With the start of the holiday shopping season, theConsumer Expectations Report 2024, recently launched by Appdome, the one-stop shop for mobile app defense, points to a promising outlook for online commerce. According to the study, 84.5% of Brazilians use mobile apps to make their purchases, a figure that exceeds the global average by 53%. However, this increase in app usage is accompanied by a growing concern for data security, especially considering that nearly half of the population has already been affected or knows someone who has been a victim of cyberattacks, according to the investigation.
This year marked the third consecutive survey in which Brazilian consumers reported using mobile apps more than websites for shopping and other transactions. The growth difference between mobile apps and online websites increased at a similar rate to the previous three years, making it unquestionable that mobile apps have replaced traditional websites as the most used part of consumers' daily activities in Brazil.
Additionally, Brazilians are using more mobile apps daily, with a higher growth in the number of apps: 21.5% of Brazilians use 11 to 20 apps per day, and 13.9% use more than 20, numbers that are 24.1% and 73.3% higher than the global average, respectively. The use of fewer than 5 apps per day has decreased significantly. The data indicates a growing trend in the number of mobile applications used daily by Brazilians, with consistent year-over-year growth, especially with a larger number of apps. 51.3% of Brazilians also reported spending more time on apps, 17.7% above the global average.
Tom Tovar, CEO and Co-founder of Appdome, explains that the massive increase in mobile app usage in Brazil highlights the urgent need for brands to strengthen cybersecurity to protect their users. "The behavior of Brazilian consumers, with such a high percentage of users utilizing many apps daily, raises the level of attack risk, as each new installed application can be a potential entry point for threats," he/she/they emphasizes.
Social media and dating apps ranked first among the most used, with 56.9%. Banking, investment, and digital wallet apps are also at the top of the list, with 47.9% and 42.4% of Brazilians stating that they use these apps more frequently. Food delivery apps, mobile games, and betting also recorded significant gains, with 41.2% and 34.1%, respectively.
Security and protection of sensitive data
When asked Brazilian consumers about their biggest fears when using mobile apps, invasion and mobile fraud led the list with 61.3% and 54.5%, respectively. Data breaches remained steady at 29.9%. Expecting their data to be protected, 96.7% of Brazilian consumers stated that they seek information about the security and privacy of apps before using them, a number substantially higher than that of global consumers.
One in two respondents report having been victims of social engineering scams, and 48.9% have been targeted by a cyber attack, mobile malware, or mobile fraud, exceeding the global average by 60.7% and 15%, respectively. In view of this, 52.1% of consumers in Brazil said that mobile apps that collect, use, and share personal data should maintain the highest levels of security and privacy protection, an increase of 7.1% compared to 2022.
Finally, 78.7% reaffirmed that they abandoned mobile apps that did not protect their data or usage, a number very close to those who said they stopped using a mobile app that had experienced a breach.This data reinforces the growing awareness among users about the importance of data protection and digital privacy, that is, user trust is directly linked to a company's ability to protect sensitive information, and a data breach can result in significant impacts for brands both in reputation and customer retention. In a scenario where cybersecurity is a priority, companies that do not adequately invest in this area risk losing their user base quickly, concludes Tovar.
