by Claudia Bruemmer

According to recent research (GfK Custom Research and SapientNitro), 38 percent of U.S. smartphone users are shopping for the best deals on their devices. But are these devices safe? Retailers must stay ahead of the game by preparing for the time when mobile devices and mobile commerce sites become targets for criminals.

“Using digital devices makes it easier and makes me feel like I’m in control of the prices,” said one survey respondent in the above survey. “I get better deals and better prices, and it’s enjoyable.”

When it comes to enjoyable, 39 percent of smartphone users say their devices have enriched their shopping experience this holiday season, the survey notes. Not surprisingly, consumers think of their mobile apps as tools for saving money.

“As the use of digital devices moves more to the forefront of Americans’ shopping behavior, the ease of finding deals with them – whether through research, social media, deal sites and the like – has eased the pressures of gift giving in this down economy,” said Chris Davey, global head of commerce at SapientNitro. “This empowerment comes at the right time given that many Americans plan to spend less on holiday shopping this year than they did last year.”

According to mobile measurement firm comScore, we have 234 million mobile subscribers in the U.S., and 38 percent of them (89 million), have smartphones. According to the above study of U.S. consumers with smartphones:

• 31% have used the GPS feature on their phone to help with holiday shopping
• 30% have used a mobile app to search for or purchase a product this holiday season
• 19% have scanned a QR code to find more information about a product
• 18% have used a mobile coupon at the point of purchase

Among tablet owners:

• 42% have used a mobile app to search for or purchase a product this holiday season
• 41% have scanned a bar code to get more information about a product

Mobile Commerce Could Be Vulnerable

Most consumers think their smartphones are secure. However, security firm McAfee Inc., warns that retailers and consumers need to prepare now because cyber criminals are targeting smartphones and mobile apps due to the increase in reliance on these devices for ecommerce.

According to McAfee’s recent survey of 2,337 U.S. adults, 70 percent of consumers believe their smartphones are safe from hackers, malware and other types of cyber crime. Implications for retailers and consumers are: as smartphones and tablets increase in popularity, criminals could start targeting them.

“Mobile malware incidents are still relatively low in number, but with smartphones and tablets eclipsing unit sales of desktop and laptop PCs, criminals will continue to set their sights on mobile,” said McAfee.

That means retailers must stay ahead of the game by preparing for the time when mobile devices and mobile commerce sites become targets for criminals.

“Everything that happened in the PC world will and is starting to happen in the mobile world,” said Gartner analyst Avivah Litan, who specializes in Internet security. “For example, criminals might attempt to gain remote control of a smartphone like they’ve done with desktop computers. If they can control the handset, they can change the banking controls, allowing criminals to empty a consumer’s bank account,” said Litan.

The proliferation of mobile devices means that retailers have their work ahead of them to ensure mobile commerce remains safe. “Retailers can’t control the way consumers connect to their ecommerce or mobile commerce websites and must rely on data generated after transactions are completed to ferret out potential risk, said Litan. “They need better fraud protection on the back-end,” she concluded.