Retailers Surveyed on Mobile Commerce

Bern, Switzerland-based Sicap has released the results of a survey of 514 retail professionals conducted by Indro Celia, professor of e-business, at the University of Applied Sciences of Central Switzerland regarding their attitudes towards mobile commerce.

52 percent of those interviewed were positive about the prospects for mobile commerce with 50 percent attracted to its revenue generating potential. Window-shopping was identified as the "killer" application that would drive mobile commerce growth. By enabling consumers to purchase store items displayed in shop windows consumers would be able to make purchases outside store opening hours as well as avoid queuing at checkouts. In contrast, retailers questioned the added value to consumers of other often quoted mobile commerce scenarios like paying at the point of sale (POS) in a store and toping-up prepaid accounts.

Who'd have ever guessed that window shopping might be the mobile commerce "killer app"?