Citibank has ambitious plans for a Cyber Monday event in India
This year’s Cyber Monday in the U.S. broke sales records of previous years largely due to the showing of mobile commerce. Consumers throughout the country took advantage of aggressive deals from retailers on a wide range of products, making Cyber Monday one of the most successful shopping days the retail industry has ever seen. India may soon get its own version of Cyber Monday, which is being pushed heavily by Citibank.
US shopping season serves as inspiration for new venture
Citibank has ambitious plans to institute Cyber Monday in India in order to take advantage of the growing number of consumers that are intensely interested in electronics. The financial services group aims to promote mobile commerce among these consumers by giving them a way to purchase products from their mobile device rather than use a computer. Cyber Monday has, since 2005 when the day was minted by the retail industry, been responsible for billions of dollar worth of sales for retailers and Citibank believes that the time is right for the shopping phenomenon to come to India.
Savings available to Citibank customers only
If Citibank can successfully bring Cyber Monday to India, only Citibank customers will be able to take advantage of discounts that retailers participating in the event offer. Citibank expects that 17 of India’s most popular e-commerce and shopping platforms will offer discounts on products as high as 60%. Currently, the shopping event is scheduled to take place on December 5 and will be India’s first ever “Cyber Sunday.”
India may be able to see success through Cyber Monday initiative
Though any Citibank customer will be able to access the deals offered to them through a wide range of platforms, Citibank is hoping to engage mobile consumers in a powerful way. Mobile commerce is one the rise in India, especially as communities become more affluent because of the rapidly growing economy. In the U.S., mobile consumers accounting for a huge portion of the sales made on Cyber Monday. Citibank is keen to see similar results mimicked in India.
ICICI Bank partners with Vodafone to introduce m-pesa
India’s ICICI Bank, 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.
