Consumers flock to mobile devices for banking, finances

Mobile technology is changing the business landscape in a way that hasn't been seen since the advent of search engines. Smartphones and tablet computers in particular offer a host of financial advantages to average consumers and business owners. Mobile banking and payment technology may be the most sensational of such developments. According to analytics firm comScore, the number of consumers who now use their smartphone to check credit card information increased by 23 percent to a total of nearly 18.4 million during the six-month period ending in June of this year. And that's just banking. Mobile payment services are already beginning to take off, with industry leaders such as Google and Visa developing their own apps and devices that promise to turn mobile phones into wallets. "The investments in mobile made by financial services institutions, along with the continued growth in smartphone adoption, have had a truly positive effect on the use of mobile financial services," said SarahLenart, comScore vice president for marketing solutions. Business owners should expect a wave of new technologies to arrive in coming years, as these trends are already fully underway in Europe and parts of Asia.