By Aimee Chanthadavong

A majority (71 per cent) of consumers in the Asia Pacific agree mobile phones will be more an important payment method in the future, according to findings by SAP.

But in order for that to happen, Australian consumers say more and better access to mobile services is needed. Sixty-six percent of respondents would like to increase mobile transactions with banks, telcos, retailers and other businesses, ranking second highest among the mature markets surveyed.

With retail being a key focus of mobile purchases for Australians, their most popular purchases are entertainment services (36 per cent), music downloads (32 per cent), books or e-books (29 per cent) and clothes (27 per cent).

Australians consumers are encouraged by lower cost services (30 per cent), exclusive offers (18 per cent) and coupons (15 per cent) to conduct transactions via their mobile.

“Consumers are rapidly adopting a mobile-first approach to engaging with their preferred brands and service providers,” says Selim Ahmed, head of mobility for SAP Australia & New Zealand.

“The results of this research suggest that consumers are hungry for more mobile services to meet their needs for convenience and personalisation.”

The research also shows consumers are using their mobile phones for an increasing range of mobile commerce services, including researching products, responding to promotions, customer service inquiries and submitting meter readings to utility companies.

The study also showed 47 per cent of respondents in Australia said they now use their mobile phones for more activities than making calls and texting than they did 12 months ago. Deterrents to greater use of mobile devices for commerce in Australia include the hassle of entering a lot of personal information (42 per cent) and security concerns (43 per cent). Lack of Internet access was also a significant deterrent, with 38 per cent of Australian respondents citing it as a barrier to access – more than any other mature market surveyed.

“The data also validates that organisations must address privacy and security concerns to remain relevant,” Ahmed said.

“In Australia and New Zealand, we are seeing that businesses who are leading in mobile are building brand affinity, gaining market share and enabling new revenue streams.”