Tag: mobile commerce trends

M-commerce could receive boost through new device

| April 12, 2013

m-commerce second screen devicePrototypes for second screen gadgets may increase shopping from television viewers.

Akamai Technologies has just unveiled the prototype for a new device that it is creating for the specific purpose of boosting m-commerce through its use in conjunction with a television that is being watched.

This device provides the viewer with content complementary to what is seen on TV, but on a smartphone or tablet.

In order to use this device, a mobile device would need to be synched with the television. This could be accomplished in a number of ways. In the Akamai m-commerce demonstration, the company used a QR code scan to accomplish that task. From that point, every program that was displayed on the television had content ID as well as a timestamp. This provided viewers with the opportunity to use their mobile devices to see content that was complementary to what they were watching, at the exact same time that it was occurring on the screen.

The result is a near real time m-commerce opportunity that would provide users with more relevant content.

According to the Akamai Technologies chief strategist of connected devices and gaming, Kris Alexander, “It’s something that can be synced in near-real time.” He added that “By the time somebody looks down from the primary screen it seems like the second screen is in real time.”

The demonstration of the prototype used preloaded content including a television show, a movie, and a basketball game. One of the examples that occurred during the movie was the display on a tablet of the model, price and link to purchase a pair of sunglasses over m-commerce that were similar to those being worn by an actor on the television screen. Another example occurred during the basketball game, when information about players who had just scored was displayed on the tablet, in addition to an option to purchase tickets to a future game.

Alexander explained that this second screen method of m-commerce is much less disruptive to the viewer than adding the content to the television screen, itself. He also pointed out that in theory, the content could be customized to each viewer, at some time down the road. For instance, if he or she logged in to a social media account, then the results displayed could be based on data about him or her gleaned from recent status updates and “likes”.

Mobile commerce popularity rises at smartphone sized mall

| April 10, 2013

Mobile Commerce Shopping MallDozens of retailers have come together to make the unique new shopping app and site.

Tinyview has reported that the mobile commerce element of their iPhone app has become exceptionally popular and that it has built the concept of a smartphone sized shopping mall that is developing into a growing trend.

At the moment, Tinyview is reporting that 90 percent of their app users are accessing this section.

What the company has discovered is that consumers like the idea of being able to use an app for mobile commerce purposes, but they don’t want to have to download applications for every store or brand from which they would like to make a purchase. Instead, they are enjoying the opportunity to be able to buy products and services from a range of different retailers all within a single location.

This mobile commerce concept allowed the idea of the smartphone shopping mall to be created.

The discovery that consumers prefer shopping at many mobile commerce stores through one app allowed the Tinyview startup to develop and has created the smartphone shopping mall which has been steadily growing in its popularity.

By February this year, the startup had both an iPhone app and a smartphone friendly website where consumers could browse, learn more about products, and make purchases from 50 different retailers within a single location. It is essentially a single user interface that is placed on top of a collection of the mobile commerce websites of each of those companies, including big names such as: Target Corp., Walmart.com, Amazon.com Inc., Forever 21, Macy’s Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch, Urban Outfitters, Nordstrom Inc., and others.

To use the mobile commerce mall, consumers choose the merchant they want from among the various available stores. He or she can the search for or peruse the various items available and can keep track of products of interest using a “save” button on the product page. Save lists can be kept through a one-time sign-in to a Facebook account. Those lists can be used for making their own purchases, or they can be shared with family and friends on the social network.