European consumers are boosting their use of mobile devices for shopping purposes, as smartphones and tablets are providing shoppers with increased convenience and easier processes. Retailers may want to capitalize on this behavior by implementing solutions now that accommodate device-carrying customers, such as mobile POS systems.

A recent study by Frost & Sullivan revealed that micropayments are fast on the rise throughout the continent, as many European consumers are starting to prefer purchasing products with prepaid cards, mobile payments and contactless transactions. Leading the way for this trend is mobile commerce, which the report believes will drastically drive revenues for Europe's retailers in the coming years, especially those in the cloud.

"Cloud-based mpayments [mobile payments], in principle, are an extension of the traditional online commerce market. However, we believe that as cloud-based mpayment matures, and its awareness among consumers and merchants increases, the solution will play an important role for the in-store payments and micropayments markets," said Frost & Sullivan ICT global program director Jean-Noel Georges.

Merchants can move now to adopt retail POS solutions that process mobile transactions in their stores. This will help to draw in consumers who prefer to complete purchases with their devices.