Shopping via your mobile is on the rise according to Affiliate Window.

According to Affiliate Window, 14.72% of sales were made on a mobile device and with the mammoth increase in smartphones and tablets, it’s hardly a surprising announcement.

Mobile Commerce or mCommerce as it sometimes referred too, has been steadily on the rise for a while, however with the advent of more accessible options, such as Apps and sites which respond to your device, it’s seen a noticeable increase in the lead up the Christmas.

As such, we thought we’d look at it and why you may or may not want to take a look at shopping via your mobile.

Personally, I’ve used my iPhone to make a couple of purchases this Christmas and it’s something I would properly consider doing more in the future. At the minute I’ve only used the Amazon App, mostly because I was out and about. It’s fast and quick and doesn’t take long to sign in to your account. The only issue is that it’s a little sneaky and adds 1^st Class Postage as standard, so if you’re not paying attention it’s easy to pay for postage when the free 2-5 days postage is sufficient. My wife also uses the eBay app often to buy online, which is fantastic.

For me, even though I’d consider myself fairly tech savvy, I still prefer shopping on a laptop or even a tablet. The size constraints are fairly restrictive for me, which is why I like the Amazon App, as it involves no signs ups and is ridiculously easy to navigate.

I also prefer to search and compare across different sites and I find that process easier on a standard device, however there are plenty of Apps which provide this service, like Twenga.

That being said, just because I don’t use my mobile to make a massive amount of purchases, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t play a big part in my shopping process.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Quick and easy	Easy to impulse buy
Compare while in store	Security issues
Convenient	Poor mobile websites
Potentially cheaper	Dependent on 3G signal
Easy to find voucher codes

Disadvantage: Easy to Impulse Buy

Retailers are going to great lengths to make their online shopping experiences as user friendly for their mobile shoppers, which is great. The only issue is that they may be making it too easy. Especially Apps like Amazon which have a one click option, not only do you run the risk of sending it to the wrong address or picking a more expensive postage option, but it makes it so easy to make impulse purchase, before you’ve had chance to consider it.

Advantage: Compare While In-Store

If you’re shopping in store it’s pretty to easy to whip out your mobile and check the price elsewhere, if it’s cheaper, than it’s just as easy to order it there and then. There has been a fair bit of contention over this as many people are accusing online retailers as using physical locations as window displays.

This is the best advantage of mobile shopping in store…

Disadvantage: Security Issues

Generally speaking, if you’re shopping using a well known retailer like Amazon or eBay, then they’ll have top notch security and many sites accessed on a mobile will have the same security measures as if you were to access it via a standard device.

The issue mainly comes when passwords and logins are saved on your phone and the Apps. You need to ensure that either your passwords are not remembered or that an App asked you to enter a password each time you make a purchase. You’ll also need to make sure who is watching over your shoulder when you’re out and about. The amount of people I’ve accidently overseen on the Tram on their Bank account via their mobile is unreal. As with everything, just be careful.

Advantage: Convenient

I don’t have Broadband at home, so for me it’s really convenient if I need to order something at home, rather than at work.

Disadvantage: Dependent on 3G

This isn’t the same for everyone, but for people like me who can’t hook onto a Wi Fi signal I have to rely on my 3G connection, which can get spotty in some areas, especially my parents house.

Disadvantage: Poor mobile websites

There was a time when retailers created a second website for mobile users. Now, more and more are adapting/responding their sites to adjust to specific devices. But the fact is, for all the big names that are doing it, there are still some who haven’t cottoned on. Who still have difficult sites to us via mobile, such as poor sign up/logins/order pages.