Tag: tablet commerce

Mobile commerce experiencing strong growth in retail

IBM has issued a new report concerning the growth of mobile commerce in the retail sector. The report — “Online Retail Index” — shows that mobile commerce has been growing in popularity among mobile consumers that favor their smartphones and devices over traditional means of shopping. Many of these consumers have become very comfortable with the concept of shopping online but are becoming less likely to remain tethered to stationary computers while doing so. Mobile technology has allowed these tech-savvy consumers to shop wherever they are, enabling them to shop more frequently and, in some cases, spend more money.

Tablets contributing to expansion of mobile shopping

According to the IBM report, mobile commerce grew by 31% in the first quarter of this year, up from where it had been in the same period of 2012. The report notes that growing tablet use is a major contributing factor to the growth mobile commerce is experiencing. Many consumers consider tablets to be convenient mobile shopping platforms. Larger screens offer better functionality with conventional e-commerce sites, making these sites easier to navigate removing some of the problems consumers have had with purchasing products.

Online sales are becoming increasingly mobile

The report indicates that mobile commerce now accounts for 17.4% of all online retail sales. This is expected to grow in the future as more consumers become acclimated to the concept of mobile shopping and purchasing products with nothing more than their smartphones or tablets. IBM predicts that growth will be sustained by retailers’ ability to provide consumers with a positive shopping experience and their ability to cater to tablet users.

Interactive technologies help attract consumers to mobile commerce

The IBM report notes that the use of interactive technologies, such as augmented reality and QR codes, has helped boost the adoption of mobile commerce. These technologies have been able to engage consumers in a new and dynamic way, encouraging them to make purchases of products that they are most interested in. In the case of QR codes, consumers have been able to make use of retailer discounts at a higher frequency, as long as they purchase products from a mobile device.

These mobile devices are giving PCs a run for their money in terms of the increase in their use.

The latest tablet commerce projections have just been released by Gartner, which have revealed that the smaller handheld devices are exploding in popularity and that they may overtake laptops and desktops.

The trend has indicated that the current growth in sales is not showing any indication of slowing for several years.

At the same time, while tablet commerce is expected to grow very rapidly and continue to do so for at least several years, it is unlikely that they will become the device of choice for taking on tasks requiring greater productivity. This would require them to be equipped with peripherals and monitors, to the point that they would more closely resemble desktops and laptops than their actual tablet form.

The Gartner report is crediting the lower priced devices with the rapid growth of tablet commerce.

With the falling prices and the fact that they are relatively new to the market, they are expected to overtake PCs – which are already well established and are typically being replaced as opposed to being purchased for the first time – within the next five years.

Experts in the industry are cautioning people not to misinterpret these predictions. While it does look as though tablets and smartphones could start shipping at a rate of 2.4 billion units worldwide this year – an increase of 9 percent over last year – it doesn’t mean that the laptop has seen its day. These devices are all being used for their own unique purposes, and their affordability means that the increasingly tech savvy consumer is purchasing multiple devices as opposed to selecting one over all of the others.

This does, however, represent a meaningful shift in the way that people can shop. It means that they will have a multitude of different devices available to them when they decide to research or even purchase a product or service. For this reason, the rapid growth of tablet commerce will likely becoming increasingly important to retailers and other merchants who wish to maintain their competitive edge by providing consumers the experience that they are seeking and expecting.