be as popular as e-commerce.

However, 16 per cent of the 100 retailers surveyed report not currently having a mobile strategy, with almost a third having no plans to implement one at all.

The majority (59 per cent) of the 1,000 consumers surveyed in the study cite convenience as the reason for using mobile payments. Of those who prefer other means, security concerns (39 per cent) remain a key reason why they don’t want to pay by mobile.

Mark Blowers, practice leader at independent technology analyst Ovum, says, ‘As customer experience differentiation grows more important in the competitive retail environment, retailers should look at mobile, not only as a sales channel but also as a vital tool for customer interaction in a complete multichannel retail operation.

‘When developing mobile application strategies, retailers must not think of mobile as a silo but, from the outset, integrate the channel into the existing operation.’

See also: Technology trends to help you with e-commerce sales