Brazilian Shoppers Growing More Comfortable with Mobile (Nov. 5, 2013)
Mobile payments are spreading fast in Brazil, with nearly half of the country’s consumers having made a purchase on a tablet device between May and June 2013, while almost 30 percent did so via a mobile phone, according to a new study. The research, conducted by Mobi.life on behalf of Brazilian mobile payments company Pagtel, also found that three-quarters of respondents said they either “probably” or “definitely” would make a purchase via mobile phone or tablet in the future, with respondents citing practicality, convenience, flexibility and better pricing compared to brick-and-mortar stores as the main advantages of mobile. Additionally, mobile users have become accustomed to buying virtual goods, such as apps, in-app content and topping up cell phone accounts, through their mobile devices. For such customers, that familiarity extends to purchasing physical goods via mobile as well.
Among the issues holding back those who have yet to participate in mobile commerce are concerns over data security, lack of credit or payment card to fund purchases, and complicated or unreliable Websites. Mobile shoppers preferred purchasing on tablets over smartphones at a rate of nearly 2-to-1, the report found.
The shift toward mobile commerce in Brazil should get a boost from the country’s swiftly developing payments infrastructure. Brazil was among the countries listed as moving rapidly away from a cash-based economy in a recent report by MasterCard Advisors. In 2011, 57 percent of the nation’s consumer spending was cashless, according to the study. In May, MasterCard and Telefónica—the card network’s joint venture partner for Latin America mobile financial services—announced they would begin rolling out what the companies described as Brazil’s first mobile payment service.
