MasterCard will identify how Europeans’ shopping experience is influenced by their smartphone
To tweet this news, copy and paste http://bit.ly/YxdZR8 to your Twitter handle with the hashtags #TopAppIndex and #MasterCard
PARIS – September 29, 2014 - At the World Retail Congress today, MasterCard announced the start of a unique pan-European index to map all publicly available mobile shopping apps in Europe named the Mobile Top App Index by MasterCard. The Index is set to discover the best mobile shopping apps across the diverse markets of Europe and reveal how consumers are embracing mobile technology when shopping on the go. The best mobile shopping apps in Europe from 20 categories will be announced at the Mobile World Congress in March, 2015.
“As innovation goes hand in hand with growing consumer demand, our ability to shop with a mobile device has never been easier. MasterCard is a technology company connecting banks, retailers and consumers. Our Mobile Top App Index will highlight the most outstanding solutions in the mobile shopping app arena for the benefit of European consumers and retailers,” said Javier Perez, President MasterCard Europe.
The Index will rate all mobile apps across 36 European countries. A dedicated team of MasterCard experts, in close cooperation with Dr Carsten Sørensen, Associate Professor (Reader) in Digital Innovation at the London School of Economics and Political Science, are evaluating the apps. Dr. Carsten Sørensen commented: “The diversity of available smartphone apps fundamentally changes the way people think about their tasks, and the close relationships people forge with their smartphones creates demand for innovative apps of high quality. As shopping is one of those things we do on a daily basis, MasterCard’s Top App Index has the potential to help consumers find the shopping app they need and it will act as a catalyst for the whole industry.”
Before the launch of the Mobile Top App Index by MasterCard, a survey[1] was conducted to ask consumers their opinion on the way they currently use mobile apps for shopping.
More than half of European smartphone users already have shopping apps downloaded on their phones, while 56% of these consumers use these apps regularly. 38% of European smartphone users said that they intend to use mobile apps for shopping over the next 12 months. The most popular shopping apps are those that allow mobile top ups and help users select and purchase various media content. Buying fashion or beauty products as well as entertainment tickets on the go is also becoming popular. Around 30% of regular app users said they have used these features. While safety remains the main concern for mobile shoppers, the survey also revealed that if consumers feel that shopping via an app saves them money or prevents inconvenience, 60% say they would gladly purchase through a mobile app more often.Chris Kangas, Head of Contactless Payments Europe at MasterCard, concluded, “We are aware that a good part of the shopping people do is already on a mobile. There are brilliant apps by many retailers in Europe, however it is very difficult to keep track of the best due to the different markets and languages. I am convinced that by the time we complete our Index in March, 2015, we will be able to identify the most innovative shopping apps in Europe and will be able to share valuable insight on the mobile shopping app market.”
For further information, contact:
Corinne Raes, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +32 498 58 5237
Bénédicte Stievenart, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +32 498 58 5019
About MasterCard
MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Pioneers Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
About the MasterCard Top App Index
The MasterCard Top App Index will identify the best mobile apps in 20 categories across Europe
The process to evaluate these apps is:
Review: a group of experts commissioned by MasterCard will collect all available mobile shopping applications in 36 European countries (Albania; Austria; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; The Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Macedonia; Montenegro; The Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Sweden; Turkey; UK; Ukraine). The team will download and test all collected apps using a pre-designed questionnaire. As a result of this process, 60 apps (3 per category) will be shortlisted Evaluation: The jury (2 MasterCard & One expert – Dr Carsten Sørensen, Associate Professor (Reader) in Digital Innovation at the London School of Economics and Political Science) will evaluate all the shortlisted applications in order to select the Category Top App in all 20 categories, as well as one Top App across all categories. During the evaluation process, points ranging from 1 to 100 will be assigned to the apps in each category. The selection will be based on 3 criteria: Technical aspect of the applications – smart solution quality (platform variety, programming quality, API usage, performance, stability, etc.); Usability/design aspect – customer digital convenience (ease of use, patterns, flow, interface, graphic details, artistic level, etc.); Business/functionality aspect – payment innovation impact (purchase method variety, relevance, market penetration, localization etc.);The list of categories is as follows:
Groceries purchase; Food delivery; Specialty store purchase; Public Transport ticketing (railway, mass transit, bus etc.); Parking ticketing; Highway ticketing; Flight ticket purchase; Travel booking (accommodation, car rental) ; Taxi; Electronic goods purchase; Fashion goods purchase; Beauty goods purchase; Publishing (books, magazines etc.); Multimedia purchase (CDs and DVDs, PC games etc.) ; Mobile & Telco services (account top-up, internet payment etc.); Entertainment (cinema, theatre, festivals, sports events etc.); Online Auction / Classified ; Personal services; Home products; Various Products / Services
[1] Survey: Smart Phone Shopping Apps – Pan-European Usage Survey
The survey commissioned by MasterCard and conducted by Free Association Research Group. Sampling date: August 2014, Countries surveyed: Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the UK. Sample size: 1050 total. Age group: 18-55.