A survey released by online payment specialists PayPal has pointed to a dramatic jump in the amount of online transactions being made via mobile phones in Australia.
Conducted for PayPal by net ratings group Nielsen, the ‘mCommerce: Secure Insight' report was good news for the Australian ecommerce industry which was ranked among the smallest in the developed world.
In contrast Australia ranks an impressive third behind Japan and South Korea for mCommerce.
The report showed that last year Australians spent $155 million online via their mobile phones and predicted the figure to grow sharply over the next few years as smart phone penetration moves towards 100 percent.
"I think this $155 million will quickly grow into the billions in Australia and globally," said Frerk-Malte Feller, managing director for PayPal Australia.
He told CRN that PayPal alone expected to handle at least $155 million worth of mobile online transactions by the end of this year.
Almost 70 percent of Australians surveyed said they would use mobile devices for purchases, transactions and payments in the near future.
Looking at transactions to date, people were most likely to buy clothes, shoes and accessories online via their phones, while the report also noted greater willingness to buy higher-value items such as plane tickets.
Respondents said they were most likely to engage in mCommerce when they were travelling.
Feller conceded, however that security remains an issue with more than half indicating they would need more assurances before making online purchases using their mobile phones.
Respondents also cited slow mobile internet speeds and small screen sizes as other disincentives.
Rapid improvements to the design and functionality of smart phones was expected to solve these issues sooner rather than later, however, while the projected huge volumes of total online sales will doubtlessly spill over into the mobile world.
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