Consumers are conducting more mobile commerce transactions than ever, but are still not taking basic steps to ensure security on their smartphones, a survey released today by PayPal and the National Cyber Security Alliance found. But consumers did show an interest in the survey in using biomtric authentication for securing their phones. The survey of more than 1,000 American consumers, which was conducted by Zogby, showed that more than 25% of them use their mobile phone to conduct shopping transactions on a daily basis. "More people are doing more mobile transactions, and there are more mobile devices out there. And …

MasterCard has partnered with Wired magazine to offer a one-touch shopping experience, right from their iOS device. This "in-content purchasing" concept allows consumers to buy the products they are reading about directly from advertising or editorial content, without ever leaving the page itself. Beginning with the November tablet edition of Wired (available Oct. 15), readers will be able to realize this new shopping experience via ShopThis! with MasterPass and purchase multiple products through a single shopping cart, allowing for a streamlined checkout experience.

It is 11 years since the first mobile payment service was launched in Africa, and it is now transforming economies across the continent. However, in the first five years or so, it was a solution in search of problems, with a scattering of case studies showing how it could make a difference. Most people associate mobile payments with M-PESA in Kenya, but it was Zambia that really got the ball rolling, when Celpay was launched there by Fundamo, a South African payment technology company now owned by Visa. Celpay was most famous for one thing: it allowed SAB truck drivers …

The mobile payments message from the experts on the first day of the Money 2020 emerging financial services and transactions event was that the United States is the most difficult market to break into. The reason given by the speakers was that each individual state has its own licensing issues and regulations. John Muller, the PayPal general counsel and vice president, legal, compared the entry of mobile payments into the United States to trying to get started in fifty different countries.

Beyond the Rack, Currys, Newegg, lastminute.com and PC World join a list of 20,000 merchants who have integrated MasterCard's digital platform MasterPass into their checkout systems, including on mobile. MasterPass speeds up the check-out process by allowing consumers to select a card through MasterPass and purchase in a couple of clicks without having to enter all of the billing information. Similar to Google Wallet and PayPal, this technology is crucial for mobile payments, since it is more irritating to type in credit card numbers and addresses on a small smartphone screen.

International market research firm yStats has released a new report concerning electronic and mobile commerce in Asia. Asian markets have become very attractive in terms of mobile commerce due to the rising adoption of smartphones and tablets. Consumers are becoming quite reliant on these devices and are showing enthusiasm when it comes to shopping online and making purchases directly from their devices. The report, titled "Asia B2C E-Commerce Report 2013," aims to shed light on the evolution of commerce throughout Asia.

The National Australia Bank has launched a new mobile payments service that leverages NFC technology and QR codes. The service is called NAB Flik and is accompanied by a mobile application of the same name. The application is meant to provide consumers with an efficient way to participate in mobile commerce, allowing users to initiate mobile payments through a variety of methods. Australia is quickly becoming a very prominent market when it comes to mobile commerce and more of the country's financial services firms are taking steps to engage mobile consumers more aggressively. Using the NAB Flik application, consumers can …

McDonald's is testing different mobile payment and loyalty programs in the United States as the quick-service restaurant chain likely looks to gain insights that will be used to develop a wider scale mobile payment offering in the future. McDonald's is testing loyalty-based app Front Flip in one region of the U.S. and is also working with Isis on a mobile payment trial. Mobile payments have grown substantially for QSRs in the U.S. in the past year as more brands look to the technology not only for convenience but also for building loyalty.

Women are more likely to have shopped online in the past year than men (57% compared to 52%), but men are more likely to have made a purchase via smartphone (22% compared to 18%) or tablet (20% compared to 17%), according to a new study from SeeWhy Conversion Academy. The report, "The Roles of Gender, Geography and Age in Mobile Commerce," reveals that among 18-to-24-year-olds, women are actually more likely than men to shop via smartphone (21.6% compared to 21.3%) and tablet (20% compared to 14%).

Smartphones will influence GBP18bn of UK store sales this year, according to the latest research from business advisory firm, Deloitte. In contrast, consumers will make only GBP5bn of sales directly on mobile devices (including both smartphones and tablets); less than a third of the value generated by mobile influenced store sales. The research also found those consumers who use their smartphone before or during their shopping trip are not only more likely to make a purchase, but also to spend more money. People who use their mobile whilst shopping spend 61% more, compared to the average trip. In addition, those …