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Mobile commerce traffic to grow during holiday season

Dan Gendro | November 30, 2015

IBM report predicts that mobile traffic will comprise more than 50% of all e-commerce traffic during Black Friday

Many retailers are expected to see a significant increase in mobile shopping during Black Friday this year. IBM has released the latest edition of its Holiday Benchmark Data report, suggesting that mobile traffic will comprise more than 50% of all e-commerce traffic retailers see during the holiday season. Black Friday has been has long been a very important holiday for retailers, but other shopping days have begun to prove more successful, such as Cyber Monday and, more recently, Thanksgiving Day.

Consumers are showing strong interest in mobile commerce

More consumers are beginning to show interest in mobile commerce, believing this to be a convenient and easy way to get their shopping done. According to IBM, many consumers are likely to use their mobile devices to shop around for products that they may be interested in. Retailers may also be able to engage mobile consumers more effectively, as they can shop at any time they want, rather than have to visit a physical store.

Retailers could find more success by engaging mobile consumers

mobile commerce holiday season Retailers expecting to see good results during the holiday season may have to ensure that they are prepared to serve mobile consumers. These consumers will be using a range of solutions when participating in mobile commerce, such as new payment and shopping applications. Retailers will also have to ensure that their websites are able to handle a higher degree of mobile traffic. In the past, many consumers have reported problems with completing their purchases using a mobile device. This has lead to these purchases being abandoned and retailers being criticized for their relatively ineffective commerce systems.

Mobile commerce may see some strong growth during the holiday season

Mobile commerce is expected to shine during the holiday season, just as it has done in years past. Consumers are showing interest in mobile commerce because of its convenient nature, but retailers have been relatively slow to adopt new payment systems that cater to the needs of mobile shoppers. If retailers want to see more success, they will have to find ways to effectively engage mobile consumers.

Startup is helping boost mobile payments throughout Africa

Dan Gendro | November 23, 2015

MFS Africa is enabling millions of consumers to embrace mobile payments

A startup comprised of 30 people is helping accelerate the growth of mobile commerce in Africa. In 2009, MFS Africa began offering a new mobile payments platform, allowing consumers to use their mobile devices to complete transactions. The platform was embraced by some of the continent’s largest telecommunications companies, which account for more than 500 million consumers combined. With smartphone penetration on the rise throughout Africa, the demand for mobile payments services is growing quickly.

Remittance is being supported by mobile devices, allowing more consumers to send money back home more easily

According to the World Bank, remittances, money that foreign workers send home to their families, had increased in sub-Saharan Africa by 2.2%, reaching some $32.9 billion. Many consumers are beginning to use their mobile devices to send money back home, seeing these devices as more convenient than traditional remittance processes. MFC Africa has been enabling consumers to participate in mobile commerce of all kinds, which has also made the remittance process easier for consumers overall.

MFC Africa allows those with low-end mobile devices to participate in mobile commerce

Mobile Payments - Africa While smartphone penetration is on the rise in many African countries, the majority of mobile consumers have conventional, low-end devices. MFS Africa has developed a platform that these consumers can use, ensuring the mobile commerce is not solely the domain of those with smartphones and other high-tech gadgets. The firm has allowed some 55 million people in 17 African countries to connect to one another. Approximately 15% of its users are considered active, making two or more mobile payments every month.

As mobile payments grow, consumers are being targeted by groups that want to exploit financial information

The growth of mobile payments may represent some promising economic opportunities for companies operating in Africa. As consumers become more mobile-centric, businesses are feeling the need to provide mobile services to these consumers. One of the issues these organizations will have to overcome, however, is security. As mobile payments continue to grow, security is likely to become a more problematic issue for consumers.