Got mobile? Your customers do. An increasing number of consumers tap into their mobile phones to do everything from surf the web to pay for transactions. In fact, experts predicted that shoppers would enjoy Thanksgiving Day dinner—and then proceed directly to the couch with their smartphone or tablet to shop early Black Friday deals. The juicy new term for this mode of shopping is couch commerce.

But whether consumers are buying on mobile while lounging in front of the game or they’re buying through their tablet over lunch break, the fact is that digital merchants need to start making it as easy as possible for customers to complete these transactions. Here are a few stats to jumpstart your journey into the world of m-commerce:

• 12% of American adults have paid for a transaction with a mobile device; however Forrester analysts expect that number to rise. (Forrester, via Mobile Commerce Daily)
• 60% of consumers who buy with mobile make purchases with their device while still at home. (PayPal, via Digby)
• 24% of U.S. iPhone users and 21% of Droid users have accessed a shopping app in the last 3 months. (Forrester, via Internet Retailer)
• Roughly 50% of mobile commerce originates on tablet devices. (Forrester, via Mashable)
• $119 billion in goods and services will be purchased through a mobile device by 2015. (ABI Research, via Econsultancy)
• 49% of those who use the mobile web at least 1x each week have made a purchase with their device in the last 6 months. (ROI Research, via Digby)

When it’s time for your digital business to boost mobile shopping conversion, contact ILD Teleservices. From ILD Mobile to ILD Bill to Phone, our billing solutions provide your market with a friction-free checkout experience. Find out what our alternative payment methods will do for your bottom line.

You use a mobile phone for everything from reading Uncle Milt’s football predictions on Facebook to catching up with the office—so; of course, you want to shop online using your mobile phone as well. Although, if you’re like nearly 80% of consumers, you probably worry about online fraud. In fact, identity fraud reached a new high in 2009, costing consumers an estimated $54 billion.

If you shop online from a desktop or laptop you may already know how to buy safely, from making sure you have a secure, encrypted connection to using alternative payment methods that don’t require you to share a credit card number.

However, when it comes to completing transactions via mobile, savvy online shoppers should take extra steps to protect sensitive information, like bank account numbers or credit card information. Here are 4 need-to-know mobile shopping safety tips:

1. Set a secure password for every shopping account you use. Most online stores request or require consumers to set up a password-protected account. Choose complex, hard-to-guess passwords that include numbers, letters, and, if possible, symbols.
2. Lock the phone so others can’t access it without a password or other security measure. If you haven’t already done so, check out the smartphone’s manual to make sure you’re aware of all its security features and how to enable them.
3. Don’t open unsolicited emails or social media messages. Our mobile devices are often a great way to find deals, coupons, and specials on the go. But be wary of clicking onto unsolicited messages that may lead to malicious websites.
4. Always verify the authenticity of the ecommerce store you’re purchasing from. Mobile devices feature smaller screens, sometimes hiding full URLs. Cybercriminals use URLs that begin with a legitimate online store name but instead take you to a malicious site.

Mobile shopping is convenient, but it also exposes us to identity theft just as easily as shopping from the home desktop. ILD Mobile Phone Billing allows you to buy gaming services, streaming movies, downloads, and more by charging purchases directly to your phone bill. What’s more, a notification is texted to the main billing phone number, allowing you to reject the purchase, if necessary.

Shop with safety. Shop with convenience. Shop with ILD’s Mobile Phone Billing.