ICICI Bank partners with Vodafone to introduce m-pesa
India’s ICICI Ba
nk, one of the largest financial institutions in the country, is gearing up to launch a new mobile commerce service for consumers. The bank has teamed with Vodafone, a British multinational telecommunications company, in order to develop the platform and its associated application, called “m-pesa.” The mobile commerce initiation will be managed by Mobile Commerce Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone, which will provide services to India’s growing mobile consumer population.
Indian consumers demand mobile commerce solutions
Mobile technology is becoming more common throughout India. As the country economy becomes more robust, consumers are finding it easier to purchase smart phones and other such devices. As these devices become more common, consumers are beginning to show more interest in mobile commerce and other services. ICICI Bank has taken note of this growing interest and is now moving to ensure that it can serve these consumers in an adequate fashion.
Application allows for mobile payments
The m-pesa application will allow ICICI Bank customers to use their accounts to purchase goods from retailers. The launch of the mobile commerce solution will be limited to the eastern region of India initially. This region includes Kolkata, West Begal, Bihar, and Jharkhand. ICICI Bank and Vodafone will keep a keen eye on the performance of the solution during this limited launch. Currently, the two parties foresee a phased launch, where the mobile commerce platform will be introduced to the rest of India in numerous stages.
Vodafone offers innovative security
ICICI Bank chose to team with Vodafone because of the company’s broad distribution reach and its innovative security protocols. Security is one of the most important aspects of mobile commerce and an issue that has been attracting a great deal of attention in recent months. Lackluster security from some mobile commerce platforms have left consumers with concerns regarding NFC technology and the safety of their financial information. Vodafone may be able to quell these concerns with its security features and help Indian consumers warm to the concept of mobile commerce.
CoffeeTable now available on iPhone
CoffeeTable, the highest ranked catalog shopping application for the iPad, is now universally available throughout the iOS platform. The application launched for the iPhone this week, making it widely available to all iOS consumers. The move was made in time for the holiday season, with CoffeeTable developers believing that the application will be a major boon for consumers that enjoy mobile shopping. Indeed, mobile shopping has become a well loved concept amongst many consumers all over the world, thus placing CoffeeTable in an ideal position to appeal to these consumers.
Holiday season sees increasing interest around mobile shopping
The holiday season is rapidly approaching and retailers are preparing for one of the most important days of the years: Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is a time when retailers provide consumers with major discounts, deals, and special offers as a way to entice their patronage. For many retailers, a good showing during Black Friday could make up for an entire year of poor performance. With consumers becoming more connected to their mobile devices, retailers are beginning to target the mobile sector as a way to see further gains during the holiday season.
CoffeeTable app provides consumers with wide range of products
CoffeeTable is one year old this week and is keen to celebrate this occasion by becoming more widely available to consumers. The application aggregates catalog content from a wide variety of retailers, allowing consumers to browse products they may be interested in. Consumers may then purchase these products through either a mobile commerce platform, or an e-commerce website. Retailers may see a significant increase in traffic through the application on Cyber Monday, the equivalent of Black Friday for the electronics and technology sectors whose businesses reside online.
Mobile shopping may dominate holiday season
Mobile shopping is expected to play a large role during the 2012 holiday season. This is largely due to the growing number of consumers who have become enthralled with smart phones and tablets. These consumers are finding it more convenient to use their mobile devices to buy products, and these devices may become particularly useful for those that want to avoid the large amount of traffic they might see on Black Friday at local stores.
