Merchants may be doing mobile commerce all wrong. Or at the very least they aren't doing it right. The result? Consumers bail on a purchase before they finish a transaction.  According to a new study released by Jumio Inc. and conduced by Harris Interactive, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of smartphone/tablet owners have attempted to make a purchase on their device, but two-thirds (66 percent) have also failed to complete a transaction due to obstacles during checkout.

"Businesses invest a great deal to get consumers to the point of sale in their mobile apps, but there are a lot of obstacles keeping users from taking their purchase across the finish line," said Daniel Mattes, founder and CEO of Jumio. "From frustrations around having to type — and often retype — personal information into tiny text boxes to concerns over the safety of data, users are bailing out at checkout. Brands can't afford to lose shoppers in those final moments of the transaction."

The biggest lesson for merchants from Jumio's 2013 Mobile Consumer Insights study may be this: Make the checkout process faster. Nearly half (47 percent) of resondents said they abandoned a purchase because checking out took too darn long. Another 41 percent said checking out on their mobile device proved too difficult.

"Consumers will continue to demand a simpler, more streamlined mobile payment process," continued Mattes. "Until retailers address their important concerns – from providing faster checkout options to addressing the safety of credit card and account info — they'll continue to see a large portion of their customers abandon their shopping carts instead of clicking 'buy'."

Other results from the study included:

• three quarters (74 percent) of male smartphone/tablet owners have attempted mobile purchases versus only 62 percent of women;
• younger men like to shop on their mobile devices; a whopping 86 percent of 18–34 year old men said they've tried to purchase something on a mobile device; and
• more than half (51 percent) of survey respondents said they abandoned a purchase over concerns about entering credit card information.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Jumio from March 22 to March 26. Subjects included 2,130 adults ages 18 and older, 1,261 of whom the respondents reporting to be smartphone/tablet owners.

Read more about trends/statistics.