Tag: retail industry

Augmented reality may have a bigger role to play in mobile commerce

| November 15, 2012

 

Augmented reality set to mesh with mobile commerce

Augmented reality isAugmented Reality often considered to be a technology that primarily inhabits the realms of marketing and entertainment. In these two fields, the technology has become exceedingly popular. As augmented reality becomes more popular amongst consumers, retailers are beginning to see the potential of the technology beyond marketing and entertainment. A new survey from the Cardinal Group, a leading provider of shopping technology and security solutions for the retail industry, suggests that mobile commerce may soon merge with augmented reality.

Interactive technology growing beyond marketing and entertainment

Augmented reality often garners acclaim because of its dynamic nature. The technology can be used to bring a wide range of digital content to life with high definition, 3D displays. Consumers have come to enjoy the technology for this reason, showing favor for mobile applications that employ augmented reality in an entertaining and practical way. As consumers become more reliant on their mobile devices, augmented reality may begin playing a larger role in the field of mobile commerce, which itself has already become rampantly popular with consumers.

New survey shows consumers are interested in mobile commerce and augmented reality

According to the survey from the Cardinal Group, 55% of shoppers have downloaded a mobile application onto their device, with 51% of these consumers having made a purchase through such applications at some point in their life. The Cardinal Group also employed an augmented reality mirror, called the Virtual Fashion Mirror, at a recent London event, which was used by 87% of those attending. The survey also shows that consumers are growing increasingly interested in the capabilities of augmented reality in mobile commerce.

Future of mobile commerce may become more dynamic

Augmented reality could potential bring a new dynamic to the world of mobile commerce. The retail industry uses augmented reality to sell products in a limited capacity through virtual fashion mirrors similar to the one used by the Cardinal Group. These applications of augmented reality have proven effective in the past, but how the technology will be incorporated into the future of mobile commerce has yet to be seen.

Mobile commerce to play large role in holiday season

| November 14, 2012

 

Wal-Mart sees mobile commerce as a major part of its holiday season

The holiday season is here and tWalmart mobile commercehat is good news for retailers. Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of the biggest holidays for the retail industry because these are days in which these companies see the most traffic, both digital and physical. Retailers have been seeing a growing trend amongst consumers that suggests that mobile commerce is becoming a popular way to purchase products. Wal-Mart, one of the world’s largest retail companies, notes that this interest in mobile commerce is gaining a massive amount of momentum amongst consumers and may have a significant presence during the 2012 holiday season.

Retailer expects sizable portion of traffic will come from mobile consumers

Wal-Mart senior vice president of mobile and digital strategy Gibu Thomas suggests that a sizable portion of the company’s consumers will make purchases from smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices this year. The retailer has been tracking the growing popularity of mobile commerce within its stores throughout the year and saw significant mobile traffic during the 2011 holiday season. As such, Wal-Mart stores are beginning to find new ways to provide service to consumers that would rather make use of mobile commerce platforms and shopping applications.

40% of shoppers expected to be mobile

Thomas suggests that more than 40% of shoppers visiting Wal-Mart stores will do so electronically during the 2012 holiday season. The retail giant sees this as a promising opportunity and has begun working to revamp its mobile shopping application, which has been downloaded millions of times all over the world. The application will receive updates that will make it more inclusive of mobile commerce and marketing in the hopes of engaging consumers that favor their mobile device over traditional forms of commerce.

Wal-Mart throws more support behind its mobile commerce efforts

Wal-Mart already boasts of a strong Internet presence and has managed to cater well to mobile consumers. Mobile commerce has, however, been relatively low on the retailer’s priority list until very recently. The company is seeing more people adopt mobile commerce platform and is keen to not be left behind by these consumers over a matter of service. As such, Wal-Mart is committed to finding ways to engage these consumers and provide them with services they want to see.