Over 2 billion mobile phone or tablet users will make some form of mobile commerce transaction by the end of 2017, up from 1.6 billion this year, according to a new report from Juniper Research.

Mobile consumption of services such as banking, money transfer and purchases of goods and services was surging as consumers were either migrating from desktop usage or becoming first-time ecommerce users through their smartphones or tablets, according to the report. Juniper found that in a number of developed markets, mobile devices would account for over half of online transactions within five years. 

The report, "Mobile Commerce Markets: Key Sector Strategies, Opportunities & Forecasts 2014-2019", also observed that while contactless payments had yet to gain traction outside Japan and South Korea, Apple Pay was expected to provide NFC with real momentum. It also stressed the opportunity for mobile to offer consumers in emerging markets first-time financial inclusivity through the provision of mobile wallets, enabling services beyond payments such as savings and micro-insurance.

Social networks 

Meanwhile, the report highlighted the potential of social networks in accelerating mobile commerce adoption.“Brands and retailers should certainly seek to integrate their offerings with players such as Facebook and FourSquare," Dr. Windsor Holden, the report's author, said in a statement. "Integration offers reach, allied to the potential to target specific user demographics.” The report also recommended the integration of operator billing capabilities with websites to monetize digital content amongst a wider user base. 

Other findings from the report include: 

• Consumers concerns around transaction security remain the primary inhibitor on service adoption.
• While growth in the number of mobile digital content purchasers in developing markets is relatively low, the value of customers is increasing markedly as they transition from ringtone purchase to rich media content typically monetised through in-app purchase.