The Mobile Commerce Generation Gap

It seems that the younger you are, the more comfortable you are with using your mobile phone for purchases and banking.

Last week we wrote about mobile phone banking and asked for your thoughts. Some folks were all for it. Some were for it but with some reservations. And some were dead set agin’ it, by gar!

We didn’t ask for demographics but, in light of a new survey, it would be interesting to know the ages of the MindField Online members who were for or against. Cnet.com recently reported on a survey done by MasterCard that found that the younger you are, the more comfortable you are with mobile commerce. Here are some stats:

  • 65% of 18-to-34’s said they’d feel more naked without their phones than their wallets, compared 34% of the over-35 crowd.
  • 51% of men vs. 40% of women feel comfortable making a payment using a mobile phone.
  • Most telling: 63% of 18-34’s would feel comfortable using their mobile phones to make purchases, vs. only 37% of those over 35.

So, we’ll ask the question another way: Do you see a difference in attitudes about mobile commerce between you and your parents? You and your kids? You and your spouse? Let us know!

9 thoughts on “The Mobile Commerce Generation Gap”

  1. i really dont think the mobile banking and purchasing is secure enough .the fact is that the police can set down the rod and monitor your cell phone conversations and actions.
    if they can do that ,then so can techy hackers.i just do not feel comfortable doing financial transactions via cell phones.i also have talked with people and they say it holds up thlines in stores when they purchase using their cell phones.i know its probably going to become the ‘norm ‘ over time but ,i personally think the risks outway the benefits

  2. Some are quick to jump on the obvious age/generational gap as being slow to engage with current technology, however, this is not necessarily the case. Experience and maturity also bring to the table a consciousness of the potential security risk with mobile business transactions. So if your statistics indicate that the over 35 crowd (or the over 50 crowd, or whatever) are not as willing to engage in mobile banking and purchasing, examine again the actual facts. The why of why they are not willing to do so. You will find that experience most likely lends itself to more cautious business dealings whether personal or business. That doesn’t necessarily mean that a mature, experienced individual is afraid to take risks, though. It most likely means that when weighing the difference between the convenience and the risk involved, they opt to remain more conventional in their transactions.

  3. I’m 50 and my parents would never use their phones for purchases or banking. They do text, though! My in-laws won’t even leave their cell phones on until they want to use it. So, we cannot even call them on their cell phones. 🙂 My husband is the director of investment relations at a Texas Bank, so we always try the newest technology that is offered. We have been using our cell phones to call to check on balances for well, ever since we had cell phones. We also can text to pay a bill, check balances, transfer money, etc. Since we have had iphones we do it through the bank app. I have always paid my bills online through my bank, but I doubt either of our parents do. Maybe, but I don’t know. I may be a little too trusting of technology. I LOVE it, in fact. My kids use their phones for banking, too, and we, their parents, usually tell them when our bank comes out with something new, since of course, they have to bank at the same bank! 🙂 All of our kids 18+ have iphones (4) the younger two will not get smart phones until they are 17 or 18. Even though we like technology at our house we are still careful what we expose the younger kids to. I think it’s crazy to give them unsupervised internet access…but that’s me.

    Summary: 50 and 51 year olds in this household use our phones for banking and/or shopping.
    70+ parents do NOT
    18-26 year old children DO

  4. I see where Kelly is coming from and respect her banking industry driven comments. As for the 70+ aged parents not even keeping their cells on, most seniors simply do not want to be that connected. They value being connected but not to the extent of those who are constantly online and in-touch. But we do value technology and the ability to reach out and touch someone. If they don’t want the interruptions instant connectivity brings, then most likely they have their cells turned off. However, it could be a simple matter of “save the battery life” since most 70+ year olds are a bit more frugal.

    Being connected with the banking industry, you are certainly wise to be in-tune to what your industry is offering and being a user of the system. I do see your point and understand your and your children’s connectivity and ability to engage in all the functionality that is offered with today’s technology.

  5. its seems like the younger generation is alot more comfortable with online and mobile banking than their older counterparts.i am older and i do buy some things online due to speed of getting it i dont feel secure putting my information out there

  6. the is a huge difference between all three gnerations .The younger the genaration the more they are into technolgy .I ‘m into technology but I see younger generation is more into technology than my generation I guess technology is the future. When yuo look at the older generation they still prefer to do thinngs the old way.Beside everything tecnology is already playin a big role in our daily lifestyle.

  7. technology is already playing a big role in our living,it has made things easy. Ofcourse we are not into technology the same way the younger the generation the more its into tech nology. Take the older generation they stil prefer to do things the old way,while my genration is in between.

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