What is M-Commerce?

M- Commerce is short for mobile commerce, which basically means being able to pay for things with your mobile phone.

What's good about M-Commerce?

With the dawn of the smartphone, we really are reaching that sci-fi movie era of having the one little widget for everything. Phone, watch, entertainment, camera and now wallet. It means not having to carry separate cash, new promotional opportunities and just generally looking cool.

What's bad about M-Commerce?

The main problem with M-Commerce as it stands is that as of today, it's just not very secure. Keen companies may rush into offering M-Commerce campaigns and structures without properly assessing the risks and consequences, then suffer when failings in security and stability emerge.

I'm a business owner - should I get involved in M-Commerce?

We're back to our standard mantra. There will always be some guy (probably in a pinstripe suit and pink shirt) insisting that X is the latest, greatest thing and if you don't seize the bandwagon right this instant, you'll be left behind forever.

Our advice is to treat every new potential opportunity with the same openness and wariness - online, offline and anywhere else. Look at the risks, the benefits and the costs (and not just monetary ones) and make an educated decision on a case-by-case basis.

I'm just an Internet user - should I use M-Commerce?

Research shows that many people view M-Commerce as if it has the same level of security as the internet - this is not true, so you should be much more careful when carrying out transactions over text - and hopefully that's on top of already being pretty darn careful when purchasing online. Make sure your credit card company will cover you if something goes wrong, and also remember that debit cards carry almost no protection.

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