Author: Lucy

Mobile security threats abound with smartphone payment platforms

| December 29, 2012

mobile security smartphone payment platformResearchers are cautioning device users to be careful with the financial and personal data they share.

As mcommerce explodes in popularity, a rapidly increasing number of people are shopping over their smartphones and tablets, making them a natural target to those who would threaten their mobile security through malware and other malicious cyber attacks.

This, according to the researchers at Javelin Strategy and Research, who wrote a report on the topic.

In its most recently released report from Javelin, the researchers explained that the mobile security threats to the various payment platforms have already reached $20 billion, and they are on the rise. They explained that the smartphone payments sector’s open source platform at Android may experience some of the largest struggles as a soft target, with its 50 million domestic smartphone users.

The researchers pointed out that the mobile security threats will be far from exclusive to Android device users.

Equally, though, the researchers also indicated that mobile security threats are targeting the iPhone and its 33 million domestic users. This could be even more damaging as these are the individuals who have the greatest tendency to shop over their smartphones and who spend the most money on their mobile purchases.

According to the authors of the report “Smartphone security is an increasing concern as mobile malware multiplies exponentially, and Android’s open source platform continues to gain market share over iOS.” They indicated that while Android is the target of the majority of malware so far, as it has the largest number of users, hackers still consider iOS to be the most valuable goal, if more challenging to crack.

The report stated that “iOS users spend more individually and have greater deposits on average than Android users.”

The researchers expect that by 2017, approximately 57 percent of adults will own smartphones based on the Android operating system. This will be almost precisely double the number who are predicted to have iPhones, at 28 percent. This skyrocketing use of Android devices will align predictably with the type of mobile security threats and malware volume that the researchers anticipate over the same time period. This is not unprecedented, as the number of Android targeting malware threats increased in the second half of this year from about 30,000 to approximately 175,000.

QR codes are central to a new Barneys New York mcommerce campaign

| December 28, 2012

qr codes retailThe store location in Ginza, Tokyo, is using quick response barcodes in a unique new way.

Ginza, Tokyo, is one of the most luxurious shopping districts around the globe, and its Barneys New York location is now using QR codes to appeal to a chic, tech savvy, and smartphone equipped consumer.

The barcode display has been designed to project it onto the storefront window every fifteen minutes.

The display was created by Simon Doonan, who has been creating window setups for the company for a quarter of a century. The QR codes in these displays are shown only once every quarter of an hour, and individuals who are patient and lucky enough to be able to scan them enter into the chance to win one of a number of different prizes.

The display with the QR codes is being called the “Treasure Hunt Window”.

The promotion ran throughout the entire length of the holiday season in order to give consumers the largest possible opportunity to spot the QR codes, scan them, and grab their chance to win a prize.

These window displays have been capturing a large amount of attention and have effectively brought traditional advertising and the mcommerce channel together. It has also provided the company with an added opportunity to sell more product throughout the holiday season – regardless of whether or not the store was actually open at the time – as users were also capable of heading to the store’s optimized website.

This means that the QR codes allowed consumers to try to win a prize, but they could also visit the mobile commerce website so that they could view some of the many products available at the store, and make a purchase as the site is equipped with a shopping cart and checkout option, as well.

This is not the first time that QR codes have been used by Barneys New York. They have also run a full magazine ad campaign that gave smartphone users the same opportunity to shop at the mobile optimized website of the store and to learn more about the products that they have seen in the ads that were printed in the magazines.