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Mobile commerce will continue to expand in 2012 as the world continues snatching up smartphones and mobile tablets. These new mobile devices continue to offer consumers important new ways to buy everything from movie tickets to stocks. Almost everything e-commerce has to offer is already available on the new breed of ultra-mobile devices, but now mobile payments are taking centre stage.

Mobile payment systems now make it possible for smartphones to act as payment devices. Rather than worry about carrying a physical wallet with an arsenal of credit cards, shoppers can now authorize payment through a smartphone app configured with one or more credit card accounts. Using software and a near field communications (NFC) chip, payment is sent from the phone to a physical POS terminal using a low-power RFID signal.

Though contactless payment systems are only now taking hold among consumers, the popularity of these solutions is expected to increase throughout 2012 as new smartphones equipped with the necessary chips enter the market. Two other NFC-based solutions for mobile payments will soon be available to consumers. One of them is sponsored by PayPal, a leading alternative payment system and the other is sponsored by a consortium of banks and credit card companies. As these mobile payment options enter service, more consumers will likely become aware of them.

Mobile security will have to pick up the pace in 2012 or else mobile users will become increasingly vulnerable to hacking and theft. Already, cracks in Google Wallet have been found by a security company called viaForensics. Now the world knows that personal financial information can be taken off a smartphone that runs Google Wallet. Without practical security measures in place, consumers may hesitate putting themselves at risk for the sake of being able to pay for meals using their phone.

Starbucks is one company that has found a way to load money into a smartphone app. When customers present their phone rather than a credit card to pay, clerks scan a barcode on the screen to debit their account. If this payment system continues showing promise, more businesses may adopt a similar approach to mobile commerce payments to accommodate consumers who have smartphones that are not NFC-capable.

During the year, mobile payment processing will continue building momentum. Businesses that at one time could never afford to accept credit and debit cards on a mobile platform now can. Using a touch-screen keypad or a plug-in credit card reader, business people can now accept payments from anywhere they have mobile data access. Square, one of dozens of mobile transaction processors in providing this kind of service, lets businesses people accept non-cash payments wherever they go. This expands the opportunity for almost anyone to sell at trade shows, flea markets, sidewalk sales, on-site service visits and B2B presentations. , expanding their opportunity to sell. Even political candidates and charitable organizations use Square and other services to accept donations wherever they go to raise funds.

With these exciting mobile commerce trends gaining momentum in 2012, businesses and consumers alike should prepare to have more flexible and profitable transactions while on the go. Soon, desktop and laptop computers with their clunky e-commerce solutions will become things of the past.