Brick and mortar shops are seeing their fair share of Internet usage too. If you’re old fashioned like I am, you probably still enjoy browsing the tactile selection of merchandise at your local mall or boutique. This sensation, however, is supplemented by the ability to pull out your mobile device and draw comparisons with online vendors, review forums, and so on.
According to the Pew American & Internet Life Project , 2012, 52% of adult Smartphone owners use their device while in a store to get help with purchasing decisions. During the 2011 holiday season, PayPal reported that more than 67 percent of consumers planned to make a purchase using a mobile device.
It should come as no surprise that many shoppers will make purchases using their mobile devices while visiting their local mall or shopping center. With mobile shopping trends following closely in the footsteps of desktop consumerism, we’ll be seeing a major increase in the number of cyber criminals victimizing mobile consumers.
So, as the waning waters of Internet safety reveal new weaknesses in the online marketplace, we’re left wondering: who will police this mall? We’ll take a look at some of the burgeoning options in our next post.
Be sure to check back here next week for Part 4 of our Pickpocket Series.
