RETAILOBSERVER.COM DECEMBER 2015
38
Andrew Hoog Guest Columnist
TOP 4 WAYS BRANDS CAN
BOLSTER MOBILE APP SECURITY
THIS HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON
T H E N E W M O B I LE E C O N O M Y W I LL H AV E A S I G N I F I CA N T I M PACT
O N C O N S U M E R S ' S H O P P I N G B E H AV I O R T H I S H O LI DAY S E AS O N .
B AS E D O N DATA F R O M T H E I N T E R N E T R E TA I LE R M O B I LE 5 0 0 , M O R E
T H A N A Q UA R T E R O F TOTA L 2 0 1 5 H O LI DAY W E B S A LE S C O U LD
B E M O B I LE , W I T H 9 1 % O F C O N S U M E R S I N T E N D I N G TO M A K E
P U R C H AS E S T H R O U G H A M O B I LE A P P T H I S H O LI DAY S E AS O N , A N D
5 4 % P L A N N I N G TO D O H A LF O R M O R E O F T H E I R H O LI DAY S H O P P I N G
( P U R C H AS E S A N D / O R B R OW S I N G ) V I A A M O B I LE A P P.
S
o, while retail brands are doing everything they can to
capture the attention and dollars of today's mobile-minded
shoppers this holiday season, including beefing up the
consumer experience on their native mobile apps, have they
thought enough about mobile security?
The truth is, more than half of all mobile apps have at least one
major security flaw. Moreover, shopping apps in particular have
proven to be some of the "leakiest" apps – making sensitive
customer data increasingly more vulnerable. Just last year, 15
major retailers reported data breaches, which allowed unauthorized
access to valuable consumer data. Those breeches damaged
brand reputations, strained customer relations and resulted in
massive financial losses for the organizations affected.
The experts at NowSecure, the mobile security solutions
providers that works with Fortune 500 brands to secure their
mobile ecosystems, has provided a list of the top ways retail
brands can bolster their mobile app security heading into the
holiday shopping season – keeping their customers and their
private data safe.
1. Put mobile security at the top of the priority list. Holiday sales
are critical to a retailers' bottom line and as consumer behavior
continues to shift to mobility, brands are ready and willing to do
anything to capture the attention and credit cards of today's
mobile-minded shoppers. However, even the latest and greatest
in mobile app design, UX and technology is worthless if a
devastating mobile security breach occurs and permanently
damages the reputation of a brand.
