Survey Says: Mobile Billing Most Important Payment Method

Dec 16, 2011

At MEF Global 2011, a mobile content and commerce event in London put on by the Mobile Entertainment Forum, a new study was released based on survey results from more than 8,000 mobile consumers across 9 countries. MEF’s Global Consumer Survey explored the means and motivation for consumers to use their mobile for a variety of services, from retail to banking. As they state in the study foreword, their findings show that consumers are embracing mobile commerce globally, across both developed and developing markets. As many as 82% of respondents across all countries surveyed have used their mobile phone to engage in commerce, to either research or purchase items, while 71% have used their mobile phone to make purchases of everything from virtual and digital goods to physical tickets, books, and electronic goods.



Of course, that data applies to the whole of mobile commerce (any purchase made using a mobile device), but what about direct carrier billing? The MEF data shows that mobile operator billing is, in fact, the most commonly used way of paying for purchases, with roughly 39% of respondents using this method. This compares with just 21% who prefer using credit cards and 20% who use an online payment service.

A factor that likely plays heavily into this result is their finding that a substantial portion of respondents don’t have access to banking services. The chart below shows respondents from each participating country that fall into this category.

The study further drills down on the data country by country.  Interestingly, out of 9 countries surveyed, only Singapore used a credit card more than mobile payments which is attributable to a credit card payment domination in that local market.

Alternatively, South Africa showed the greatest use of billing directly to the mobile phone bill as compared to other forms of payment.  Even in the United States, one of the most highly carded markets, billing directly to your carrier bill was the dominant method of payment in this survey.

To sum up, what have we learned?

1. By and large, consumers are engaging in mobile commerce and purchasing goods through mobile payments.

2. In 8 of the 9 countries surveyed, including both developed and developing countries, mobile operator billing is the dominant method of mobile payment.

3. Empirical data shows that mobile payments continue to be the payment method of choice and BOKU is well positioned to capitalize on this trend.

With connections across 240+ carriers in 66 countries, BOKU is proud to be leading the charge on delivering bank-grade mobile payment solutions via operator billing. We are uniquely positioned to offer merchant partners single-point integration to an extensive mobile payments network and the opportunity to participate in mobile commerce on a global scale.

* Source: MEF Global Consumer Survey 2011.  Base = 8,530 respondents across 9 countries who have participated in mobile commerce.