Tag: google

Apple may be developing a lead in mobile commerce

| September 23, 2013

Google continues work to establish mobile commerce presence

Despite a turbulent launch, Google Wallet continues to show signs of life as Google works to establish a commanding presence in the mobile commerce sector. The Google Wallet’s launch was plagued with serious security issues that threatened the financial information of consumers that used it. This caused many people to avoid the mobile commerce platform for several months after its launch, despite the fact that Google had resolved its security issues within a matter of days. Over the past few months, Google Wallet has been able to attract more users, and Google has been introducing new features to the mobile commerce platform.

Google Wallet receives new features, but may not be able to compete with Apple

Google Wallet now has the ability to facilitate money transfers. The platform is also able to store digital material offered through various loyalty programs that are common within the retail industry. The platform allows users to redeem their rewards through such programs in an convenient fashion. The Google Wallet does, of course, facilitate mobile payments as well. Notably, however, the Wallet does not have a companion application for the iOS platform, which may be an issue considering Apple’s interest in mobile commerce.

Apple Mobile CommerceiOS 7 puts emphasis on Passbook

Last week, Apple unveiled the iOS 7, which puts some emphasis on the company’s Passbook. The Passbook platform is very similar to the Google Wallet in that it can store digital information from loyalty programs, travel tickets, and other such data. Unlike the Google Wallet, however, the Passbook cannot currently support mobile payments, though it is designed to do so. While Apple has not shown direct support for mobile commerce due to security concerns and other issues, the iPhone is a popular mobile commerce platform. A recent study from AdTruth shows that 57% of mobile commerce purchases were made from iPhones during the first half of 2013.

Lack of NFC support may actually put Apple in the lead

Apple may be establishing a strong edge in the mobile commerce space through a lackadaisical support of third party mobile payment services. The vast majority of these services are not based on NFC technology because the iPhone itself does not support NFC. Google Wallet, however, does make use of this technology. This means that the Wallet can only be used by NFC-enabled mobile devices, which are still very rare when compared to the iPhone.

Boxed puts a new spin on mobile commerce

| August 27, 2013

Mobile commerce startup breaks the mold

A new mobile commerce startup called Boxed aims to make wholesale goods more easily obtainable for consumers. Typically, people have to go to large, membership-based department stores in order to purchase bulk goods at low prices, but these stores do not exist on every corner. Consumers can typically find a wide variety wholesale goods online, but the costs associated with shipping these goods mitigates any savings they could see. Boxed intends to change this by offering consumers with a way to purchase and receive wholesale products at a low cost.

Boxed provides free shipping to orders over $75

Boxed officially launched this week and is currently restricted to the eastern half of the U.S. Using the application, consumers can purchase a wide variety of products and have these products shipped directly to their home. Orders exceeding $75 will receive free, two-day shipping. The concept behind Boxed is to provide consumers with all the convenience of a wholesale department store without the auxiliary expenses associated with such stores.

Mobile Commerce - Boxed appCompany holds its own inventory

Boxed is not just a mobile commerce platform. Behind the application, the company boasts of its own warehouse that stores approximately 500 unique products at any given time. This is somewhat different from the trend that has emerged in the mobile commerce scene. Companies like eBay and Google have been partnering with retailers in order to provide expedited shipping of products without actually having to keep their own inventories. Boxed, however, believes that holding its own inventory and fulfilling shipments is a better way to provide consumers with the services they are interested in.

Mobile commerce continues to evolve

Many trends have begun to emerge in the mobile commerce sector, but mobile commerce cannot be defined by any of these trends on their own. The constant evolution of the mobile space has provided mobile commerce with a lot of room to grow and companies like Boxed have been able to exploit this to their advantage. Boxed aims to offer a new service to consumers that may appeal to people’s interest in convenience and efficiency.