Mobile shopping is set to grow steadily for the next five years, according to a Forrester report, and may destabilize traditional shopping.
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According to the report, most retailers don't yet understand the potential for mobile technology to boost sales.
"Most companies view mobile as a channel that is primarily about completing sales through a mobile site," said Sucharita Mulpuru, the report's author. "But the opportunity to arm store associates with instantaneous information and richer payment acceptance capabilities may be the most compelling reason for retailers to invest in mobile."
Some retailers are hesitant to transition to mobile shopping due to consumer security fears and relative clumsiness of conducting e-commerce on a smartphone versus a PC or tablet.
But even if people don't necessarily shop on their phones, they'll still shop with their phones. Mulpuru predicts that retail customers armed with smartphones to access product information and price comparisons and force bricks-and-mortar stores to work even harder against online retailers.
Even as shopping remains largely in the traditional domains of physical retailers and large-format web access, phones will play an increasing role in conducting the actual transactions. Carriers, phone makers, and financial companies are both cooperating and competing to develop phone-based payment systems.
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