We’ve talked before about how mobile banking is not only becoming more popular, but easier than ever. More and more people are putting aside their fears about transferring personal financial information via mobile networks in favor of convenience. Banks are responding by creating mobile applications that do everything from allowing members to check balances, transfer money between accounts, and even deposit checks. They’re also striving to make mobile banking as secure as possible. These advances, and probably to a larger degree, the fact that consumers use their cell phones nearly as much as their computers, have led information technology research company Gartner to predict that money transfer will be the most used type of phone application in 2012.
Gartner’s prediction applies to worldwide use, which is probably the main reason why money transfer is number one on the list. Although mobile money transfer continues to increase in the United States, the U.S. actually lags behind other countries in the use of mobile banking. People in Asian and African countries use mobile money transfer much more often than Americans do. Whether this stems from more trust in mobile finances or wider availability isn’t clear. But this statistic may change as more U.S.-based banks offer mobile banking applications, and Americans continue to invest in more powerful smartphones.
Mobile money transfer is at the top of a list compiled by Gartner that outlines their predictions for the top ten consumer mobile applications for 2012, which breaks out as follows:
- Money transfer
- Location-based services
- Mobile search
- Mobile browsing
- Mobile health monitoring
- Mobile payment
- Near-field communication services
- Mobile advertising
- Mobile instant messaging
- Mobile music
Number two on the list, location-based services, refers to mobile applications that provide services or information such as turn-by-turn navigation, locating the nearest restaurant or ATM, or even finding people on a map. A good example of this last service is Foursquare, a mobile app that you to “check in” by announcing where you are, which then allows others with whom you’re connected to find, and potentially meet with you. You can also provide recommendations for the places you visit.
Mobile search can be simply using a smartphone’s browser to access a search engine, but some companies that provide search have taken it a step further by creating applications that make Internet searches more readily accessible on mobile phones. Google’s app, for example, bypasses having to open the phone’s browser and navigate to its site, and also offers voice recognition so users can search by simply opening the app and saying what they’re searching for.
The list, along with brief explanations of the company’s analyses can be found on Gartner’s Web site.
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