Author: BWild

New partnership aims to promote mobile commerce and marketing among brands

| June 19, 2013

Google and ZenithOptimedia join to promote mobile commerce and marketing

Google has announced a new and ambitious partnership with ZenithOptimedia, a leading media services agency. Together, the two companies intend to encourage brands to increase their spending in the mobile space. This includes promoting various mobile-centric services within the realms of marketing and commerce. Mobile commerce, in particular, is a major interest for Google as the company has been working to establish a foothold in this sector for the past two years.

Partnership spawns Horizon venture

Together, Google and ZenithOptimedia have launched Horizon, a joint venture that aims to provide consultancy services to large brands. Horizon will be responsible for highlighting the benefits that could be seen through engaging the mobile sector. More effective mobile marketing techniques could be a major boon for brands looking to engage consumers in a more dynamic way. With the number of consumers with mobile devices growing, marketing on this channel is becoming more important.

Mobile Commerce PartnershipHorizon to promote the benefits of mobile commerce and marketing

Horizon will also work to draw some attention to mobile commerce, highlighting the benefits that could be found through the offering of comprehensive mobile commerce services. Consumers with smartphones and tablets have shown their strong interest in using these devices to purchase goods. As consumers become more mobile, their interests in mobile commerce are growing, creating promising opportunities for brands eager to connect with a new generation of consumers.

Google eager to establish foothold in mobile commerce

Google has been working to etch out a place for itself in mobile commerce, but already holds a formidable stance in the marketing space. The company recently reformed its AdWords platform in order to provide better services to marketers. The company has a strong interest in supporting the mobile initiatives that these marketers may have interest in and continues to make changes to popular platforms to support this. ZenithOptimedia has similar interests and is eager to see brands become more mobile conscious in the near future.

Mobile commerce hits language barriers in Europe

| June 16, 2013

Language proves to be a hurdle for mobile commerce

Mobile commerce has managed to make major progress in the U.S. and Japan, but in Europe, mobile commerce has met with significant challenges that extend well beyond issues concerning security and efficiency. Language and infrastructure have proven to be the most complicated problems faced by the mobile commerce sector in Europe. Both the U.S. and Japan enjoy universal e-commerce markets due to the fact that both countries have a predominant language. Europe, however, is filled with countries that have very different languages from one another, making it difficult to create a universal mobile commerce ecosystem.

Universal market in Europe has yet to take form

European countries tend to be homes to national markets that do not synergize well beyond the boundaries of the countries they take form in. Such markets are meant to appeal to those that live in particular countries, of course, but this tends to create some division when it comes to universal commerce. For instance, those from countries where English is not a prominent language could have trouble participating in mobile commerce in countries like the United Kingdom, where most commerce services are based on the English language.

Mobile Commerce Europe - Language IssuesEurope 500 aims to solve the language problem

In order to address this issue, Europe 500, a conglomeration comprised of many large European companies, has begun to leverage its various investments to provide better localization to e-commerce sites in various countries throughout the European Union. This is expected to help make it easier for consumers to participate in mobile commerce no matter where they are in Europe by providing them with services that are based on their native language.

Localization is a costly venture for some

Making mobile commerce universal is no small task. Europe 500 is comprised of many companies, some of which have heavily invested in mobile commerce in the past. Despite the apparent interests that these companies have in mobile commerce, localization and bolstering infrastructure is not an inexpensive task. Many companies may be inclined to continue supporting national markets in an effort to save money.