More buzz than buy on US mobiles

When it comes to mobile shopping, so far, there's more buzz than buy, reports NZ Herald.

As the number of people who use iPhones and other smartphones grows, companies selling everything from hardware to high fashion are touting all the new applications they're rolling out that enable shoppers to do anything from check a store's inventory while in the dressing room, to order prescriptions.

Retailers are betting that selling their wares on a device that people carry around all day can encourage Americans to spend money during an economic downturn in which they're making fewer impulse buys in their bricks-and-mortar stores.

But so far, consumers mostly are using their phones to look up locations and compare prices and stopping short of tapping the 'buy' button.

According to The Commercial Appeal, research finds it's because people find it hard to shop on the tiny screens and they don't quite think it's safe to input their credit card information into their phone.

However, mobile purchases are growing faster than online sales, which are increasing at around 10% a year, but mobile commerce is expected to account for $6 billion this year, just 2% of overall e-commerce sales, according to Forrester Research, says The Augusta Chronicle.

The most successful mobile shopping sites are eBay and Amazon, which together account for four out of every five mobile shopping transactions.

eBay reported nearly $2 billion in mobile sales last year - more than tripling its 2009 total - and expects to reach $4 billion this year.

In July, Amazon capped off a 12-month period of mobile sales exceeding $1 billion.